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Tax Credits - help i don't understand!

Hiya, I've just been reading the 'angry' post and it has got me all confused about the evil tax credits. Our household income is about 35K and we are not entitled to WTC but are entiteld to CTC at ??20 per week for the first year of LO's life, and then ??10 p/week thereafter. Apart from child benefit we are not entitled to anything else. Does that sound about right to others??? I don't want to miss out you see as money is really really tight x

Replies

  • hi there i got same as you for 1st year you get 20 coz 10 of that is for baby eliment then after they are 1 it drops to 10 a week
  • Hi Katet, we are exactly the same as you withregards to income and amount awarded etc, kinda makes you sick that some families that dont even need any extra money at all seem to get something, surely the government should distribute that money to families that are on the border line?!?!
  • yea am the same get CTC but no WTC or anythink else which is pretty rubbish x x
  • ivana if you are expecting less money for this year you should phone them and tell them how much you will be making and they'll change your payments now!
    we only earn less than 15k per year between us so we get alot more than that but it still doesn't go far, are still broke!! when my partner lost his job they cut our working tax so we now get even less money, the whole system makes no sense!!
  • we have a total income of just under 11k and that is including ctc and child benefit.
  • i'm going back to work part time so our wages will change along with lo going to nursery so we will change details in Jan. But i read somewhere that you take off ??100 pounds from your wages for every week you're on smp dont know if thats the same for spp.
    Don't know if that makes anyones wages low enough to end up with more money i'll let u know if ours changes in January.
    The forms are rubbish going on last year and surely most people first applying have just had children so why do they not just ask how much sml you're taking and work out what you're entitled to from that?
    grrr
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  • I am the same as you katet i have three children and get ctc at ??84 a week after a visit to playgroup two week ago and people were discussing what they got ctc and wtc wise and they all got hell of a lot more than we do so i called to query and she worked out how much i will have earnt by april being on mat leave and presuming i return end Jan on normal hours she was quite confident we would get more.
    well no we will not be getting more we get as much as we are entitled to...
    Yes i admit my husband earns a good wage and so do i when i am on full pay but things are not getting any cheaper the mortgage and bills are all costing more and more....
    I would say that it is worth giving them a call......
  • hi everyone, thanks for all your replies. Evenb if it sounds like we earn a lot, when u look at the cost of mortgages these days it means that you really have to earn a whopping fortume or get into loads of debt to have any luxuries in life. God it is sooooooo depressing!!!
  • Warning with tax credits!!! No matter what happens, they always go on the year befores income and no matter how much you advise them of changes they do not usually take them into account until the following tax year! Have been caught like that. Be very accurate because it always seems to work out that the 2nd year of claiming you end up owing them money. I have always advised them everytime something has changed and have always ended up with me owing them money. This has happened to numerous friends of mine as well. They are not exactely sympathetic either. In my opinion the entire system sucks, i hope it works out well for everyone out there but I have no confidence in the system, sorry to be a doom merchant! Make sure you all have had your SureStart Maternity Grant though its ??500 if you get CTC or WTC
  • Hi there, I work partime and earn 7500 and oh earns around 16k - we have a 4 and 8 yr old and third baby due any day. We only get ctc of ??200 per month and dont get WTC - I dont know how some people who are earning more are getting more!!!!
  • I dont understand how alot of people are geeting more either coz I'm a fulltime mum & have been for the past 2 years & my hubby earns around ??21,000 a year & with one child we get ??14.35 a week. When we have our 2nd child next month we wont even get ??30 a week so I'm baffled as to how some people are getting more

    Hilary x
  • Are they getting childcare allowance? This is included in CTC! That is the only reason they could be getting more, or as I said before it will come to April and then get a big bill for overpayment.
  • I think that the system sucks too. The bills & mortgage keep increasing but our wages don't g up to compensate & we are only awwarded CTC & no WTC as apparantly we earn too much. I f we earnty too much we would be able to afford holidays, nice clothes & meals out instead of planning months in advance for a treat. It does make me a bit angry when I see neighbours of ours who boast about working the system so they can claim incapacity benefits for having bad backs, legs etc but then I see them heaving big computers & heavy boxes in & out of their house (obviously a bit of cash in hand work). Me & my boyfriend both work hard, have a mortgage & live within out means but it seems as though honest working class people are the ones that get penialised.
  • You get penalised for being honest and hardworking! Im in the horrible position of jobhunting whilst pregnant and it seems I am penalised every way I turn.
  • hi you only get help with childcare costs if you get working tax credit you are not entitled if you just get child tax credit. i informed them last year when i returned to work part time and now i owe them ive had nothing from july this year and dont get anything for my little boy till aug next year as they said they overpaid me BOLLOCKS and i dont understand how people earn more than me and oh and are getting more money something is def not right there
  • hiya, i've been feeling sorry for myself recently too as it seemed that everyone else in the world could afford little treats like going out for dinner etc (for us that is a major jig of finances and a v special treat too!) so it's been humbling for me to see that there are lots like us out there!!!!! As long as we are happy and our LO's are happy that is all that matters. I know I should be grateful for the fact that we have a roof over our heads/water/food/nappies etc.

    I think it's unfair that we can't get childcare allowance if we don't qualify for WTC. You can get up to 70% off nursery fees. That would be such a help!!
  • I thought you could get childcare allowance if you got CTC. In that case, if I went back to work after the baby i would need to clear at least ??175 just to pay the childcare fees for the baby and my 6 yr old! Is that right?
  • Got wound up about it so phoned them! As usual they would not commit but was told there is a possibility that if I went back to work then could possibly get up to 80% childcare paid even if dont get wtc. Hope this helps out there!
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