How may hours? Child Tax Credits

[Janek]

I have recently returned to work, after a break to have my dds. We currently receive child tax credits and i need to let them know that my income has increased, at least at renewal time, if not now.

My contracted hours are 0.6 and i need to be in school from 08:40 - 15:00 three days per week (although the school day runs from 8:55 and there is 20 mins of registration/tutor period and 30 mins lunch break in there) although obviously I am there much earlier and leave much later than that (not to mention working all day on my 'days off').

So what do I say my hours are for the tax credit people? I know I should only include the hours i'm contracted to do, rather than the hours I actually do, in order to do the job properly. So do I include the morning meeting? My lunch break? Tutor period? Or just the hours i'm teaching?

Tia

[MrsShrek3]

Is working out 60%of directed time (1265?) a start? Id write the actual hours worked tbh. Back in the day I used to write weekly hours as 60!!

[rollonthesummer]

I used to write I worked 16 hours a week when I was 0.4. I was at school 7.30-6 so easily did that-without all the work done at home.

[DontGotoRoehampton]

Good idea - amazed me that taxpayers have to pick up the tab for as many kids a people choose to have.

[Sortmylifeout]

Ring your employer and ask them how many hours per day you are contracted to work. I am a teacher and had to do the same. Don't just make it up or try to work it out!

[phlebasconsidered]

It's only contracted hours, not actual. I am 0.75 and I had to stick to my actual hours as given by the school admin, not what I actually, really, work. If they check, they will ask school Personnel officers, and not you or other teachers who actually see the amount of work!

[Janek]

phleba that's what I thought, but what am I actually contracted for?!? 8:55-15:00? 08:40-15:00? One of those times, but minus my lunch break? Or tutor time? Does that mean full-time teachers can only ever put down that they work 30 hours per week?

[rollonthesummer]

Does that mean full-time teachers can only ever put down that they work 30 hours per week?

That seems insane?! Especially as the recent workload survey said that teachers work for 55-60 hours a week!? Recognising it as only 30 hours sounds like it's part time!?

[LittleRobots]

I think I assumed a 40 hour week and just timesed it by 0.6 (or whatever it was at the time).

There's somewhere in there that states if youre term time only you do it as if it were term time. Of course its vastly more than 40 hours in termtime (and vastly less in the holidays)

[LittleRobots]

Its certainly NOT just 8.55-3.00 or whatever. The job recognises the hours you do outside your contact hours. Teaching is an odd profession where we get to the point of asking whether meetings "Count" as work.... I've often thought this. Most other jobs meetings/ presentation prep etc are all part of the working day rightly so but we tie ourselves down to actualtime in class!

[MsDran]

It used to be 32.5 hrs per week for a full time teacher, (might be different for academies and free schools). It used to say on our pay slips, we all used to laugh!

[phlebasconsidered]

My HR lady said it was just a weekly amount, depends on start and finish times in different LEAs but I'm pretty certain I could only claim for 17 hours and I am 0.6. Madness! As on those days I'm in at 7:45 until 5, not counting the inset evening or the lunch bus, or the work I do at home!

[321Go]

For tax credits you just need to be over 16 hours to be potentially eligible. If you do 0.6 of your in-school days you will get more than that. Or 0.6 of directed time total. Tax credit person on phone was happy with me doing my fraction x 37.5 hour typical (non teaching) working week too.

[superram]

I think on my contract it says 7 hours per day and believe you have to stick to whatever it says on your contract.

[Janek]

Hmmm, I could do with them sending me my contract then! I have remembered there is an HR person at the other school in our 'multi academy trust', so I will email her.

I feel vindicated that no one seems any more sure about the answer than me though. Thanks all.