I feel stupid for not realising that the change in tax credits would effect me

EMA wasn't essential?! People like me are unsure as to exactly WHERE they are going to find bus fares to get their dc to college without it - it may WELL mean that we have to chose between DD paying her bus fares or EATING.

She WON'T manage a job as well as college, she has SN, and college is her ONLY hope of EVER being employed. But losing EMA won't afect us, oh fucking no.

DD may end up on benefits FOREVER through the lack of EMA. Her bus fares to college will actually cost MORE than her food for the week. Some choice.

And IMO it is VERY short-termist to take away the EMA that will give her a chance of gaining paid employment, when it will result in her either claiming ESA FOREVER if not, or claiming nothing because she will NOT do workfare, over my dead fucking BODY. In which case, our whole FAMILY will be struggling to stretch food money for 4 people to cover 5 people.

EMA will more than likely be the difference between my DD EVER being employed, or being reliant on the fact that she can either claim ESA forever, or that I will stretch the money for my other dc to feed her too.

The Government are SO out of fucking touch on the difference that losing EMA will make to households like mine. I HONESTLY don't know if I CAN support DD through college without EMA, due to my OWN issues - I don't qualify for disability benefits, but due to my disability, I CAN'T work enough that I will qualify for Universal Credit when it comes in.

My family is SCREWED. But then DC thinks that families where there is a poor, disabled parent are a 'problem family' anyway. Yeah - a problem because we need some support. Apparently we are feckless wasters, and are 'problem families'. Because having epilepsy makes you such an awful neighbour?!

"My oh earns 42k with his bonus and he works very hard for it. We bought our SMALL house at the height of the Market and our mortgage is a over £600 pm"

OP, maybe you need to look at budgeting as thats a good salary vs mortgage amount so you shouldnt need tax credits anyway.

You could always work for a wage if you want a "little independance"

Niceguy2. I agree with you about the £26k in benefits. Especially as that family will get free prescriptions, school meals etc etc so their disposable income goes even further

Have the highest ever youth unemployment figures passed you by CogitoErgoSometimes ?

I got the letter, this is a real pain in the arse, I must get round to calling them I keep forgetting.

One child, boyfriend earns just under 25k but because I worked a bit l last year (well it's the year before isn't cos it's paid in arrears?) we earned probably around 27k or just over 26.

It's a right pain in the arse, I should get this years (last years?) because I've only worked 2 days but it's really annoying that our wages can get over the limit so easy and then they will tell us to fuck off, instead of just putting the claim on hold until the cash drops again, it's pointless extra hassle they don't even have my details properly on the system anyway because it doesn't accommodate Zero Hour contract types, they have me down as unemployed, it's bollocks.

www.which.co.uk/money/tax/guides/tax-credits/child-tax-credits-the-basics/

here, scroll down a bit. for 2010/11, the maximum per year with three kids at £35,000 was 545. per year. not £130 a month.

Jeez nothing blushingcrow etc. There are teenagers all over the country doing little bits of evening and weekend jobs to make £20/week. Others could do the same. It was always wrong-headed to bribe kids to stay on at school.

"Does anyone know what the new threshold is for three DC?

We earn just shy of 40k between us and get £130 a month"

that sounds like an overpayment to me.

My first sentence makes little sense - should have had a LP in there somewhere I think.

Cogito, I know for tax credits it is still 16 hours for WTC from April. I am thinking ahead to when Universal Credit comes in and how it will affect me then. Am not too worried at the moment but always wanting to think about the future as well.

I know plenty of teenagers that used the EMA for bus fares , but hey ho its only a few quid. I mean ,whats £15/20 a week if you are struggling .

jeez

Bus fare is more than a few quid. £50 a month for my local service. A lot of money if you're on a low income and also needs to be seen in the context of other cuts and the rising cost of food and utilities.

CogitoErgoSometimes Fri 02-Mar-12 17:26:13

Award for most monumentally ignorant post goes to the above.

"And the EMA which helped kids with poor parents afford to go to sixth form/college."

Kept them in beer, you mean. Anyone from a poor family that really wants to go to college wouldn't let a few quid bus-fare put them off.

@QED the working hours stipulation has only changed for couples, not lone parents. Not unreasonable for 2 parents to work 24 hours a week between them. Far more difficult for a lone parent to do so

"'The fuckers' are still working on the rules of the Universal Credit, the details are not yet in the public domain and there is no reason to assume that lone parents will be worse off. The main targets for cost savings so far (CB, CTC, WFTC) have been couples with above average incomes."

And disability living allowance which is becoming PIP and will cost 20% less.

And the the benefit that keeps roofs over the heads of those with low incomes.

And the EMA which helped kids with poor parents afford to go to sixth form/college.

THE FUCKERS

As a lone parent am trying to work out whether I will need to work a set number of hours (20? 24?) to meet conditionality or whether I need to earn equivalent to NMW for those hours. I work seasonally and some at v good hourly rates. Some less good. Also some employed and some self employed. But something will happen in the end I suppose.

'The fuckers' are still working on the rules of the Universal Credit, the details are not yet in the public domain and there is no reason to assume that lone parents will be worse off. The main targets for cost savings so far (CB, CTC, WFTC) have been couples with above average incomes.

No, they are screwing the lone parents up when universal credit comes in. The fuckers.

@KateF. There's a lot of very good information on the HMRC website link here about the main changes in tax credits. The changes to working hours do not affect single parents.

Our 'mistake' if you like was following the 'take any job you can' advice, in that it meant DH had a commute of 90 minutes so a LOT of petrol. He was forever being paid the wrong amount and that would screw up everything.

The job DID prove to be a stepping stone to better things though, so worked out well in the end, but I hope never to be back there again!

Sancti - you just reminded me of when our company payroll messed up and no-one got paid, there were lots of people stranded at our warehouse who couldn't afford to drive home as they would run out of petrol and had been relying on that days wages to pay for it. DH and I both worked for same company so we were stuffed that day.

here KateF

However in October 2013 Universal credit comes in and single aprents (and carers for children on MR DLA) will have to do 24 hours or be classed as not working and liable for workfare / to show they are looking for another job (look up universal credit conditionality)

Oh and the people who say work costs- yes it does, I remember the days when DH ahd to pull an occasional sickie if the money ran out before the month due to petrol- but so can being at home; heating, wear and tear, paying increased rents due to the narrower choice people get on HB... it's not all one way.

Just to clarify, we do not and never have received joblessness benefits as a family.