Adoption benefits

[DarganMuuMuu]

Please can anyone help by giving me advice on any benefits for a married couple (no Birth Children)
We are going through the adoption process, my husband and I are in full time work at the moment (no child yet placed) We are unsure of anything we could be entitled to.

I would guess you've already looked at your entitlement to adoption leave, and adoption pay, as part of your adoption process? The gov.uk website is good, and very clear about working out your entitlement to statutory leave and statutory pay. Your employer may offer an additional enhanced scheme, but they are not obliged to.

Otherwise, once a child is placed with you, you can apply for child benefit. When you return to work, there are working tax credits, and childcare vouchers (deciding to have a proportion of your gross salary paid as childcare vouchers, so paying less tax on the remaining amount of salary). No doubt by the time this happens the system will have changed again, but I've found the calculator tools on the gov.uk website very useful in working out the best options; by sticking with those, I know I'm working on the valid version of any entitlement!

Depending on the age of the child, there is also access to free childcare hours, up to a weekly limit.

I cant remember the name but there is a scheme whereby all looked after children get access to free nursery schooling from the age of 2.

I believe in certain circumstances, where the child has greater needs, there is an adoption allowance which can be paid to support the family but not aware of how this works as does not apply to us. Might be something to ask your SW about.

thanks!

we adopted more than 1 so got help with buying equipment etc