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Original poster

£35k tax free for working 20 hours a week....

775 replies

BitchyWitchy · 22/10/2010 23:42

In response to the 'Benefits' thread, I thought I would post this...

We took the decision to reduce DHs hours a few months back as we realised we are better off with him working part time than full time and this is what we get WEEKLY (4 DCs):

Wages (20 hours per week) £209
Housing Benefit £188 (leaving £7 for us to pay)
Council tax benefit £19 (leaving £3 for us to pay
Tax Credits £196
Working tax credits £13
Child benefit £60.50

Thats over £35K tax free! DH's fulltime wage was £34k before tax.

Also get free prescriptions and dental care, discounted kids activities and leisure centre membership. DH is home 5 days a week and I am loving having him around to help out with the DCs and doing stuff with them which he could not do when he worked 50 hours a week! 3 DC are at school so we get quality time with the youngest.

We are also doing free OU degree courses so we can get better paid jobs in a few years.

Wish to bloody god we did this earlier when we were BOTH stressed out working fulltime and brought in LESS that what we get now after childcare.

We shall enjoy this until 2013 I can tell you! I don't give a monkey's what anyone thinks of us. DH is still working after all and who would really continue working fulltime knowing they get all this? It may not be right but while it's on offer, should we refuse it?

OP posts:
domesticsluttery · 26/10/2010 16:54

Totally agree with kungfupanda and violethill

mw27pink · 26/10/2010 16:54

MaMoTTaT behave some people are sensitive about their spelling Grin.

I do remember smth about the governemnt doing a study about benefit fraud, only to discover that most of the money was lost due to "office error", "client error" and only 2.4% was overpayment. Could be wrong, but it did make me think how much bigger this iceberg of BS is!!Confused

MaMoTTaT · 26/10/2010 16:57

sorry pink Blush

my spelling is shite, but it's such a fabulous spelling/Freudian slip I can't help it Grin

violethill · 26/10/2010 17:05

Massiveknob - the money tree? The bottomless purse? Lol , I don't think you're going to get any intelligent answers!

MassiveKnob · 26/10/2010 17:09
Grin
TandB · 26/10/2010 18:37

I asked a particularly beligerent defendant yesterday how he was supporting himself. He replied "Magic". Maybe that is where the money is coming from.

Although I am not sure how reliable this information is as this pronouncement was before he turned his back on me, sat down on the floor, put his hands over his ears and started singing "la la la la, I can't hear you"at the top of his voice.

I am mildly curious as to how long he did that for before he realised I had quietly let myself out of the room and gone to deal with some less annoying people.

galonthefarm · 26/10/2010 20:25

I wondered why I pay so much tax!! just realised why!

stories like this are why the whole benefits system etc needs to be sorted.

SuperWomanX4 · 26/10/2010 20:53

I work 22.5 hours a week taking home £1150 after tax each month and I don't get any help towards my mortgage as i'm a home owner not renting, I get £80 child benefits and £157 tax credits. plus they took my medical exception card away from me n June. My partner does not work but does not claim job seekers or disability as he is neither seeking a job or disabled. I also have to pay for child care with no help from goverment - as my partner is at home the goverment feel my partner should look after our child but i feel it's important he have time away from us and socialise.I can only imagine your doing so well because of the number of children you have. Was only saying today to a college that if you can earn a very good hourly rate and work under 15 hours a week your entitled to great benefits and no tax!
I do think the goverment need to evaluate it a even it all out a little.

MaMoTTaT · 26/10/2010 21:20

" Was only saying today to a college that if you can earn a very good hourly rate and work under 15 hours a week your entitled to great benefits and no tax! "

well - not really as if you don't work 16hrs you won't get ANY working Working Tax Credits, or any help with childcare.

And I'm Confused - your partner isn't seeking work or disabled, so why can't he look after the children?

BaggyCoconut · 26/10/2010 21:24

Superwoman - Yes you and your DP should both have time to yourselves and to socialise, but I fail to see why this means he cannot look after your DC while you are at work. As you are working part time surely there is enough time for you both to have a break while the other looks after the DC?

It seems very strange that your partner does not work, for no reason, yet you are paying for childcare. Wouldn't you prefer a bit more money for some extra fun stuff for you and DP, rather than paying a childminder with no real need to?

MaMoTTaT · 26/10/2010 21:36

Baggy - it would appear they have extra money for fun stuff from somewhere - the partner has just bought a new convertible Smile

AppleHEAD · 26/10/2010 21:37

It really is just horrible on too many levels to even go into.

BaggyCoconut · 26/10/2010 21:38

MaMoTTaT - I know I saw it too. A bit odd I would say.

gaelicsheep · 26/10/2010 21:43

What is this £24k in benefits that people are talking about? The OP's DH earns £20k pa, or did people not read the OP? That makes £14k in benefits - still a lot of course.

I'm still shocked at the level of ignorance on this thread about how the tax credit/HB system works. I swear half of you think we live in a police state!

MaMoTTaT · 26/10/2010 21:45

ermm - not he doesn't gaelic

"Wages (20 hours per week) £209"

I'm presuming that's after tax as she's talking about what she has tax free - so that's roughly £250 a week, or 13k a year (before tax). After tax it's just a touch over 10k in wages

gaelicsheep · 26/10/2010 21:49

Superwoman - why would you need to claim help from the Govt for childcare if your partner is at home? We paid for 2 days a week childcare so DH could renovate our house, but we accepted this had to come from our own pockets.

Two caveats and big bugbears:

  1. When DH was working 14 hours for a while - to keep his hand in - we still had to pay all the childcare which meant he had a negative net income. He couldn't get more hours and it seemed pretty unfair.

  2. If we'd arranged our lives so we worked 32 hours between us in shifts we could claim for all the childcare we wanted, regardless whether one of us was at home or not. That is very wrong IMO. I think you should have to prove that the childcare is used during the hours you are working.

gaelicsheep · 26/10/2010 21:51

BlushBlushBlush

Where the hell did I get that from then?! Oh, 20 hours a week. It's been a long day.

Apologies one and all. The second paragraph still stands though.

thesecondcoming · 26/10/2010 21:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MaMoTTaT · 26/10/2010 21:54

Grin Gaelic

thesecondcoming - could be 1 (or both) of 2 things

  1. Their 4th child will still be getting the baby element (or whatever it's called) as they're under one year old
  1. Their LHA rate may be much higher than yours

HB figures are variable (as are council tax) so another family in the exact same position as you income/children wise, but living in a more expensive part of the country will get more than you, someone in a cheaper area will get less.

thesecondcoming · 26/10/2010 23:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SuperWomanX4 · 26/10/2010 23:10

MaMoTTaT - No my partner does not claim job seekers as he'd be lying as he has no intention of getting a job. I returned to work full time shortly after having son - he was going to be a stay at home dad. he then decided he couldn't handle that so I went part time, i am in the process of incresing my hours up as much as my employers will agree to based on budget Hmm
My son is an only child, no cousins etc and I AM NOT HAVING ANY MORE! so I thought it would be good for him (my son not me or partner) to have sometime with other children and to avoid that clingy crying child each morning at school - we all had one of those in our class. I don't want my son to turn five and to suddenly throw him into school fulltime. My son is only at the childminders on the afternoon of the days I work, his dad has him in the mornings whilst I'm at work.
But that is still costing me £234 a month - my son loves going so could not stop him now. I know that each day he has done something creative and hasn't just been stuck in the house with his dad fighting over the remote control whilst I'm at work.

SuperWomanX4 · 26/10/2010 23:14

MaMoTTaT - not sure if you saw on other post - partner came into inheritance to buy the car - I could of given him a least of much better things to do with it like pay off some of the mortgage but it's his what can ya do!

gaelicsheep · 26/10/2010 23:40

Superwoman - I for one have no problem with you putting your DS in childcare (not that it's any of my business). We felt the same, that it would be good for DS to get a change of scene, make friends, do different things, etc. But you don't really think the Govt should pay towards it do you? Really?

gaelicsheep · 26/10/2010 23:43

thesecondcoming - the way I see it, the only reason the OP can make these choices is because she doesn't have a mortgage. We could never do it, and if it reaches the point where we have to then we'll have to sell up, rent, and be a bigger burden on the taxpayer in the long run I should think. God forbid it ever happens.

SuperWomanX4 · 26/10/2010 23:58

gaelicsheep - no I don't feel the gov should necessarily pay my childcare. I do think they should look at who they reward for doing nothing, the childcare supplement was put together to encourage parents back to work initially. I know people who do not work but have returned to education since having children and get free childcare on top of that. I'm all for people bettering themselves but wouldn't have paid privately and rushed my qualifications whilst pregnant if I'd realised I could of got them for free whilst on maternity leave and had free childcare. The gov seems to give free childcare to people who have returned to education whilst the tax payers support them and don't reap the rewards. Based on that the goverment need to look at rebalancing this.