to give up work, warning, tax credits involved!

[monkeyfacegrace]

Ok all, Im getting myself all muddled so I cant think straight! Please help!

At the moment, I work 16 hours per week. My kids, 4 & 2 go to nursery while Im at work, and the government pay 80% (soon to be 70%) of my childcare.

I earn £400 wages, and get £660 every 4 weeks TC. My childcare costs are £450 per month on average for both kids (vary due to month lenghts, my 4 yr old grant etc). So I get £1060, minus £450 nursery, and the nursery and work are in the next town, so I spend £100 p.month on diesel to get there and back. Leaves me with £500ish(?!)

If I give up work, and pull kids out of nursery (except eldest who will do her 15 hours free), I worked out via TC calculator, I will get £450 per 4 weeks, then I will work a little 4 hour shift every week to earn an extra £100 p.month.

Now on one hand I feel like a scrote and a 'benefit grabber', but as my DH points out, Im actually saving the government money as they pay for so much childcare so I can work. My youngest will miss out on 1 1/2 days nursery that he gets now, but at the moment I feel like I never get quality time with him

What do you wise lot think?

[londonone]

usualsuspect - I do think that only those who can afford them should have children, yes.

Obviously peoples situations change etc but more money could be spent ensuring that all parents paid towards their children in cases of divorce etc if we didn't pay out millions to people who can't really afford to have children.

[TheJollyPirate]

Tell you what londonone - how about we send people to you before they have kids so you can decide. Oh by the way - the children you want to prevent being born will be the future workforce paying a pension and caring for you in your old age. But never mind eh -

Oh - and I get tax credits too plus EXTRA for having a disabled child so stick that in yer pipe . I work and frequently feel like the OP but I get more out of work than just a wage.

You cannot be so black and white - fact is we have an aging population and need our children to be a future workforce. Of course we could ban people from having them and just bring people in instead- but I am guessing you would then be going on about the immigration levels.

Take your head out of the Daily Mail and open your eyes - the world is not as easy for people as you appear to think it is.

[mrsscoob]

Londonone, people are well within their rights to claim tax credits if entitled to them. Just because some jobs aren't as well paid as others do not make them any less valid you know. I think your attitude is horrible.

[TheJollyPirate]

Sadly there will always be hard nosed and hard faced people - thankfully they are few and far between. Most of us have more between the ears than the Daily Mail.

[Lougle]

Well, yes, it might seem more palatable to some if there were two schemes:

A matched contribution scheme whereby for every £1 a company pays, the Government contributes x pence, which is paid to the Company to pass on, so that the employee sees it in their wage packet.

A 'benefits' scheme for those who cannot work/are job seeking.

Because let's face it, all Tax Credits do is save the Government from having to tackle the headache that low pay-rates causes.

[londonone]

jollypirate - read my post, i have no issue with immigration whatsoever. The world population is massive and yhe UK is already overcrowded why on earth should we be encouraging peple to have children they can't afford.

[londonone]

mrsscoob - I am not saying that some jobs are more important than others I am saying some jobs pay you enough money to afford to bring up children and others don't. Some jobs pay enough for people to buy a bentley, some don't. Should we top up anyone who fancies buying a nice car just becaus ethey have a poorly paid job?

[risingstar]

fwiw monkey i work full time and spend negligble amounts of time with dc.

if i were in your position i would seriously go for it. you wont get these years back, you are in a job with inconvenient hours. you will get no more if you quit than if you hadn't bothered to work in the first place. you are entitled to the payment. if tcs do go tits up down the line, no doubt you could get another similar job and lastly but not leastly, you are freeing a job up for someone else.

[MollieO]

I would look for a more local job rather than not working at all. I don't understand the not working bit at all. I was made redundant last month. I've signed on for the first time in my life. The woman at the job centre said she hoped I was enjoying spending time with Ds and that I should take some time out! I've worked for 28 years not including Saturday jobs (would be 33 years if I added those on!). I've obviously paid huge amounts of national insurance but feel that I should be working. If I didn't I'd have to live on benefits and even though the amount I'd get would be ok it just feels wrong.

Ds is used to seeing me as much as your dh sees your dcs. He seems well adjusted and normal to me and is keen for me to get another job.

[mrsscoob]

No londonone that is a ridiculous argument

If the world population is massive and the UK overcrowded then why not lead by example and not have children yourself if you are that bothered by it. Maybe we should make a point of encouraging people with no empathy or understanding of what it is like to live in the real world not to breed. Now that would be a better idea!

[londonone]

I am not bothered by people having children I am bothered by people having children they can't afford. If all people wantedfrom others was empathy that would be fine, but it turns out people are keener on having cash than empathy.

[Violethill]

It's the system that's at fault, and you and your children's father should be responsible for maintaining them. The fact that your children's father is getting away with paying a measly 20 quid a week is a joke, and the fact is, it is other children's fathers and mothers who are going out to work to pay the tax which then tops you up.

Having said that, you're mad if you're relying on any form of tax credits. Extremely short sighted. You would be thinking long term if you had any sense - there may well be further reform of the system, and also, if youre not working, you're not paying into a pension, you're not giving your children the opportunity to go to nursery, you're not getting all the social and other benefits of working. And you seem to assume you will waltz back into work when it suits you - you're joking, right?

And besides, 16 hours a week is bugger all really.... if you feel you aren't seeing enough of your children then it's probably poor organisation and time management on your part tbh.

Give up your job if you want. As you say, its no skin off tax payers noses - it's your chances your damaging.

[Want2bSupermum]

londonone - I can see where you are coming from but I don't agree with you. The current tax code does bugger all to help the 'average' working family with two adults of working age. I can't think of one western country that offers as little support as the UK does to those with children.

As I said earlier, as a taxpayer, I don't have an issue supporting a family similiar to the OP's where one adult is working and the other is home bringing up the children. This makes for a better for society in that the relationship between the parents is less likely to break up and the children are less likely to go off the rails and end up on the wrong side of the tracks.

I do however have a problem with supporting a mother who doesn't put the name of the father on the birth certificate (unless she was raped so wouldn't know). To me it should be a criminal act to not enter the fathers name (even a sperm donor has a number identifying the source) as every child deserves to know who their father is. With that said I am all for supporting children no matter what circumstance they were born into so while I don't like that this happens I tolerate it and feel very sorry for the children involved.

[Violethill]

whoops : you're

[monkeyfacegrace]

violethill, I was out of work for 2 years before, and literally got a job on the day of looking. This has happened twice in 2 years. I was assistant manager of a shop at 16, and have been in management since. Im also on very good terms with 2 previous employers, who have both said they would leap through hoops to have me back at any time.

Im not counting my chickens, but Im pretty sure I could get a job, even at tesco etc when kids are at school.
My dh has a very good pension.

[Violethill]

"My dh has a very good pension."

Yes, but I asked if YOU do. Your DH's pension may have widow's benefits, but I would check out whether it does and what it's worth. You don't automatically get what he would you know! This seems to be a worryingly common misconception among many women. My own DH has a good pension, and if he dies first, I would be entitled to half of it, but I make damn sure I pay a few hundred into my own good pension each month too!

If you can't manage 16 hours a week work without feeling that you miss out on something, then I'm a bit but there you go. Let's hope you manage to pick up a job that's satisfying when you want to get back to work

[Violethill]

LOL I'm not quite believing you now!!

[monkeyfacegrace]

Ah wish I hadnt disclosed that, ignore me, Im reporting that post.

[Violethill]

PMSL

[monkeyfacegrace]

Just wanted you to know why Im not worried about what happens in 40 years but it came out wrong, ignore it

[Want2bSupermum]

With the way inflation is headed you will be lucky if half a mil in 20+ years will buy you a loaf of bread. Never count your chickens before they have hatched. The will could be changed and you cut out of it or all the money could have been spent by the time the person with the money passes on.

[laInfanta]

Haha, I'm not judging

but be careful - people have a really annoying habit of squandering inheritance on care home bills instead of considerately euthanasing themselves the way I'm going to...

[monkeyfacegrace]

Its in property, so will increase with inflation. Im not counting my chickens, but Im not concerned now, at age of 24, about a pension.
Can we forget pensions now please

[laInfanta]

You seem a bit naive about financial realities...