working tax credit worries

[Marney]

Have just found out that as a single adult child about to go to uni and my likely work hours come september 20 or 22 if im lucky that i wont be able to claim working tax credit atall, from the end of august So i could be trying to live on around 100 pounds a week .But i will have to pay gas electric water rates internet if i keep it and try to afford more to eat than sardines and bread Yes i know people should provide for themselves but with the best will in the world ill never be a big wage earner im just not in that category and thanks to ofsted years ago im not a registered chidminder just a childminder exempt from compulory registration Ofsted didnt stop my registration i stopped it after a particully unpleasant inspector put me through hell wont bore with the details So ive lately had to turn down three children id have loved to mind because legally you cant mind children under 8 for more than 2 hours a day Ive still got a number of children some been with me years to mind before and after school and i do some private cleaning and some gardening b ut with arthiriti starting cleaning isnt ideal Sorry probably this is getting hard to follow any way ive asked the job centre and tax people and as a single person thats it but if i could get a job for 30 hours a week i probably presuming im on the minimum wage would get 50 pound aweek tax credit but not any if say 28 or 29 hours Apparently if i was unemployed for 6 months and lived on 67 pounds each week then got a job for 16 or more hours i would then be eligible for working tax credit doesnt make sence So what happens when i have no money left will i be allowed to beg in the town centre or is thre anything else i can do i had thought id be able to pay towards my daughter coming home the odd weekend oh and ive been looking at the local job vacancies for care work 6 pound seventy per hour and 15 or 25 hours obviously no working tax credit would be payable not the magic 30

Where is your daughter? Are you the one going to university or is she? Sorry just checking.

My daughter lives with me and is expecting to go to uni in september 2011 this sept im not that clever un fortunately

Go to the CAB or welfare organisation and get a full benefit check, including HB and CT, the Job Centre isn't reliable.

I don't understand why you couldn't get WTC as long as you work over 16 hours.

What concerns me is if you can tap into any other benefits.

How is your arthritis?

are you able to get two jobs which will take you to the 30 hours a week?

Sorry its a bit muddled for me without paragraphs - why arent you working as a Registered Childminder??

OP sorry it's a bit late for me, will come back tomorrow,

YOu can claim working tax credits without children, however all child tax credit stops for a child when they leave college i.e July. You have to notify them the child is no longer in full time education i.e college and they stop the child tax credits.

I have put it into paragraphs, OP, no offence meant.

Have you looked into claiming Income Support?-I think you can claim it if you work under 16 hours. Oh and well done for your dc getting a place at university.

Have just found out, that as a single adult child, my DD is about to go to uni.

With my likely work hours come september to be 20 or 22, if im lucky, that i wont be able to claim working tax credit at all, from the end of august. So i could be trying to live on around 100 pounds a week .

But i will have to pay gas electric, water rates, internet, if i keep it and try to afford more to eat than sardines and bread. Yes i know people should provide for themselves, but with the best will in the world ill never be a big wage earner im just not in that category.

Thanks to ofsted years ago im not a registered chidminder, just a childminder exempt from compulory registration. Ofsted didnt stop my registration i stopped it after a particully unpleasant inspector put me through hell. wont bore with the details.
So ive lately had to turn down three children id have loved to mind because legally you cant mind children under 8 for more than 2 hours a day.

i do some private cleaning and some gardening but with arthiritis starting cleaning isnt ideal. Sorry probably this is getting hard to follow.
Any way ive asked the job centre and tax people. As a single person thats it, but if i could get a job for 30 hours a week, i probably presuming im on the minimum wage ,would get 50 pound aweek tax credit, but not any, if say 28 or 29 hours.

Apparently if i was unemployed for 6 months and lived on 67 pounds each week then got a job for 16 or more hours i would then be eligible for working tax credit, doesnt make sence. So what happens when i have no money left? Will i be allowed to beg in the town centre or is thre anything else i can do? I had thought id be able to pay towards my daughter coming home the odd weekend.

Oh and ive been looking at the local job vacancies for care work 6 pound seventy per hour and 15 or 25 hours, obviously no working tax credit would be payable, not the magic 30.

OP, as i said no offence meant, it just makes it easier to read.

You really need a proper benefit check, do not rely on the JC, as i said, they don't always give correct calculations.

I have been to the job centre and was told this and phoned the tax credt hepline and been told all tax credit will stop .Have also checked on the internet and it fits with that it was a shock .Yes if im lucky and fit enough i might find 30 hours evetually Sorry about lack of paragraghs i am rubbish at typing never did it at school and i know my english isnt good i am doing what i can with practice may be ill get better the arthiritis is mainly in my right hand i try to ignore it

Have you checked on this benefits calculator

www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

Why am i not working as a registered chidminder is complicated basically i was acused of breaching a regulation i dont think even existed it went on the internet that i had What terrible thing had i done Well im weak i never lik e asking to be paid for work probably undecharge and at that time i recorded the times children attended to the nearest quarter of an hour and parents payed for 15 minutes 45 minutes and so onThe inspector said it was a breach of reglations but it was never made clear if you had to put the contracted hours or the exact to the minute whichever it was the way i did it was apparetly a fire risk At the end of the inspection i broke down when she told me.This then led to ofsted sending some more inspecters a week later because being so upet might mean i wasnt suitable they then arranged for me to see their doctor who said i was perfectly fit but would have to learn to forgive ofsted which has been much easier said than done

Thanks for putting it into paragrahs it looks much better

OP will you have a £100 after yor rent and CT?

Child Tax Credits will stop and also any benefits for being a LP.

Start bugeting now, do not 'bury your head in the sand'.

Your DC can support him/herself, with part time work.

Go and get a benefit calculation, anyway. You 30 hours of work can be a combination of various jobs. If you are not fit for work, or can become restricted to the hours that you can work, then there is a TC top up available because of your health condition.

If your health worstens then there are other benefits, instead.

Can you not go back to Ofstead, to get re-assessed?

Will try and check on the benefits calculator thanks but not very hopefull going off now its late and my english would only get worse prob Would much rather get the info from hepline but this is what they said anyway

OP- if you have a welfare rights organisation near you, go to them, they will sort everything out for you and explain your options.

Yes it would be after rent and council tax but id have less in school holdays and prob less than 100 other weeks Yes my daughter could work normally but its a nhs degree she is doing so she wont have the usual holidays and they work as they train No she isnt that clever that she is going to train as a doctor She is hoping to get a nhs bursary which is goodbut i feel like i shuold help her but i will have to stand back now i suppose

OP-her bursery and student loan, is plenty enough for her to manage on, do not worry about her. I understand that she is better off not working when on placement and the more reading that she can do the better.

You need to put all your figures on paper and get advice, do not assume you cannot get help.

Rethink the whole Ofstead thing, the inspector may have moved on.

i m not sure we have a welfare rights around here but will look into that .At the job centre i didnt get past the reception she was really kind though but once you are not a single parent it looks like they dont do a benefits check .I really dont think i could face the ofsted thing all over again im not that thick skinned Ive never been a confident person thanks for your advice though

If you've a qualifying child at home then you only need to work a minimum of 16hrs p/wk to get Working Tax Credit, once you no longer have a qualifying child it's 30hrs p/wk minimum unless:

• you're over the age of 50 and you're returning to work after a period of being on unemployment or sickness benefits in which case you can qualify on 16hrs

or

• you meet their disability criteria in which case you only need to do a minimum of 16hrs p/wk

If you have arthritis then it may be worth checking to see if you qualify for any disability benefits because then you would be able to keep your Working Tax entitlement without increasing your hours (and would also get whatever other payments you qualify for). If your arthritis is at a point where it's impacting your ability to work more hours then it should be taken into account.

Definitely speak to Citizens Advice, they'll be able to look at everything you're entitled to and can show you were to get the relevant forms, etc.

CBear6 I have just returned to this thread to find your excellent post to Marney (and others, no doubt, who are reading this).

Is the period of being on unemployment or sickness benefits six months?

You have to have recieved the disability benefit or added disability premium (say on IS) for at least one day in the last six months, not six months solid. There are descriptors used to aslo satisfy the conditions, that is why the OP should go for a criteria check, if she does not qualify yet, it would remove the worry, to know where she stands, if the arthritis worstens.