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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU about Tax Credits cuts,

792 replies

Weathergames · 15/09/2015 23:37

Commons back Osborne plan for tax credit cuts
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34260902

I don't claim anymore because I now earn enough to support myself - because I could work and progress my career as well as my life while being a single parent.

AIBU to think this is a total travesty and so many single parents are going to have their life's devastated by this - and what about people in domestic abuse situations who will now be more unable to leave?

Maybe I some benefits scrounger - but the tax credits enabled me to be a good parent and role model to my kids - without their feckless father affecting that .... AIBU?!

OP posts:
AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:03

need a sock you can use the childcare element if tax credit towards paying a nanny.

Babyroobs · 17/09/2015 21:06

Fucking fuming - could you work hours around each other to avoid the childcare problem? Not easy I know especially with disabled kids. We have 4 and this is the only way we have been able to both work without paying huge amounts in childcare.

AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:06

Fuming you would still receive WTC if you dp works 16 hours as you would be a carer. So no free meals [Sad

NeedsAsockamnesty · 17/09/2015 21:07

Can you if she works from your home rather than hers?

I haven't worked with a client on compliance check for ages but last one I did who had a nanny had her award stopped as the nanny worked in her home (she was registered). I do not know if she got it back or not because I stopped doing that sort of work.

AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:08

Yes , as long as the nanny is ofsted registered.

ilovechristmas123 · 17/09/2015 21:11

fuckingfuming

seriously your worried

if your claiming all your entitled to including your wages you will be in excess of £800 - £1k a week at present

IfNotNowThenWhenever · 17/09/2015 21:12

Aside from working all the hours God sends to pay for basic survival it might also be a good idea if parents could see their own children once in a while.
I see the benefit of being self sufficient, and would much rather be able to pay for everything with just my wages. It's an uncomfortable feeling to be dependent on Gideon..
However, for what I do I am pretty much stalled at just under average wage. I work 30 hours a week. If I worked full time (40 hours) I would have to pay a lot more in wraparound childcare. I would be very slightly better off, a few pounds a week, but it would have a profound effect on my child to be at school effectively from 8.00 until 18.00 every weekday, and being out of the house from 7.40 until 18.20.
I know because I have done it and he was exhausted and miserable, there was no time for learning an instrument, or sports clubs, going to friends for tea, and barely time for homework.

I was exhausted and miserable, I hardly cooked, I was flat out by Saturday, but the the shopping and cleaning had to be done.
Now I know many many people do this, they have to, and if I knew that by working 40, 50 hours a week I would massively increase my income, and my prospects, I would maybe accept this.
But on a pay freeze, in a provincial place, with very little scope for big earnings jumps, the choice in reality is work a bit less, have a bit less, but have a happy, balanced life, or have a few more pounds and be a much more stressed, tired, miserable parent.
It does matter, how the children of us beleaguered scapegoats are raised. Especially lone parents children, as they have only us in many cases. As someone up thread pointed out, happy, well adjusted, nurtured children ultimately cost the state far far less.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 17/09/2015 21:13

This is good news indeed. When I go into work tomorrow I'm going to ask the benefit specialist who took over from me why nobody told me this. I expect she will look at me in a odd way with a bit of a head tilt and ask me if I need a lay down as I'm meant to know stuff like that Grin

AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:13

That's really strange that your client had her award stopped. The whole point of a nanny is they work in the children's home rather than their own.
It sounds like someone was ignorant of the regulations. I think it should be more publicised that people can use TC or vouchers to pay a nanny.

AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:15

£800- £1k a week iLoveChristmashow do you come to that figure?!!

ilovechristmas123 · 17/09/2015 21:15

fuckingfuming

you may only earn 14K a year a but your entitlements are huge

by saying you only earn 14k is a bit of a red herring as your income is far far higher so its not 14k total and your fuming over not getting free school meals Shock

AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:16

Oh and you do know dla is for costs relating to disability yes?

ilovechristmas123 · 17/09/2015 21:19

wtc £90

ctc £354

cb £61

dla £153

then wages,1 on 32hrs minimum wage
oh on 16hrs minimum wage

and whatever hb/ct if they are entitled

NeedsAsockamnesty · 17/09/2015 21:21

seriously your worried

if your claiming all your entitled to including your wages you will be in excess of £800 - £1k a week at present

Are you meaning she shouldn't be worried?

I have 5 kids with autism, I would be petrified if I was in that financial situation. It wouldn't even come close to being able to meet their medical and therapeutic needs

fuckingfuming · 17/09/2015 21:23

we work at the same place. dp does mondays and tuesday, and i do wed-saturdays. apart from currently as this week and next i am training him so we are both working all week. but my mum is picking up the slack as its on a temporary basis. i am worried yes, because even with the amount we get (and i grant you, it is a lot) we have to pay out a lot too. dd has therapy which we cant get on the nhs, also due to eczema and sensory issues all her clothes have to be 100% cotton, and she is growing at a rate of knots. plus ds1 needs a lot of stuff for school, he is at 6th form, has a trip in 3 weeks which needs paying for, is doing a level photography and needs his camera fixed. plus the between £140 and £180 a week food bill for 6 people. we wouldnt get working tax if dp was only working 16 hours, as he wouldnt earn enough to meet the minimum threshold, and because the hours between us still need to be 24 a week, so just dp working 16 hours is not enough

AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:24

Fuming if you are a carer for one of your dc then your dp only needs to work 16 hours not 24.

ilovechristmas123 · 17/09/2015 21:26

well saying you only earn £14k is very misleading when that is so far from the truth

fuckingfuming · 17/09/2015 21:27

we dont get £90 a week in wtc. we get about £3, and £35 a week housing benefit. yes i do know that dla is for extra costs due to the disability, but it doesnt take away the fact that we still have to pay for it out of the money that comes into our house.

fuckingfuming · 17/09/2015 21:28

i just looked at the tax credits calculator again. it appears that if i am the one incapacitated for work we would get no wtc, but if dp was the one at home caring, and i worked 16 hours a week would would. now i am confused. and saying we only earn 14k is no misleading, that is what we earn between us from paid employment, how is that misleading?

AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:29

Fuming when I said the dla was meant for disability costs I was trying to explain to ILoveChristmas that you had extra costs and so need extra income.

AndNowItsSeven · 17/09/2015 21:31

Fuming I am about 99% sure you would get WTC if your dp was a home as the carer. It is meant to give families with a carer more income. However it can lead to you being worse of due to loss of fsm.
You aren't being misleading £14k is your earnings.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 17/09/2015 21:34

That's really strange that your client had her award stopped. The whole point of a nanny is they work in the children's home rather than their own.
It sounds like someone was ignorant of the regulations. I think it should be more publicised that people can use TC or vouchers to pay a nanny

I wish I knew why, at the time she was one of about 30 who for no reason we could see had her award stopped by concentrix granted most of them were lone parents accused of not being (they were) a handful were accused of not working (they were) but hers was the oddest.

But then again at the same time we had one woman who was compliance checked every year without fail the vast majority of the time they found that they had underpaid her the rest of the time her award was spot on. This time they stopped her award because the person checking it did not realise her evidence had been sent in two envelopes and only looked at one lot,then instead of realising (despite her reporting it at the time and clarifying it in writing during the check) that she had switched cc providers mid year they doubled her cc costs leading to paying her loads of money so she lost her housing benefit she kept trying to get them to stop paying her they refused to stop or change the info as apparently they are not allowed to if you are having a compliance check, finally after 8 weeks they stopped. Didn't issue an over payment notice just re adjusted her award with a you are entitled to x we have already paid you x this is what's left, so her weekly money plummeted that little error lost her about £600 in HB.

fuckingfuming · 17/09/2015 21:37

thanks. i dont mind losing the free school meals, but i am a little annoyed at losing nearly £50 a week, for receiving just over 2 quid.

HelenaDove · 17/09/2015 21:59

"It should never have become an option to do very little or nothing at all and leaving children to be raised on state money"

i have a feeling you didnt mean the absent fathers when you said this Cookie.

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