To ask about child tax credit cuts.

[yellowbird11]

Is it inevitable and if so will it affect everyone? what a massive worry to all of you who are going to be affected.My DD works 16 hours a week and has 1 child. She'd love to do more hours as her child is at school but isn't able to. Can anyone give me any idea how much she'll lose, and when? I'm so worried for her because I know without these tax credits they'll be barely able to eat and keep warm. How can these Tory bs sleep at night?

If you insist on an answer - nothing

So you can afford to lose that much money a month? Well, lucky you. Millions of households out there can't. Do you not understand that?

If that calculator is correct then £200 is roughly what we'll be losing a month.

I'm getting a pay rise but it won't cover what we'll lose in TC's. It means neither of can be ill. Dh especially as he's the main earner and doesn't get paid when off sick. Nor can the kids as I don't get paid when I take time off to look after them. If something breaks it will have to stay broken as we won't be able to save to have it repaired or replaced. There's lots of things that it will affect that I'm choosing not to dwell as It's too horrible to think about.

But lots of others will struggle a lot more than us. It's just grim.

And I agree. Working class Tories are worse kind of Tories.

Sorry if you voted Tory I think you're a selfish arse!

'And I agree. Working class Tories are worse kind of Tories.'

They're all shite.

I'd still be interested to hear some actual examples. 'I'm losing £1k a year' is pretty meaningless when you don't know what someone's household income and set up is to start with

OK. I (or actually, my children- everything I own is already from ebay, so it's their costs which will be cut back) will be losing £1300 per year, so £100 a month when the tax credit cuts come in. I work all of the hours I have childcare for (other than a 20min each way commute, which is the lowest I can get it with housing costs)- that's 40 hours a week plus I do overtime which involves me taking kids into work with me as I have no local family, due to, you know, moving to where there is work. This is full time by anyone's definition. Tax credits pay some of my childcare- not all of it. This is not because I 'chose' to have lots of children close together in age- I have 2 children with an 8 year age gap, so the older one doesn't need childcare (but isn't old enough to provide childcare). My ex, who pays some maintenance but not as much as CSA tell him, although they don't chase the arrears, although I had to pay them to chase any of it, left me for a 21 year old when I was pregnant. Again, not actually something I feel I had a whole lot of choice over, although in retrospect a good thing as he is an arsehole who we are better off emotionally without (to give a flavour of this, he refused to see my younger daughter for a month because she was 'too obsessed with princesses' at 4 years old).

I earn somewhere around the national median (just over £20000). I would not need to claim tax credits if I had free childcare, but the 'free childcare' the tories are bringing in is for families with children under 5. This does nothing for me, and in fact I will be subsidising rich, two-parent families with younger children through tax (£1300 is most/all of the tax credits I receive, and is actually less than I pay in tax and national insurance per year anyway). I would not mind this, if it was going to families who were worse off than me, but it isn't- the free childcare will be universal, just too late for my children. As it is, I think anyone who voted tory has a hell of a lot of justifying to do as to why they think this in any way 'rewards work' (perhaps if you think encouraging women to work as prostitutes in the evening to cover their childcare for day-jobs is a worthy cause? I suppose that kind of thing is big in the countries we're now meant to be emulating, along with execution and child labour).

And yes, it is definitely the case that tax credits for childcare are being cut. And yes, it is definitely the case that there will be no free childcare for children over 5 (perhaps the idea is that we should be sending them down t'mine? Tories please feel free to state this publicly).

Over 234,000 signatures so far, please sign and share if you agree:

38d.gs/1GrSnux

Also not getting a fucking pay rise as public sector. Again Tory policy. Thanks pals.

*And I agree. Working class Tories are worse kind of Tories.'

They're all shite*

Well yeah

HelenaDove- I don't understand the problem of working 12 hour days full time, surely if full time is 37.5 hours then that is only 3 days a week of 12 hour shifts and possibly 4 on the third week. Lots of people ( including many of my nurse colleagues) do this kind of shift pattern. Or do you mean 12 hour shift every day?

12 hour days full time for UC The factory wasnt paying a wage. It was workfare.

IrianofWay Wed 14-Oct-15 10:15:54
shakey - the jobcentre is a whole other heap of misery! He applied for jobseekers allowance about 3 months ago. Was told he'd get Universal credit. Went for various interviews with a 'work coach' and eventually told to sign a contract agreeing to do some work experience at a factory. If he didn't sign he wouldn't get any money - later found out that the factory was 10 miles away, too far to walk or cycle and as his 12 hour shifts started at 6am there was no public transport. When he told his 'work coach' this they told him that he just had to get there or he'd lose his money - they suggested a car share. Who with? So H and I took turns last week to get up at 5am and take him. He spent his day waiting around while they tried to find him something to do and then throwing waste food in a big skip. God knows he better get this apprenticeship ! I can't face another week of 5 am starts!!

Jesus wept. 12 hour shifts for no wage and parents have to stump up the cost.

If you insist on an answer - nothing

So you can afford to lose that much money a month? Well, lucky you

Don't repeatedly push for answers then if you suspect that the answer will offend you

Its a perfect storm. I can see parents who are going to be losing tax credits being expected to ferry older DC back and forth to "work placements"

So it could also have a ripple effect.

"Needaninsight, you could always work around your partner so that you don't need childcare. Evening work is often available and lots of couples work round each other."

This is not the magic solution some seem to think. For one thing, not all industries permit working nights. A teacher and an office worker don't have the option to work overnight. In fact, the jobs that do allow that are often the lower paid ones that people are apparently supposed to be moving away from.

The other problem is that if you never see your partner due to working opposite shifts, the stability of your relationship and thus your home life could be in jeopardy.

The other problem is that if you never see your partner due to working opposite shifts, the stability of your relationship and thus your home life could be in jeopardy

Plenty of people do it.

It's hardly a reason why you have to claim TC's.

Reduction of tax credits at this time (pre full 'living' wage increase etc) has been shown to be a hellishly misogynistic move. The groups most likely to be affected - single parents, part time workers, carers - predominately consist of women.

The tories are approaching this completely arse about face.

We've worked around each other for 16 years, it's just what we have to do to make ends meet. I'm sure dh has felt like a lone paret at times when he has spent the whole weekend looking after 4 dc's alone whilst I work but he knows it'sthe only way we could realistically afford to supportour family so we just get on with it. I have missed out a lot on my kids weekend activities such as seeing their football matches etc, but needs must. Many many people do it, a lot of mums of pre schoolers that I know have done evening/ weekend work to get by and avoid childcare costs when their kids were youngand then return to a more 9-5 work environment when they are school aged. I undertstand not everyone can but it's a workable solution for many and has been a lifesaver for us.

Yes of course, I am lucky that dh works rooughly 9-5 with a litle flexibility. I get back from my nightshifts at 08.00 as he leaves. He gets weekends off so I work then. I understand not everyone does such regular hours but many do.

Those that aren't going to be affected are mostly going to agree with these cuts... lets face it, a large number of those think it's fundamentally wrong for someone to be given extra money without really seeing the people behind the cuts.

There is this real sour tasting attitude of "well we work hard for our 50K salary"! Well guess what, me and my DH works hard too, he works 55 plus hours a week for not much more than minimum wage. I worked full time too until I had a child with severe Autism, then I had to stop working because there is no childcare for severely disabled children, not forgetting the fact that looking after a child with severe Autism is the hardest job I've ever done and there is no clocking off for me! I'm always at work. Yes he is my son and this is my job but again I ask why I should be punished for having a disabled child. David Cameron of all people should have some inkling into how hard it might be to work without proper childcare for a disabled child or the financial means to pay for it.

Please tell me what we are supposed to do to "help ourselves". We worked hard for 20 plus years, bought our house, paid our way, our current situation was not a lifestyle choice you know...

Don't repeatedly push for answers then if you suspect that the answer will offend you

I have not even suggested I am offended by you. I am deeply offended that you seem unable to have any empathy with the fact that there are people out there for whom the loss of £200 a month is a massive deal and that it will cause some families to have to make choices between heating and eating, for example. It is even more offensive that you think you have some kind of right to judge those of us who may be making these decisions and indeed, you seem to feel you have a right to additional information about our lives so that you can decide whether or not the loss of £200 to our budgets will cause us genuine hardship. You imply we are all either liars or unable to manage our households as a result.

I don't. But the only couple I know who arranged their working lives like this are now divorced, because they never saw each other and grew apart.

You didn't address the point about many jobs not being 24/7 roles. Mine isn't. I have to work during 'core hours', as most white collar workers do.

And just to clarify - I am completely unaffected by these cuts, and I am against them. The idea that only those affected will oppose this is nonsense.

Let's go back to the start.

In 1971 Edward heath introduced family Income supplement which was paid to families with children.

It was replaced in 1986 with family credit which was paid to families with children.

Family credit was replaced by tax credits in 2001 and working tax credits in 2003 for families on low incomes with children.

There has been a safety net for the lowest paid in society for over 40 years and those banging on about tax credits need to remember that their own parents might well have had to claim an earlier version of it to survive.

And has anyone looked for a full time job recently? Job centres don't do jobs now, you need to find one online. Dp has been out of work nearly two years and due to injuries he got, can't go back to his previous job. He's looked at several supermarkets but mostly jobs are 12-16 hours a week spread over four days. Completely unrealistic to even apply for one, he needs full time but he's struggling to find anything he's qualified to do that will earn enough to pay our £1k rent and bills each month. No, moving isn't an option. We were lucky to find this place and short of moving hundreds of miles away we would be stuck with the same high rent. My oldest is in last year of A levels.

Coffee, I guess it depends partly on where you live and of course on your qualifications and work experience. My workplace desperately want full time staff but can't seem to recruit them. Everyone wants part time hours but I guess that is because it is mainly a female dominated environment and women mainly want part time hours to fit around their families. The only two full timers we were able to recruit recently were male bt they didn't stay long.