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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

MIL and benefits

50 replies

ShowMePotatoSalad · 04/02/2017 09:25

Sorry, it's a MIL one.

MIL seems to think we are entitled to benefits and keeps on at us that we are losing out and how we need to get it sorted.

We have 1 DC, in nursery 3 days per week. DH and I pay for this ourselves and we use our employer's childcare vouchers to enable us to cover most of the costs before tax.

The only thing we claim is the child benefit amount of £20.70 per week.

Our combined gross income before tax is just over £40,000. I have used all the online calculators to check if we are eligible for anything else but we earn too much to be eligible.

MIL says we are entitled to have our childcare costs paid for (!) or receive something like £300 a month. Where is she getting this info from? She won't stop talking about it and even though I've explained we're not eligible she is insistent.

I wouldn't claim anyway - we earn enough and are happy as we are.

She has another DIL who does claim more but that is for a reason and their family circumstances mean they need it, but I think MIL has got confused and thinks it's another blanket benefit (like child benefit) that we should be getting.

Am I missing something?!

OP posts:

QuitMoaning · 04/02/2017 10:08

I was a single parent and didn't get any benefits as I earned 'too much'. It was means tested, nothing to do with my status as a single parent.

I did get child benefit until the threshold came in. Don't qualify now anyhow as he is 19...

Original poster

ShowMePotatoSalad · 04/02/2017 10:11

Yes it's not the single parenthood that entitles you to the benefit, it's your household earnings. A single parent earning £40k wouldn't get benefits in the same way me and DH don't get it for our combined income.

OP posts:

exLtEveDallas · 04/02/2017 10:13

But what does it matter? You'd know the truth. Why would that be an issue - what on earth do you think she'd do with that info that is so bad?

Olympiathequeen · 04/02/2017 10:21

If you earn £55000 joint income and pay for your own childcare costs (vouchers are a job perk so are part of your income?) you can claim child tax credit of about £450 pa for a child. This is actually being phased out but I'll find a link

Original poster

ShowMePotatoSalad · 04/02/2017 10:24

I don;t think she'd do anything with that info. I just don't lie about things, especially not to appease people.

OP posts:

Olympiathequeen · 04/02/2017 10:26

www.gov.uk/child-tax-credit/overview. Think the limit is £35000 if you don't pay for childcare.

Original poster

ShowMePotatoSalad · 04/02/2017 10:26

Interesting. MIL was thinking around that figure but per month!!

OP posts:

Babyroobs · 04/02/2017 10:27

You wouldn't be entitltled to tax credits at all on your income unless you have high childcare costs. You might be able to claim the childcare element of working tax credit towards your childcare costs but I don't think you can claim this and use childcare vouchers at the same time.

Babyroobs · 04/02/2017 10:29

Show me. I don't think you can get tax credits for one child on a joint income of £55k even with childcare costs. You would need about six kids to get any child tax credits on that income !!

Babyroobs · 04/02/2017 10:30

I think maybe you are thinking of the family element of tax credits and you are correct that is being phased out but you would never have got it on an income of £55k !!

Original poster

ShowMePotatoSalad · 04/02/2017 10:30

Olympia just used the calculator including childcare costs and it says eligible for £0.

OP posts:

Babyroobs · 04/02/2017 10:32

Sounds correct. We have 4 kids and a joint income of around £55k and get nothing ( although no childcare costs).

Pinbasket · 04/02/2017 10:32

Your MIL is referring to working tax credits and it is payable to those on low incomes, even couples who both work. It can cover a contribution to childcare costs in theory, though I've personally only ever known single parents to be eligible for it. The threshold income figures changed in April 2016 and the gov now seem to be less transparent how it is worked out.

BertrandRussell · 04/02/2017 10:34

So next time she's round show her the online calculator, show her that that the computer says no, thank her very much and that's that.

Olympiathequeen · 04/02/2017 10:35

www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/child-tax-credit

Didn't think I was goi g mad. Scroll down and it says £55000 if you have childcare costs and 2 children.

Original poster

ShowMePotatoSalad · 04/02/2017 10:36

Bertrand I think I will show her the final screen showing the big fat zero! and just say we've put all our info in accurately and this is the result.

OP posts:

BertrandRussell · 04/02/2017 10:39

Just show her the whole thing.

Babyroobs · 04/02/2017 10:42

Olympia - I think to be on an income of £55k with 2 kids you would need to be paying maximum childcare and probably have kids with disabilities to get any tax credits. Most people on that income would not get any.

Chippednailvarnishing · 04/02/2017 10:42

Tell her to mind her own business and that your finances are your business and no one elses!

Olympiathequeen · 04/02/2017 10:48

Probably baby
We earn a lot less than that (me very part time) but no childcare costs apart fro eye watering fuel costs for travel to a specialist school and a severely disabled child. They actually contacted us as we didn't even know it existed and backdated to last April and awarded 170 pm which now covers our £240 pm travel costs.

Original poster

ShowMePotatoSalad · 04/02/2017 10:49

I'd like to try and strike a happy balance between giving her all of my personal financial details, and "mind your own business".

I know she just wants to help but I'm not in to blind appeasement. I can't justify having to baby-step her through the systems just because she refuses to believe we are capable of working it out for ourselves. But at the same time I wouldn't be openly hostile about it either.

OP posts:

chocolateworshipper · 04/02/2017 10:53

would she give up if your DH told her that he's investigated it thoroughly - rather than you telling her?

Original poster

ShowMePotatoSalad · 04/02/2017 11:00

DH has told her we're not entitled to anything but part of the problem is that we have let her keep going on about it because we've never been totally sure she wasn't right. Given her insistence it's hard to be 100% confident about it. But having used all the calculators and seen the responses on here we can be a bit more firm.

OP posts:

averythinline · 04/02/2017 11:09

I think she is talking about the childcare element of working tax credit..

That originally worked on a sliding scale to a maximum joint income of approx £50k so you could have possibly got a fiver at your wage levels ! (figures not necessarily accurate :)) but in reality don;t think anyone ever got it claimed it as the effort/faff/pension etc far outweighed any benefit..

pretty sure it was changed so you probably would not be entitled now...dil/bil must have a lower joint income

BertrandRussell · 04/02/2017 14:40

Why on earth would you mind a member of your family knowing what you earned?

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