To be gutted we're not entitled to any financial help?

[DeanaPiana]

Myself and DH have a combined income of £46000.

I have done numerous calculators and apparently, I am not entitled to Child Tax Credits or Working Tax Credits when baby gets here.

A few sources have even said I shouldn't go for Child Benefit as it wouldn't be worth it in tax returns

We didn't budget for a baby thinking we would get extra help to finance them etc, but I thought we were entitled to at least a little something and I have to say, I feel gutted. We live in a high cost area, London, and rent here too. We want to move out into a more rural/outer area in the next 2 years max but that just doesn't seem possible now. No way we can afford to save that much. We don't even have a lot of outgoings. Our rent is over 1K a month and that is considerablly cheap here.

Just doesn't seem fair at all

[LuluJakey1]

I wonder how many of the moaners about the cuts this government have made to benefits for parents, the cost of living in London, the cost of childcare etc will still be voting Tory in the upcomng General Election?

[JanetBrown2015]

If they have any sense they will. The Tories are our best hope!

(Right above on child benefit. I claim it and then pay it all back each year. Some people might be just over the limit for it one year and not the next so it probably pays to claim anyway just in case as long as you don't spend it and not have it to pay back in cases like mine).

[Capricorn76]

£46k between two peoples (£23k) is not rich at all.

The OP is being treated very unfairly. She is not responsible for anyone else's poverty so spare her the 'well try bringing up five kids on £12k rubbish'. The competitive poverty is ridiculous and those same people don't seem to realise that we all know they get thousands in child benefits, tax credits, free nursery places and all types by of freebies and exemptions. They probably have family help for childcare too.

Although I'm not in her situation I can see that it can't be easy in London when you're just over the threshold for any help. She will notice a lot of people around her, many not even working who appear to have more disposable cash due to how the system works. I'm not blaming those that claim everything under the sun as they are legally entitled to it but there should be some empathy for people like her not the attacks. I can't see what attacking her achieves. It's not her fault if things aren't working out in your own life.

[TheFirstMrsDV]

How lovely that they are your best hope janet because they certainly are not mine.

I am looking forward to poverty and instability as I hit middle age.
Despite being one of those Hard Working Decent Families I hear so much about.

Apparently my definition of Hard Working and Decent doesn't match the one in previous Tory Manifestos.

Its not enough to be decent and hardworking. You also need to be healthy and fairly affluent to meet their criteria.

[DeanaPiana]

Thank you for all the input. Before I started work at my new job, I was off for a year (no employment), so to start a job now and look for a new one somewhere else doesn't look good, does it? I won't have much experience at all in the field I want to stay and progress in, so why would another NHS trust employ me? It would be very long winded indeed, plus for anyone who works in the NHS, you will know they take bloody forever to finalise a start date etc.

DH's job pays a lot less anywhere else. He is currently earning 25k. If he moved to say, South East (not London), most of the same roles are paying between £15K to £20K max. Rent will only be a few hundred cheaper. My Mum works full time, I couldn't get her to have little one.

I can see why people claim we single people. And no, I wouldn't dream of doing it.

[Fab39ish]

You don't get child Benefit if you earn 60k and it is staggered over 50k.
You are right mrsdv Re fan. It is a weird.