No tax credits for the third child. Does that mean some women will never be able to work?

[HowFurloughCanYouGo]

I just wondered if someone could explain it to me. I realise I'm being a bit thick.

Imagine someone who is still on tax credits, not UC. They have 5 children, 3 of which were born after the 3rd child cut off date for tax credits.

Single mum and she wants to go to work for the first time since the first child was born (this is a completely fictional person by the way).
If they don't have tax credits for the third fourth and fifth child, does that mean she wouldn't be able to work? Because she wouldn't have money for childcare?

How does that work?

When I rang tax credits they told me I wouldn't be able to claim even if I pay childcare.

I can believe that. I've spoken to tax credits several times (about a few different things) and each time one has said the polar opposite of what I was told before.
And there's never a record of what the previous person has said.
I'm none the wiser?!

As I said above, it made me wonder how someone with more children copes and what stretch that has on the system. I specifically said 5 children for a reason.

The thing is, I can just about buy someone having three children by accident, if the third is a genuine contraception failure or the younger two are twins.

But nobody has five children by accident. So we are talking about the financial consequences of a choice someone has made here.

@TabbyMumz DH and I both work so that some people can claim JSA and never work their whole lives. We pay private medical care and also pay NI for NHS. Some childless people work to pay for schools that they would never use. I would rather not use zero sum thinking. If i have to pay high taxes, I would rather they go towards supporting people in the way a welfare state should. I don't pay taxes for kids to go to food banks.

@suzilady what a lovely person you are.

I really am. Please explain to me why I should pay for other peoples children?

but i can't afford a 3 bed house in my neighbourhood either.

But if it costs 1m plus you can't on £120k, kids or no kids.

** I've not made a judgement on the OPs situation.

I think a single parent with five kids who hasn’t worked in years So no discernible career would struggle to work anyway to be honest, even if they had family to provide free child care. Five is a lot to juggle.

However if they earned enough they could obviously do it. There are successful women with five kids, and more. Much depends on the qualifications and earning potential of the single parent.

I personally don't believe many people get pregnant multiple times for benefits. It's not really enough to live nicely off is it?

Most people, irrespective of income, don’t save very much when children are really small because of the cost of childcare .

Many very high earners have their children very close together because the cost of a nanny is the same for one or two

A labour mp knoked on by door before brexit and asked if I was getting his vote and I said most certainly not as you give too much away in benefits. He went on to say how he came from a chldhood of poverty blah blah blah and I replied well I blame your parents. That is honestly how I feel.

knocked

I personally don't believe many people get pregnant multiple times for benefits. It's not really enough to live nicely off is it?

Actually some used to, you’d be surprised, and some curb having more because they won’t get benefits.

@sotiredwe I wouldn't need a 3 bed house with 0 or 1 child. if I have a second child and the second child is a different gender, I would need a 3 bed house when the older is 10 years old based on overcrowding criteria. Am aware its not applicable for privately owned properties but most people do not want to live in overcrowded homes, esp homes considered overcrowded under UK legislation. @suzilady We have a welfare state. Our taxes pay for everyone's families. I don't have parents in the UK. Should I say 'why am i paying for the pensions of everyone's parents?' Unless you are telling me you don't believe in the welfare state.

I think that everything should be stopped after 2 children including child benefit.

There is absolutely no need or reason to have more than 2 unless of course the second is twins or triplets etc.

As for having as many as you can afford that is absolute rubbish. Anything can happen and often does. People lose their jobs, become ill and let's not even talk about how many relationships break down and, far too often, the man tries to pay as little as possible. All possibilities should be thought about before having children.

I personally don't believe many people get pregnant multiple times for benefits. It's not really enough to live nicely off is it?

That's not really the point. The point is that if you already have kids and are on benefits, or living pay cheque to pay cheque and very vulnerable to any change in your financial circumstances, you should probably choose not to have more kids, and take proper precautions to make sure they don't happen by accident.

So many women on here post about being pregnant in totally undesirable circumstances (not just talking financial here) and whenever anyone dares to question whether getting pregnant was really a good idea, it's always a contraceptive failure. Sorry but when taken correctly the pill is 99.9% effective. If you believe what you read on here it can't be more than 30% effective.

He went on to say how he came from a chldhood of poverty blah blah blah and I replied well I blame your parents. That is honestly how I feel.

So, you blame his parents but shut the door on him. How does that work?!

Something needs to be done about men pissing off and not taking any of the financial responsibility.

I agree. Higher taxes for these men for a start. We're all pay for their kids.

Op I don't believe you can claim any Tax credits be it working tax or childcare as it's over the limit of two children.

It's unfortunate this had to be put in place to make people to take some responsibility and family plan.

@Dishwashersaurous as covid 19 proves, not saving is not advisable, irregardless of children. No financial advisor would say, yes save if you dont have kids, but please note that you get an exemption from saving from ages 0-3. It is very hard, but that doesn't mean not saving while paying for childcare is a good thing to do. which just illustrates my poiint that we should stop judging whether people can afford to have children, when most people including those on good incomes are not affording their lifestyles sustainably.

Because if we continue to give hand outs left right and centre why would anyone stop having more and more children...generation after generation
What lynsey91said is exactly right.

Cut the foreign population I.e slovakian families from having 8 kids each and signing on!!

Middle class families dont have lots of kids I worked with a professor in met one who had 8 his wife was a sexual health consultant and both catholic he said it was hard from 1 to 2 but afterwards easy lol

Bone not one

I'd put a reasonable sum of money on there not being a single Slovakian family with 8 kids and the parent(s) claiming unemployment benefit in the whole of the UK.

@bluntness100 I'm sure did but today in this climate?

@desiringonlychild I'm not sure what you're debating with me about. You can afford 2 kids & savings without overcrowding on £120k.

@peperethecat Yes that's why I said I don't think many people chose that & most people would take financial constraints into account when having dc.

A single parent, five kids, hasn’t worked in years is pretty unemployable tbf, it will be even harder now with hundreds of thousands with experience/skills joining the job market for even fewer available positions.
She is not in a good position.

most people would take financial constraints into account when having dc

You'd hope so, but unfortunately some really don't.