Tax credits - is this true

[happychappy]

A friend mentioned this, if its true I need to pass it along to a few people. From April 2012 in order to qualified for working families tax credits you have to work 24 hours a week not 16? Anyone?????

I wonder how they will make those people who work shifts get a second job.... some of my colleagues work 16-22.5 hours, which is 2/3 shifts a week, but they have to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week for those shifts, with sometimes very little notice (less than week sometimes).

And there is no extra hours. I work in the NHS. Doncha just love the government, hey? Knobjockeys.

Good luck with this one - its going to be an utter shambles.

Yes, if your household income is less than 17k, you become subject to conditionality, which means you and partner (if there is one) have to work a certain amount of hours. There also seem to be some rules about the age of children.

I suggest moving over to the Frothers' thread in Politics. They really seem to know their stuff and will prob be able to point you in the right direction for information.

Does anyone know when UC will start for sure? Thought it was April 2013 but then you keep reading about it being done in stages....

What I read last night suggested that for new claimants it would be October 2013 and then would gradually (until about 2017?) be switched over for everyone.

I do wonder if it will be hours or money earned - but most people don't have the variety of hourly rates that I do. Would be good to always earn at the higher rate, but it's connected with exams and they only happen at certain times.

My DH works between 40 - 50 hours a week and scrapes just under 15k. Am I being thick? That sounds like we're stuffed.

It's a stupid policy, I can't see it being implemented as it's completely unworkable. There's not enough jobs to start with.

my ex is on minimum wage and works anywhere between 35 and 45 hours a week and no one day is the same. He has a different rota everyweek. How the hell is he supposed to get a second job

Are they going to up minumum wage?

So if we did get back together, I work shifts and he work shifts and we still dont earn enough between us to qualify and we are forced to find second jobs, who will look after our dc. I can sadly see many people making the call to leave thier dc to fend for themselves hysterical as it sounds

CTC and TC not means tested tho'? Never been asked about savings.

Housing benefit does decrease with savings and one of the very patronising leaflets I found said that universal credit will have a savings limit. Some organisation said this is unfair on people who may be saving up for a deposit on a house etc.

Tax credits at the moment only take into account saving income of over £300 and given interest rates at the moment you would need substantial savings to earn that much interest. Even then it wouldn't bar you from getting tax credits.

But remember, we're all in this together

Income support and housing benefit are means tested.

Self employment is an absolute nightmare too, my friend filled out her self assessment form on time, paid her NI but the HMRC tax credits department didn't believe she had a business - despite having the money for the tax and NI and demanded back all the tax credits.
They don't seem to know their arses from their elbows.

Sheep, no, if you and your ex did get back together and your combined income is under the 17k, only means you have to fullfil the hours criteria depending on the age of your children. So as far as I understand it, one person has to work at least 35 hours while the other can work less, think 24?
So if your ex already fullfils the hrs, he wouldn't need a second job.

And then of course, there's the age of children thing that I don't understand...

Confusedof Linconshire is going to be my new name.

So because my youngest is over 12 I'll have to work FT ie 37.5 -40 hrs pw?

And I don't earn £17k i WON'T get benefits ????

The only way I'll make that money round here is to go on the game....seriously, I can do a Nurse Gladys Emmanuel & make a fortune without having to take my clothes off.

Sorry not benefits I mean tax credits......

I think so.

If I earned £17k I would be less likely to need the benefits that I get, which I suppose is the point. And I can see that someone who is able to work and doesn't work at all shouldn't be given lots of benefits. But people who do work but don't either/or work the "right" number of hours or earn the £17k will end up a lot worse off I think.

Bossy, it's different rules for single parents, it must be because the earning thingy is set at minimum wage X full-times hours, so clearly 1 person on nmw could not achieve the threshold otherwise.

Hold on, I will try to find the page again where I read this.

www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-documents/welfare-reform-bill-2011/universal-credit-briefing/

This seems to be the current plan.

"It's complicated! Each household will have different thresholds. Whether or not they expect you to look for work will be set at an amount of income you're getting.

Couples with children of 13 or over: 2 x National Minimum Wage x 35 hours = £425.60
Couples with children under 5: 1 x National Minimum Wage x 35 hours = £212.80
Couples with children aged 5-12: 1 x National Minimum Wage x 35 hours + 1 x National Minimum wage x school hours (they haven't set the 'school hours' number yet) = TBA

Note these are only proposals, not necessarily what will actually happen. But if it goes ahead, UC claimants who don't earn their threshold amount of money will be expected to look for work under the same conditions and sanctions regime as JSA claimants do now."

"If you're a single parent, it'll be broadly similar to now - kids under 5 no obligation to look for work, kids 5-12 obligation to look for part-time work, 13 and over obligation to look for full-time work.

If you're part of a couple, it'll be one person working full-time and one person treated as lone parents were treated."

Hope that makes things a bit clearer.

So to get the TC's I will have to work full time?

I struggle at the moment to find my 16-30 hrs, as it is, plus I'm doing a college course to try & get out of debt by getting a better job. I hope to god I can sort that before they introduce this horlicks of a scheme.

Thanks for the links Mrs H- everywhere I've looked has got me more & more confused ( not difficult) I don't want to be on TC's for ever just short-term while I get sorted out, and hopefully back into the jobs market, surely that's not a big ask?

Will bookmark the briefing notes and read them at some point. So for couples with children between 5 and 12 you need one NMW times 35 and something else. So the most I should be expected to do is one NMW times 35 but it might be less? And looks like NMW is £6.08 at the moment.

So in a year the most I would "have" to get is about £11k? I should be able to manage that I hope. Although the way I do it isn't working full time all the time at all (but earning more than NMW when I do).

Or as I said before, win the lottery.

I meant to say thank you very much MrsHuxtable for finding and sharing that link

My brain is hurting after ploughing through those links ....

It doesn't seem remotely realistic.