Working Tax Credit - hours if SE?

[CreamTeaTotty]

I'm confused about what number of hours to complete on my Tax Credits form so that I get max benefit possible for my situation.

I work 7.5 employed hours a week and a really varied amount of Self Employed hours in addition.

Do I say I work the min 16 hours, or is there any sense at all in going up to 24, for example?

I'm on a low income either way, as setting up a new business which isn't bringing much in yet.

I'm in process of separating by the way, which is why I'm applying. I wasn't able to apply before as STBXH earns too much.

I'm sure the online calculator has a note about this. From memory, you're supposed to provide average hours, so work out how many hours you do in a year and divide by 52.

Tax credits for self employed is a nightmare. You average your weekly hours and then I believe they like to see that once expenses are taken into account you are earning minimum wage - which is a problem for us because dh has had a shocking year.

They also base it on last years earnings and then pay you in a lump sum in April. So we are broke as last year was good but baby arriving soon has made this year tighter and we get no financial support till april

I am self employed too. I told them I work 30 hours per week. I am concerned they may ask me to confirm I am looking for work as i am technically not fully employed. But I work 30 hours a week and spend another 10-20 hours doing the admin and marketing work required for my job.

I am also applying for the first time as a single person and it is a minefield. That said i got a backdated lump sum of £400.

Am going self employed in near future, so place marking. I imagine it'll be a nightmare.
I do know that when you work more than 16hrs a week, they take back either 60/70pence per pound earned (for single parents).

You don't need to be on min wage when self employed. .

You need to make your best estimate. Figure out the average.

In the first year of self employment, it won't look odd if your profit is very low, or zero, but HMRC gets suspicious when people who claim to be s/e for 30h per week declare low figures every year for several years. They'll wonder what you're living on, and will investigate. Their investigations are pretty thorough, and they'll ask you to account for the hours. Take no risks, estimate as best you can, and keep a diary.