Waiting with baited breath! What will the chancellor do with CB on Wednesday.

[chickydoo]

Probably been done to death, but holding my breath to see what the budget will bring for child benefit on Weds? Will there be a U turn?
What do you think will happen?

anyone know if income support is changing this year. was told the age will drop to child being 5 and not 7 for lone parents claiming

No issimma you are not being thick - that is what is happening, because our society doesn't care for what is right, just what makes headlines.

'I am sure someone will say that anyone earning £60k in a household must be bathing in asses' milk and eating caviar - sorry, but we live in the South East'

regionality really needs a focus.

Where I live £60k is loads; in London and the SE nothing like as easy to live on.

Now, last time I posted that someone answered they thought we in S E Wales were all really lucky with out low cost housing which made me chortle as they completely forgot to consider how little people earn* and WHY it is so low cost- however that doesn't change the factor that what is very well off in one place is just getting by elsewhere.

When we moved here Dh looked for more local work as the bridge tolls were annoying; until he found he'd have to take a 50% salary cut and get £15k pa for a management level FT shift job. Bridge tolls excessive, but not THAT excessive.....

I do think most people who understand the CB cuts do care.

I am nowhere near the cut off rate and severely affected by other changes to the system- I can still see it is wrong though.

Housemum

I don't think you have to justify yourself. It's just unfair full stop. This govrnment don't know their arse from their elbow. They could at least make it fair.

I honestly don't know if affects me as I only know husband pays 40% tax. But it's so obviously unfair it makes me cross. And why target children ?? But no journalists talking about it, which strikes me as odd as it's all over Twitter. Something not right.

uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/budget/

info on here live updates follow here

I am entering gingerly into this as someone who is fortunate firstly to be in full time employment and secondly a higher rate tax payer.

I cannot agree with those that try to justify a non means tested allowance for families who JUST DONT NEED IT.

In a time when there are those families who are struggling with one earner on a low income - how can I possibly justify claiming child benefit.

60k is a lot of money regardless of where you live. I live in the SE, we are yet to buy a house, live within our means etc....I would happily lose CHB if DH were on that much (or myself, but I'm a nurse so that's highly unlikely!!!)

I think that if a one income household earns £50k, and they have luxury of one adult at home to look after children, no childcare fees etc. ,they are in a better position than a 2 income family earning £50k, who are having to juggle full time jobs and pay out for childcare so in that respect I think its fair! Obviously, it becomes less fair when you get 2 earners earning 49k. It would have been fairer to have made it a household income of around £70k in my opinion. (by the way we have household income of less than £50k and both work full time)

Alli i think you might have it in a roundabout way

If people wouldnt claim what they didn;t need, but it was still there for partners experiencing financial abuse or whatever, how wonderful that would be.

If only....

Agree with you frazzled.

Although I agree with you on some levels alli, I really do, the reality is families with one earner on a low income do get other support from the welfare state, working famile tax credits, child tax credits etc. For some single earner families, maybe single earner through no fault of their own (like me) the child benefit was an income for the woman, which also protected her NI and future pension, and to be in a situation where duel earning families could bring in nearly double and still get cb and a single earner could lose it, it clearly not a equal system, I think what most people would be happy with is a household based assessment of income to establish whether cb is appropriate.

Agree Frazzle - I would have loved to have been able to afford to stay at home

A family with an income over 60K shouldn't need a state handout. This makes me so mad people whinging. Also the 'unfairness' where two people earn £50,099 and still get it is not a valid winge. How many couples bringing up children would this apply to, hardly any, I would think. If two people are earning just over average wage then both are contributing greatly in tax instead of one having the luxury of SAH.

signed 'ex single parent' who brought up a child on a full time wage of approx 15k .

I don't think anyone thinks it is necessarily unfair not to get CB when, as a household you earn £60,000. What is unfair is that a household where one adult is earning £60K will lose it completely but a household with 2 adults working earning £59,000 each, so with a household income of £118K, will keep it partially and one earning £98,000 will keep all of it.

Also, all the problems talked about revolving around individual taxation still apply.

OK serious question which the news websites so far aren't touching on.

How are they going to assess how much someone earns?

Is it before pension contributions?

Is it counting any London weighting?

Is it before Childcare vouchers?

The vouchers and pension contributions (and for that matter, any other salary sacrifice schemes) knock down taxable pay. So are the C.B. calculations going to be done on taxable or gross pay?

As usual, things are not being stated clearly.

Oh I see the conversation moved on while I was posting.

last time i checked the national debt per household was something like 30k which each household paying around 2k per year just in interest, forever if we dont pay it off.

so we need households with an income of 60k to stand on their own feet. if twice the average wage is not enough, you need to review your spending.

Be aware there is no carer exmeption or anything, so the family with the luxury of having a parent at home may in fact have a parent caring FT for a parent with severe alzheimers or advanced cancer.

I can see your point absolutely but there will be some severe exceptions, and that would seem to be one. In fact, my Mum is technically at home but in reality is 3 miles away caring for my Grandad most of every day, and if she'd had small kids (quite the reality for many) she would still have had childcare costs; as did I, as a SAHM / carer, just so I could find time to sleep due to the boy's needs!. Whilst we are not affected by these cuts, I know many in a similar position will be.

Something that should be considered in any replacement plans if they ever happen perhaps?

I am not whinging about the loss of my CB.

I am worried about the loss of my NI contributions.

dh is a HRTpayer. I am a sahm - I can't work due to dd1 being severely disabled.

I don't claim DLA (given our household income, we don't need it) so can't clam Carer's (despite this actually being my job)

I don't claim transport for dd1 as I am a sahm - her school is in the next county. I spend £200 a week on taking/collecting her, and the timings (plus the fact thathave childrne at differnt schools, no cohesive childcare as dd1 cannot access mainstream childcare) mean I cannot work (along with the multiple appts and reports and therapies etc).

and now on top of this there will be no NI credits for me either.

or, I could change the way i do things, and claim the DLA and transport and Carer's - and be entitled to the NI credits, at a far greater cost overall.

it doesnt make sense.

I can add a little more detail.
Everyone can still claim and get their NI credits.

There will be an income tax charge on the higher rate earner collected via self assessment. I will add more detail later, I'm at work at the moment.

does anyone know anything about lone parent income support whether it will age drop ?

Agree with @frazzel we have a duel income of £42k on which we have to pay 2x massive commuting costs, for example.