Help and advice

[FondantFancie]

My husband thinks he is entitled to half my child tax credits. We have three children together which we share contact exactly half and half. we have been separated for 3 years now. I have just recently had a new baby so am not working and just claiming the benefits I am entitled to. He is a full time teacher.

He feels that he is entitled to the tax credit money while I do not as he is working. He puts the children into childcare which costs him a lot each month. He claims not to have any money to spend on himself or the children. What should I do?

50/50 custody - surely he is entitled to half?

um.

Child tax credits are yours, based on your household income.

Why can't the children come to you instead of them being in childcare?

I have moved about 30 miles away, and they go to school near his house. I am glad you agree with me. He is pleading poverty and says that as he has the children half the time he should have half the money.

Can't he put in his own claim?

I don't really understand how it CTC works in relation to 50/50 splits.

He is talking out of his backside. Child tax credit is personal, based on your household income. If he isn't living in the household then he hasn't got a claim on it. He needs to put in his own claim and it may be that he's entitled to the childcare element which will pay 70% of the childcare costs, I'm not sure what the limits are for income.

How old are the children?

Just had a thought though ... it might be that he can't claim as they will only deem the children to be living in one household. They might not be able accommodate those in a 50/50 situation.

How old are the children? How much is the childcare?

Children are 12, and 7 year old twins. He applied for the Tax Credits but they ruled in favour of me. They cannot pay out for the same children for two households. I have suggested ways for him to cut his childcare costs, for example his father to look after them, or for my eldest to collect the youngest from school and look after one or both of the twins. Yet he has refused both these suggestions.

I can understand why he wouldn't want the 12 year old looking after the twins. If they're that age, it isn't a huge amount of childcare though is it? Could you claim the childcare element and give him that towards the cost of it?

As I am not working I am not entitled to the childcare element. He claims he is paying £240 a month.

How is their time split between you?

Exactly 50 50, He has them Sunday to Thursday, I have them Thursday to Sunday, We alternate Sundays to keep the nights equal.

Well now I know a little more, it does seem from his point of view that it's biased in your favour. You get all the tax credits for having the children, but not the childcare costs - and you can't do the childcare because of them needing to be with him during the week and near their school.

Why can't he claim for them and you put in a separate claim with just your baby as the resident child. Wouldn't you both get them then?

I agree with your ex...he should be entitled to some of the Tax Credits. If I were you I'd offer to put one of the twins on to his claim...can't claim Childcare for the 12 year old anyway, so then you're splitting the expenses a bit more with him.

When I was with ex-H it used to really piss me off that we had the children Friday to Monday, ex-H paid CSA for them and then their mum got all the Tax Credits. Especially as she got free school meals, so only fed them half their meals, and we paid for school uniform and clothed them at weekends.