tax credits - change in circumstances

[doubletrouble9]

lets say im off work on full pay for 3 or 4 months of the 2012 tax yr- so i take the kids out of f/t nursery and switch to one day a week - i tell the credits folk and so no longer get anything (understandably)im quite a high earner
but then after a few months i quit the job and so get nothing or try to do ad hoc work by putting kids in cc one day a week.
my questions is as my monthly income has reduced greatly and i still have cc costs would i get credits OR if credits are calculated by your earnings per YEAR then would the months i got full pay be taken into account and i get very little as they take it as annual earnings????
Im thinking of quiting but fear i'll get no help with cc when i try to get the ad hoc work

You wouldn't get childcare paid but you may well get more child tax credits , but probably not till this April if you are a high earner at the moment.

It's the annual totals that matter. Total income and total childcare paid. If either of them have been irregular in 2011-12 tax year then you need to have kept receipts and payslips so that you can declare the actual total. If your income will be a lot lower for the 2012-13 tax year, advise HMRC as soon as possible and your award will be recalculated. If your income for 2012-13 will be ad hoc rather than a steady amount, declare a reasonable average and then keep all your payslips and receipts for when you make next year's claim.

In general, the qualifying threshold for 2012-13 has reduced to around £26,000 household income for CTCs. If you have more than one child and/or if you pay a lot in childcare costs, that figure could be higher.