Working Tax Credits for Single Dad

[JoeE14]

HI all, I need some info on WTC for a single dad (yay go me :))
I have recently taken custody of my 3yr old daughter from her mother, I work 35 hours per week and earn £33000 per year, which is my sole income. I have a monthly childcare cost of £540 per month to which I will be receiving Childcare Vouchers from my employer at £243 per month.

Now, my form has been away for 8+ weeks, I have recieved an award letter informing me that I was due “Nill” but they had my earrings incorrect, which has now been fixed. So on Friday past, I received a payment from “CHILD TAX” into my account of £2.78 (very strange)
Now when I called the first time to get the forms, I was informed by the lady who took the call that based on my details I would be awarded £57 p/w.
Does this sound right? For I am confused and fed up spending £1.20 every time I call them to be hung up on :(

First of all feed your details into this calculator to check if £57pw IS about correct.

You can't claim for help with childcare costs twice, so you need to work out if you are better off using vouchers or claiming help via tax credits and go with that. That might explain the nil award, or it might be something else.

In any case, do your sums first and then you'll know here you stand and what to say to HMRC.

Now am even more confused for that is telling me the following:

Period:06/04/2014-05/04/2015 - weekly £

Working Tax Credit:£0.00
Child Tax Credit:£39.38

Which means i get no WTC at all?

I can take the CC Vouchers from work or not, but Id like to know what way I would be better off. Seems if your working in a decent job you get less help to stay at work :tardis:

I'm not surprised at no WTC @ your salary level TBH - the cut off is much lower than for CTC.

Is that estimate including a claim for childcare costs or not?

The cut off for working tax credit is about 26k if you have one child.

You have to be earning less than £16180 to be entitled to wtc so your entitlement of nil is correct.
Even for ctc with only one child your earnings are quite high so I don't think you will be entitled to much. I will try and find the example tables for you.

And yes, you are right it is a problem for middle earners.

Actually I think that is the cut off for child tax credit. Could be wrong. We have two kids, similar income to you and receive precisely nothing. If you are the resident parent you should be claiming maintenance from the non resident parent (15% of income)

The example tables can be found here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-credits-entitlement-tables-working-at-least-16-hours-and-paying-childcare/tax-credits-entitlement-tables-working-at-least-16-hours-and-paying-childcare

As you are getting child care vouchers through your employer you cannot get childcare tax credits. So based in the example tables you will not be entitled to any tax credits at all. You can get child benefit though.

I don't get why they told me on my first call that Id get 57 a week now nothing. They could of saved me and them time if they just had of told me up front. My details haven't changed at all, and I have been budgeting with this in mind, now sunk like a rusty old battleship

I wont get a penny from the other parent, for shes to busy spending the CTC and CB on booze and drugs.

Worse of it is, I cant even get an adviser on the phone to give me a clear answer

I wont get a penny from the other parent, for shes to busy spending the CTC and CB on booze and drugs.

Why is she getting CTC and CB if you have custody?
Does she work? If she does then you can pursue maintenance through the CSA who should eventually get an attachment of earnings order if she doesn't pay (I think there might be a charge to use the service now),
If she doesn't work then you can still pursue maintenance to be taken directly from her benefits but it's only a fiver or so per week so it depends on whether you want to make the effort for that amount.

And please don't rely on tax credit figures provided on the phone as they are often inaccurate.

If you are the RP now, she shouldn't be claiming tax credits or child benefit - you should. Write to them with a copy of the court order.
Also, file a claim with the CMS (new CSA). They don't backdate claims so don't delay calling them.

If you have custody then your ex won't be entitled to child benefit or child tax credits. Ring child benefit and inform them you now have residence and put your claim for child benefit in.

You won't be entitled to working tax credit on your wage, our income is much less than yours and we don't get it with more children.

Go through the calculator twice, once with childcare and once without. Then you can compare whether you'd be better off claiming childcare vouchers from your employer or the childcare element of tax credits.

Unless there are other DC?

I have had the child since June Full Time. I am pushing a residency order here at the moment which doesn't seem to be able to reach court until first week of November.

I have applied for both CB and TC. THE Cb is awaiting a response from her but wont get it due to her now been homeless. So I must wait 4 weeks plus 12 for the payments from this to start.

So I may say bugger off to the WTC, but am I still eligible for CTC then going by the Calculator above? The cut off here is 40k I believe?

If there are other children then the ctc and CB that she gets will be for those children and not for maintenance for a non resident child. If there are no other children then she shouldn't be getting those benefits.

If there are other children than I would be really concerned about them if mum is spending the benefits on drugs and booze.

The example tables say £0 for somebody earning £35 k and paying no childcare (you aren't paying any for tax credit purposes as you get child care vouchers).

Up to £40k. Depending on your family size and exact circs. That calculator I linked to is pretty darn accurate.

Your childcare costs are the key issue here.

If have done a bit more digging and you definitely can't get child care tax credits if you are getting child care vouchers from your employer. The calculator I went on said that you would be worse off if you gave up the vouchers and claimed childcare tax credits instead. Obviously these calculators are not always correct but everything I have looked at states that you are not entitled to any tax credits based on your income with one child and no childcare costs (because you can't include them when getting childcare vouchers).
It is unfair as £33k doesn't go as far as people think when you have to pay for childcare and have no other income, but in the bright side: childcare won't be forever.

This Cal isn't giving me any difference taking CCv or not from my employer, giving me £32 per week of CTC

And am now on hold to them for 13mins with no sign of anyone picking up....Jesus they should make this easier

This Cal isn't giving me any difference taking CCv or not from my employer, giving me £32 per week of CTC

Are you including the childcare costs in the figures you out into the calculator?

When does she start school? Next year or 2016?

It's not long either way. You'll have to tighten your belt and hunker down. Lots of people do get through it.

13 mins is nothing I did an hour once.

www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

This calculator is supposed to be more accurate than others.

It is the same one I linked Miss

Oops, sorry arsenic. I must learn to be more observant