Tax credits, please help? Seems way too much money! Pic attached

[CheckerChew]

I'm currently on Maternity Leave.

If I get offered the job I'm after, at 16.5 hours a week and £680 a month, I'm entitled to over £870 a month in tax credits and child benefit?

I'm currently receiving tax credits, and I get about £500 a month. I'm currently employed under a 38 hour week contract, not to mention extortionate train fares and childcare on top for full time, as well as time away from my DS.

Am I really better off just working a lot less hours?

Seems too good to be true....

Are you a single parent? Did you get money from tax credits for childcare previously?

Child benefit is separate from tax credits.

You do get tax credits for childcare.

Call up tax credits helpline and they’ll talk you thro it.

The working tax credit figure may be so high if you’ve inputted that you’re currently in maternity leave as SMP has a £100 per week disregard for tax credits, e.g you’re paid £140 SMP (figure out of the air) they would only take into a point £40 per week. This means the working tax credit would go down significantly once SMP ends and your normal salary kicks in

Is it high because of the money you receive towards cost of child care? Did you not receive this before?

I read your post again and see you got £500 before. I suppose if your earnings have reduced alot then you will be entitled to more working tax credits. I think the online calculators are usually quite accurate.

I didn't put in the calculator that I'm receiving Maternity Allowance, no

Just put it as if I was working those hours and enquiringly how much I'd be entitled to

So in total, around £1,550 if I include my £680 per month salary from this new job

It works out that I'm better off a single parent than I was with a DH with a fairly good job. Also works out that I'm better off working part time than I am working full time

You wont be better off workung part time than full time if you are juat talking financially.

The only way to be certain is to do the maths yourself, the calculators can be a bit off. Basically you look at the tables of figures online and add up all the bits you are entitled to. Then you deduct a certain amount because of income - I think it was 41p per £ over a set threshold.