Does anyone know how to calculate tax credits etc when one parent is a trainee on a bursary?

[BarrenFieldofFucks]

I can't get my head round it. Dh has just been made redundant, I may be accepted on to a full time 'on the job' training program for becoming a social worker.

This is paid a bursary, which isn't taxable.

Hopefully dh will be back in work at his previous level by then, but if he's not and is on minimum wage for example would we be able to apply for tax credits?

When I look at the calculator I come unstuck, as I don't know if I would be classed as a student. And although I would be working 40 hours a week so unavailable for other work, when I put 0 in the income box it doesn't like it.

Is there a way of working this out or do I need to speak to someone? I'm just trying to work out whether I can pursue this yet or not.

You can't apply for tax credits now, unless in exceptional circumstances, all areas are Universal Credit. I believe students loans and burseries are counted as income.

It won't like working 40 hours for no income as its less than min wage, it should work if you say you are a student.

Are you receiving tax credits at the moment?

I got a tax free bursary to do a pgce and tax credits didn't take that into account. I imagine it would be the same, but would definitely ring to check.

As pp have said through, their not accepting new claims for tax credits, unless you are updating an existing claim?

You'd be classed as a full time student.

If you already receive tax credits then the child element should stay the same. It's only usually the working tax that changes (or it is for me). However what might complicate things is that they will either base this years claim on last years earnings OR now your husband is not unemployed how can you give them an estimation of this years earnings.

Another thing is that this might be the change in circumstances that changes you over to universal credit.

Pretty sure this is 1 of the changes with universal credits, they take student loans and stuff as income, tax credits used to disregard it

It's universal credit and you need to list your income as the amount of your bursary. Student income whether bursary or loan (or entitlement to a loan) counts towards income for uc

Thanks everyone, that's interesting.

We don't get tax credits at the moment as dh's income has been too high. But we have previously, and haven't closed our 'application' for want of a better word. So it would depend whether a change in income would trigger a switch to universal credit or not I guess.

Hopefully it won't matter, but it would be good to have some idea!