Tax Credits Help/advice sick leave

[FindaPenny]

Hi everyone currently renewing my tax credits online and could do with a little advice. I don't work, I have one primary aged child. My husband worked for 10 years in the same place and has never been eligible for working tax credits, however I receive child tax credits.

Last year around May my husband went on sick leave, he received sick pay for some time and then this finished some time around October. His contract was terminated June this year as he felt he could not return due to unsafe practices at work.

I'm wondering what changes I need to make on the online renewal.... I have already shown the reduced wage, but a bit worried about the hours as I don't know how to show what hours he worked and also it asks if he is sick now rather than in the year 18/19.

Luckily it looks like he will get a new job soon, but not before the renewal is due....any help will be much appreciated. I could phone them but would prefer just to renew online if possible. Thank you

For Tax Credits purposes, you are considered as still being in work for the first 26 weeks of your sick leave. So if your husband worked 40 hours a week before going off sick, he would be treated as working 40 hours a week for those 26 weeks. After that, you aren't considered as working.

You would be better ringing them to complete your renewal, and tell them that your husband was on sick leave from May 2018. They'll calculate 26 weeks from the date you give them, then end his employment. You'll need to ring them back up and let them know when he starts working again and update his estimated income for the 19/20 tax year.

When you say you aren't eligible for Working Tax Credits, is that because your household income is too high?

@TwoforTuesday thank you so much for the info, very kind of you. I did a live chat and managed to sort it out....your advice was spot on, only small difference is they count it as 28 weeks not 26. Yes the household income is too high by an absolutely miniscule amount!

Sorry I meant @Two4Tuesday

28 weeks! Must be my fat fingers this bloody heat that's making my brain not work!

Glad you got sorted, OP!