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Original poster

TAX Credits - I am really confused!!! Please help...

21 replies

Carey87 · 12/02/2008 14:40

4th April - Start my 6 weeks at 90% pay
6 weeks later - Go to SMP (£112)

I worked out on the tax credit website that we would get about £112 pw. with a household income of over 50k (including me and DP)

a) does this sound about rite?
b) is that per week or per month?
c) can I still claim that with my SMP or not?

I am so confused and really worried that we wont cope with money and have to sell the house, I know that this is proabably more than a lot of people get and I'm not ungrateful at all, just really cinfused please help XX

OP posts:
HappyMummyOfOne · 12/02/2008 15:40

Sorry, but on an income of £50k you definately wont qualify for £112 a week!

You may get basic tax credits of £42 a month or £92 approx with the baby element but certainly not the figures above.

posieflump · 12/02/2008 15:42

You're statutaory maternity pay will be worked out by your work
if you don't qualify for that you will get a maternity grant which is based on how much you have earnt in the last 20 weeks or so I think

posieflump · 12/02/2008 15:43

best thing to do is to ring the Inland Revenue

AandK · 12/02/2008 15:46

I agree with Happymum. I used to work for the tax credits not so long ago and with an income of 50k you will definately only get the baby under 12 months element and the basic child element including your smp.

Original poster
Carey87 · 12/02/2008 15:50

Work have sent me a letter saying that I will get £112 for 20 weeks (which is SMP) and when I put into the 'Do you qualify?' bit on tax credits it said £121 and I rang them up and asked if that figure was pm or pw and he said pw (and I did declare both wages)

Cx

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Cappuccino · 12/02/2008 15:52

oh they make the figures up

you can't rely on them till at least a year after they sent you the money

AandK · 12/02/2008 15:53

Ok then I would apply for tax credits but please be aware that if they l8r figure out that they've awarded you too much you will have to pay it back.
This is usually taken a bit out of your current award every week.
Good luck I hope you do qualify I'm quite sure any extra cash you can get will greatful xx

Original poster
Carey87 · 12/02/2008 15:53

Thats what I'm worried about, and then they will say they have given us too much and we wont have the money to give back

Cx

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Meeely2 · 12/02/2008 15:53

i think you may be right WHILE u are on smp - will go down once you go back to work, but i could be wrong.......

Meeely2 · 12/02/2008 15:54

when i got paid too much due to THEIR error, they didn't ask for it back they just didn't pay me again until i had run out.

Original poster
Carey87 · 12/02/2008 15:58

After the initial 20 weeks at SMP then obviously SMP stops but I didnt know if the tax credits would stop at the same time too. Not planning on going back to work till lo is 6 months old. Its all so confusing!!!

Baby not due for anoth 9 weeks anyway do I'm really worrying too soon!

Cx

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AandK · 12/02/2008 15:58

Ha ha I agree cappucino. I'm very sceptial about the whole thing.
Having experienced the numptys 1st hand they make so many mistakes and as for the so called computer system that is supposed to do all the calculating it crashes at least once a day!!

sophiewd · 12/02/2008 15:59

It might be while you are on SMP but after that no way, we get £54 per month with an income of about £18k

Cappuccino · 12/02/2008 16:00

if you did get that much I would be seriously tempted to put it all into a building society account in case they asked for it back later

mellowma · 12/02/2008 16:01

Message withdrawn

mellowma · 12/02/2008 16:01

Message withdrawn

Original poster
Carey87 · 12/02/2008 16:01

That was my thinking.

I'm really not trying to cheat the system or anything like that, but you hear of so many horror stories

Cx

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Meeely2 · 12/02/2008 16:03

tax credits won't stop when smp stop, will just go down when you start getting paid again....don't forget you should get child benefit too (formerly known as family allowance), £18 or so a week for first born?

AandK · 12/02/2008 16:04

No you may still qualify due to husbands earnings. No its not too soon, make sure that you have got everything ready so that when you're ready and eventually organised you can send it off they usually back date to the childs birth date.
Also meeely2 I have seen where they have done that but only on cases where they are only entitled to the basic element of child tax credit. Usually if its a large award they take it in installments.

coolkat · 12/02/2008 16:13

DON'T DO IT...

If your house hold income is above (may be less) £20,000 and less than about £52,000 like someone said earlier you get the basic £10 per week although I do understand for the first year of babies life this is double?

Do not trust what they tell you on the phone, I know you should be able to but they are forever getting it wrong - we apparently owe £3000 for what mistake they have admitted to making but as we know its their mistake we still have to pay back. Rahhhhhhh

Original poster
Carey87 · 12/02/2008 16:49

Thank you to everyone who replied!

Id rather be safe than sorry.

Cxxx

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