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Parenting

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Original poster

Is it worth going back to work if all my wages will go on childcare

49 replies

2015mom · 04/10/2016 22:32

I have one child at the moment and expecting my second.

When I worked out childcare costs for two children it meant I would prob only have £100 in my pocket after working 37.5 hours and having to put two children in nursery because there is no family to help us with childcare because they are busy looking after other grandchildren.

Did anybody else have this problem? What did you do? Did you give up work and were you entitled to benefits?

Please help?

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Original poster

2015mom · 04/10/2016 23:41

Yeah some people do think you are brain dead if you are not working

But looking after children is a lot harder than going to work ... I think it's easier going to work some days..... But that's when I have a bad day with the LO lol

Yeah I was researching the 30 hours free childcare vouchers for people who work 16 hours or more... Definitely an incentive to stay in work....

I am always putting money into the government with taxes and when I am struggling I am not entitled to anytbing ... So it's nice to look forward to the 30 hour a week childcare ... As long as it ain't scrapped by the time my LO is 3 which is sept 2018 so he would not get it until jan 2019 because you get it ten next term after they are three

OP posts:

milkshakeandmonstermunch · 04/10/2016 23:47

No.

I went back pt after DD1. Half my wages went on childcare. I'm on mat leave now (DC2 due any day now) and will stay off until DD1 starts school in 2 years. I'd make £10 a day after childcare and petrol. No thanks! I'm a teacher so 1) it's a lot of work for £10 a day 2) my subject is in demand so there will be a job to go back to.

Original poster

2015mom · 04/10/2016 23:49

As a teacher you have unlimited options which is great

Good luck with baby no 2

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milkshakeandmonstermunch · 04/10/2016 23:51

I wouldn't bank on the 30 hours free childcare OP. There is a lot to suggest that many childcare providers are not up for it at all for various reasons and, therefore, there won't be enough spaces. Google it. It was a nice idea but I doubt it'll happen.

BackforGood · 04/10/2016 23:56

I was going to post the same as milkshake.
Definitely don't bank on the 30 hours of free childcare. It was a hastily made promise in the run up to the election without ANY research about how they could make it work. In our LA they can't get anywhere near enough places for all the children entitled to the EEE 3 yr and 2 yrr funding as it is - they can't just magic the providers out of the air.

JenLindleyShitMom · 04/10/2016 23:58

I am always putting money into the government with taxes and when I am struggling I am not entitled to anything

Umm, did you have NHS care during pregnancy? Did you get free dental care during that time? Did you give birth in an NHS hospital with NHS staff assisting you? Will your children attend state school? Will they have access to dental care, opticians and GP care until the age of 18?

Original poster

2015mom · 04/10/2016 23:58

That's true there was a lot of talk about not having enough places

Suppose I will just enlist the help of grandparents for at least one day if not two ....

OP posts:

Pardalis · 11/10/2016 21:12

I can see this thread has died down for a few days but wanted to resurrect to offer my experience.
I am the 'mummy' but went back to work and my DP became a stay at home Dad. There is a long story behind it but the short version is that I worked because I earned more and could maintain the household. It was very practical.
Fast forward nearly 5 years, son in Reception and my partner has not worked since he was born. He is very capable, clever and would love to. But his confidence is shot and he is scared of rejection. We started talking about him going back to work when our son was about 9 months. It never happened and now I don't know how to help him.
So, the moral is - go back sooner unless you are the type of person to be able to cope with a massive gap in employment.

I really don't mind supporting the family financially.
But it breaks my heart to see my lovely boyfriend wanting to work and be successful but not being able to get over the initial very huge hurdle

Original poster

2015mom · 12/10/2016 21:12

Thank you for your posts everybody it has been a huge help.

I hope your boyfriend gets over the hurdle soon, it must be very hard especially because he has been out of work for some time.

I have recently gone back to work, I am only on week 2 and I do feel more motivated and happy I am back at work. I am going to work until February until the next baby is born and stay off work for maybe 10 months.

From going back to work over the last two weeks it has made me realise I am more motivated and I am really enjoying being back at work. My LO is on his second week at nursery and is getting better with settling in. He still cries but I think it is much less now. He is also with the grandparents one day a week so that helps with childcare costs plus the grandparents are really enjoying having him and have asked to look after him another day which I am considering.

I think it is important for moms and dad's to continue their career and I know we are full of guilt for going back to work I think it is healthy for both parent and child.

I think important thing is to have a good balance and I have concluded that working part time and still being with your children is great if you are able to do so.

Good luck to all you Moms and Dad's who are stay at home Moms or Dad's and also to those of you who are going back to work/working either part time or full time.

End of the day we have our kids best interests at heart

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Original poster

2015mom · 12/10/2016 21:16

Ps I was happy when I was at home with my LO also... Forgot to mention that ... But we have had a great time spending the last 13 months together but ultimately by going black to work I think we (me and LO) have more structure to ours day...

Don't get me wrong I used to do loads with my LO some days as when we were out and about we were busy all day going to baby groups, going outdoors, keeping the LO stimulated mentally and physically but there were some days we used to stay home all day and just laze around the house which is great to do but can really make you unmotivated.

Don't get me wrong it's great to have lazy days but it's also good to be out and about... It's all about having a good balance

OP posts:

NickyEds · 12/10/2016 21:49

I think you've made the right decision op. Being SAHP really isn't for everyone and you sound as though part time would be a better balance for you if you can get the hours sorted.

Original poster

2015mom · 12/10/2016 22:02

Thank you Nicky

Another reason I went back was also to get my maternity pay for when I am off with next baby... At least this way I will be back at work for 5 months.. Have a little break from being at home before being off work again for 10 months to a year so I am 'fresh' for the second baby

OP posts:

blinkineckmum · 12/10/2016 22:03

I was surprised actually. I thought it would be worse but I have 2 in childcare and as I work over 16 hours a week I do get tax credits. Along with the tax free childcare vouchers I am better off than I thought. I saved them during mat leave too, and my employer paid them while I was on SMP. It's expensive but doable.

Original poster

2015mom · 12/10/2016 22:11

That is awesome.

How does the banking tax free child care vouchers work, is it just banked on our childcare account and then we can use how much we want towards nursery fees

My employer does not do tax free childcare vouchers so I may have to get my husband to continue banking the vociferate through his salary sacrifice

Also if you work more than 16 hours are you automatically entitled to tax credits .... Or if husband works will I get nothing

OP posts:

NickyEds · 12/10/2016 22:15

We use childcare vouchers for ds's pre school and yes, you can 'collect' them in an account, so we took the maximum amount t we could over summer even though pre school was shut to build up a fund for the next bill. I think your household income is taken into account for tax credits and the threshold is quite low, I'm not sure but I know we would be entitled to nothing if I worked.

NickyEds · 12/10/2016 22:18

Do you work for a large firm? As I understand it registering for the child care vouchers isn't very hard for employers to do if they want to.

Lokisglowstickofdestiny · 12/10/2016 22:24

I'd always advise to look at other benefits you'd be giving up if you stopped working, pension contributions is a big one, can be several hundred pounds a month. Look at it as deferred pay, plus people always think they can make the contributions up later but the reality is that the longer you leave it the more expensive it is to replace the pension benefits you've lost. Glad you made the right decision for you OP.

AutumnMadness · 13/10/2016 09:44

Of course it's worth it. It's not just your wages that are paying for childcare, it's your husband's too. And work is not just about money - it's about developing a future career, providing for your pension and just getting out of the house. Plus, as your children grow older, the payments for care will grow lower, but your wages are likely to rise due to growing seniority and experience.

AutumnMadness · 13/10/2016 09:46

And I second childcare vouchers - if both you and your husband can register for them, they will save you a ton of money (almost £200 a month).

gallicgirl · 13/10/2016 09:52

We had a similar dilemma when I looked at returning to work after DC2.

I opted for part time hours. I work 2 days one week and 3 days the next and my DH has the children one day a fortnight (on my 3 day week). That way we only have to pay for 2 days of childcare and despite the 50% cut in salary, we're actually better off than if I worked full time. Astonishingly, we also qualify for tax credits to contribute towards childcare. If one of stopped working or hours dropped below 16, we wouldn't get this.
Downside: reduced pension and I suspect we'll be unable to remortgage as we bought the house when I worked full-time. However, we're not looking to move.

blinkineckmum · 13/10/2016 11:59

My husband works full time and I work 2.5 days a week. We both did salary sacrifice from when our first started childcare and we banked the vouchers for later use when I went back to work. I get about 150 a month in tax credits as we have 2 in childcare. Hope this helps.

beginnersewer · 13/10/2016 13:14

I struggle with this dilemma a lot - I have gone back to work part time for many of the reasons listed but it's a one hour commute each way and I barely break even with the childcare costs even if I don't add in the petrol.
I constantly wonder whether it's worth it but it's definitely good for my sanity. Also I have been looking around for closer jobs and trying to find a part time job is difficult - many people start full time then go down to part time but I know this is not the right option for us as a family. It doesn't help that I'm in a very niche role so I'd have to make some sort of sideways move. It's difficult. I think if the government really wanted to encourage more people back into work they need to have some free childcare from 1 year when maternity leave finishes. It's generally much simpler to carry on with a job you are already in than to find a new one when the free childcare kicks in at 3. (I know that the funding is intended to be about preschool education too which is not so relevant at 1.)

Terrifiedandregretful · 13/10/2016 15:11

Do you want to be a SAHM? It's not just about money it's a whole change of lifestyle.

In the long term, most people will be financially better off if they stay working, even if it is tough before children start school.

T0ddlerSlave · 15/10/2016 14:37

You might find working 2-3 days a week less of a financial stretch when taking childcare costs into account.

You get a c£10k tax free personal allowance.

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