Please explain child tax credit to me like I’m an idiot

[DNAshelicase]

Dear wise mumsnetters,

Believe it or not I am normally an adult professional and not a total idiot, however I have no idea what CTCs are and whether I’m entitled.

Im married, DH and I both teach full time, baby is 9 months and will be in nursery 2 days p/w when I go back to work. We already claim child benefit.

Could someone please give me a simplified explanation of what they are and whether I might be entitled?

There's online calculators you can put details into ... entitledto is one example. This will clarify what you can get.

You can't claim ctc anymore. You'd have to look at universal credit. It's all based on how much you earn, with elements for rent and childcare added in.

Look on entitledto.co.uk and input your figures to see if you'd get anything.

It's universal credit and unlikely that you will be entitled to it. However you can use Tax Free Childcare which will save you 20% on the cost of nursery.

If you have 2 full time wages coming into the household and only one child it's unlikely you would be entitled to anything. It's for people on low income or who claim some other benefit. But those online calculators are usually accurate so are worth doing.

If you both teach full time it’s very unlikely that your household income will be low enough to be able to claim UC.

No I’m certain I’m not entitled to UC but will use a calculator to be sure. Is tax free childcare automatic or do I need to apply for that?

You have to apply and then add your childcare provider once you've found one. It's fairly straightforward. www.gov.uk/get-tax-free-childcare