need benefit help re carers allowance & CTC.

[thirteentales]

OK, thought my WTC was gonna stop cos my dh only works 16 hours a week.

then i read we could be exempt cos i get careres allowance.

phoned up HMRC, and the man told me they didnt know i was getting carers and i should have declared it cos its a taxable benefit.

aaargh, i didnt know!! i thought it was only employment that counted.

dilemma, if i now declare it is it worth it to save the small amount of WTC we get. will CTC take loadsa money off me for the last 3 years of not declaring it!!!!

eeek. carers works out at approx £2800 a year.

god am writing this but feeling if i dont declare it now and then at some point in the future it catches up with me, i will be up a gum tree.

any advice or information gratefully received!!!

You should straighten it all out. Presumably you are benefiting from the disabled child allowance from having a child on MRC or HRC and that is currently worth more than what you lose by receiving carer's. Don't want to alarm you, but if you're not declaring, it would catch up with you sooner or later - especially now you've had this phone call.

You have to declare it. It will catch up with you. The amount they take off is minimal. Are you getting the disability element of CTC? They will take a small amount each week if they need to.
The other change to carers is that you can claim the childcare element of CTC now. Don't let it run as they may decide you are claim fraudulently. There was a case recently near here that if the peoson had been claiming correctly they would have been entitled to more money, they still prosecuted though!

Also I believe they record all calls now so in fact the choice may be out of your hands. I know its the thought of having a sudden unexpected debt to pay back that is the issue really but if there does turn out to be a shortfall they will, I think, take the money back gradually from future payments rather than as a lump sum.

Phew. Done it guys! Thanx for advice, though I did really know I'd have to do it anyway. Man on the phone was very nice too thank goodness!

I'm a SAHM claiming CA for my DS who has DLA HR C&M. As this is my only taxable income and I am well below the basic allowance, should I declare it to the HMRC?

Yes. If you have only just started claiming CA this year, it will be included in the disregard, but you still need to declare it.