tax credits ???

[stephanie-x]

Why should we have to cut back on our house and cars for a start? We've worked our backsides off to get the best of what we could afford THEN. Things change. Were affording our house and cars comfortably at the min but even if we wernt we could nt sell the house, no one buying, wouldnt get a great deal for our cars etc,

I understand that you have worked for your house and cars and respect you for that as after all it is what I aspire to! All I was saying was that why do you need more help from the government if you are affording your house and cars comfortably? If you are comfortably affording a house and cars then a baby shouldn't be a shock to the system if you have this disposable income. If I was in your situation I wouldn't be moaning about the government helping out those who haven't got the salary I had, I would stop driving my car(s) and cut back to a smaller one/less expensive one.

 

[Jade&Evie]

we are now on a joint income of £21k a year. I was earning more than that before I must admit I think a household income of over £30k is quite a lot if one person is staying home with bubby as well!

Still, we'll struggle and scrimp and save and it'll all be worth it in the end

 

[LilysMummy]

I get £145 a week. I dont understand it all

 

[LisaJ1986]

I got that up until a month ago as our income was just my SMP. But now our joint income is 15k. So it's dropped to £62 CTC and 93p WTC! How that works i have no idea. Only been getting it 2 months.

 

[Jade&Evie]

I get £145 a week. I dont understand it all

Is that WTC and CTC?

I think we might be entitled to WTC as well because without my salary we wil be classed as 'low income' (I think it's under about £18k a year for the household?)

 

[stephanie-x]

But now our joint income is 15k. So it's dropped to £62 CTC and 93p WTC!

Is that per week or per month? I only ask because that is roughly what our income will be when I drop to SMP

 

[Jade&Evie]

That'll be a week- stick your details into here and it'll tell you what you'll get.

http://www.entitledto.co.uk

 

[LilysMummy]

Oh sorry that CTC and WTC combined

 

[stephanie-x]

Aw that's a good wee site - thanks.

£61 CTC and 72p WTC it said we should get for a joint household income of around £16,000 - put it in just as if the baby was born last December instead of this year so it would work

 

[Jade&Evie]

that won't be accurate then!it'll use last years credit rate. put in your income for the last tax year and then it'll ask you if your income for 2008/2009 is going to be lower. select yes and enter the new details in there and it'll be more accurate. it doesn't sound too far off though

ETA: I think the cut off for 'low income' rose this year so it could be you are entitled to more WTC x

 

[stephanie-x]

Ahhh I've got it now

Few pounds of a difference - it all helps

 

[1sttimemum]

Why should we have to cut back on our house and cars for a start? We've worked our backsides off to get the best of what we could afford THEN. Things change. Were affording our house and cars comfortably at the min but even if we wernt we could nt sell the house, no one buying, wouldnt get a great deal for our cars etc,

I understand that you have worked for your house and cars and respect you for that as after all it is what I aspire to! All I was saying was that why do you need more help from the government if you are affording your house and cars comfortably? If you are comfortably affording a house and cars then a baby shouldn't be a shock to the system if you have this disposable income. If I was in your situation I wouldn't be moaning about the government helping out those who haven't got the salary I had, I would stop driving my car(s) and cut back to a smaller one/less expensive one.

what we are "moaning" about is exactly what your "moaning" about, the fact that we work our butts off and dont get "rewarded" for it where as some people sit at home "claiming" they are unable to work and they get help left right and centre, In actual fact when i came pregnant everything was hunky dory, im now on the brink of possibly loosing my job (i work for northern rock ) with a sizeable mortgage and a baby

 

[stephanie-x]

Do believe that with you working for northern rock it's a special case. I did state in a previous post:

I've assumed an awful lot here and I realise this might not be true but it's just an example

Would never dream that anyone would end up jobless and I do hope everything works out but at the end of the day if everything was hunky dory when you found out you were pregnant then I assume you could afford the baby so your problem is with potentially losing your job and your mortgage (which I understand is a big deal) so why then complain about not getting help with your baby? - some legislation should be in place to protect your mortgage payments in the event of this (which there might be - I don't know much about mortgage terms and conditions)

 

[Gem & Leland]

the one big thing i disagree with is there isnt any kind of difference depending where u live , i get the same as someone in the exact same circumstances but they live in a cheaper area , theyve prob got £300 rent a month and we have £800 and its a 1.5 bedroom flat !!! i think for cities and expensive areas ( i know some places like cotswolds can be just as expensive as london) there should be an allwance , like we get london allowance one our wages ( altho not smp lol ) .

looks like the 80 is right , think thats disgusting personally especially when it drops to £40 in jan

im also jobless , my company changes hands durring my mat leave and there's no space for part time work and i cant afford full time and childcare ( full time nursery is 1200 pm and i only earned 1240 lol ) and we only qualify i think for the smallest help towards childcare

 

[1sttimemum]

the one big thing i disagree with is there isnt any kind of difference depending where u live , i get the same as someone in the exact same circumstances but they live in a cheaper area , theyve prob got £300 rent a month and we have £800 and its a 1.5 bedroom flat !!! i think for cities and expensive areas ( i know some places like cotswolds can be just as expensive as london) there should be an allwance , like we get london allowance one our wages ( altho not smp lol ) .

looks like the 80 is right , think thats disgusting personally especially when it drops to £40 in jan

im also jobless , my company changes hands durring my mat leave and there's no space for part time work and i cant afford full time and childcare ( full time nursery is 1200 pm and i only earned 1240 lol ) and we only qualify i think for the smallest help towards childcare

Gosh Gemma, What are you going to do??

Ive got to go to work today for an informal meetin about what is going to happen with our jobs Not that i want to go back and work for northern rock, i just want a job

 

[sea-fairy]

Ok I have been following this thread with interest!

Im confused as to how the WTC system works, my husband and I if we were to apply for WTC (going on link further back in post!) now we would only be entitled to roughly a extra £20 a week,
if we were to have a child (I faked a date out of interest) we would get an extra £130 per week (wtc & ctc) and also we would have a lot paid towards our rent and CT!

Im baffled how they can work it out, looking at what others get it seems the more hours you work the more they will help you with, which in a way if a good thing, but my husband works 40 hours a week!
damn the low wage in this part of the world!

If you entitled to it, go for it, dont moan about it, no matter how little it is, be grateful there is help out there!
So many people who deserve the extra help even if it is small miss out, yet there are people who cant be arsed to work (dawn off eastenders anyone!) who get everything handed to them on a plate for doing sweet EFF all!

 

[Gem & Leland]

wow u would get alot ! in your case its a blessing to have a small wage ! its not like we even have a hige wage , 23k to run a house in london is not enough !!!! and his serving the flipping community putting his life in danger with the stupid scumbags that occupy london and we still get pennies !

as for my job , who knows ! im hoping one of my accounts will take me on part time BUT my huibby works shifts on a 5 week rolling rota , he doesnt have the same day off weekly at all and does 3 out of 5 weekends , where am i gonna find work that will accomate that !

 

[1sttimemum]

BUT my huibby works shifts on a 5 week rolling rota , he doesnt have the same day off weekly at all and does 3 out of 5 weekends , where am i gonna find work that will accomate that !

Ditto. Luckily we have lots of family around who will help us with babysitting. in fact my Sis is doing two days a week and MIL is doing 2 days a week.

 

[charlie84]

I rang up about the fact i am now on maternity leave so recieving only SMP. The lady told me to roughly estimate my earnings for this year till apr next year and ring them back so they can amend my payments. However i havent yet decided when i am returning to work and whether its full or part time so cant do that because if i make a mistake and get overpaid i will have to pay them back. So she just said well your payments next year will reflect what you earned this year if you leave it. So unsure whether to guess or not.

 

[1sttimemum]

Ahhhh see i could do this cos i go back on may 9th, Im taking the full year off and obv willbe in a new tax year then