Childcare costs

[caz81]

Here full time is £800 per month per child

 

[Natasha2605]

We would be on a joint income of about 21k so well within tax credits limits!

We have a joint income of £18279 (or close) and our wtc were stopped last week, we still get a little CTC though. Just incase you weren't aware of the new thresholds xx

 

[lesleyann]

Kyles nursery is £40 a day he only goes 1day a week and leave soon.

 

[Abz1982]

for where Emma goes it works out at about £750 a month with the 10% FT discount. But we only send her 3 days a week so we are £500 a month - and we both get the full £243 of vouchers from our pay.

 

[LankyDoodle]

We would be on a joint income of about 21k so well within tax credits limits!

I would check. Only 22k of my husband's pay is counted for the tax credits and yet we still only get 10.50 a week CTC just with his income. We still get the same with me working and using childcare. :S

When you have more than one child, it does go up a decent amount, but I'd still check as there is no point you doing calculations to see if you working is worth it, if the calculations are based on figures that aren't accurate. Everyone here has different circumstances, even those people with roughly the same household income, so it has to be done on more of an individual basis. For eg, I have been surprised that some people here who I'd assume, due to their location if nothing else, would have a similar or higher household income as us, are getting way more tax credits than us. But we have checked several times with the hotline and we are getting the right amount.

 

[Gingerspice]

I really get confused by these ctc. We get a fair whack paid for by ctc yet our income is actually pretty good. I don't understand how people with less income are only getting £10 a week.
They've just sent renewal and all our details are correct and only recently rung them and spoke to them so we're not doing anything wrong/they have any details wrong. Just seems weird how it varies so much from household to household

 

[LankyDoodle]

I really get confused by these ctc. We get a fair whack paid for by ctc yet our income is actually pretty good. I don't understand how people with less income are only getting £10 a week.
They've just sent renewal and all our details are correct and only recently rung them and spoke to them so we're not doing anything wrong/they have any details wrong. Just seems weird how it varies so much from household to household

Do you pay any childcare? Do you have more than one child? Do any of you have disabilities? Do you live in rented or mortgaged property?

My husband works with 2 other guys.

Guy 1 - Mid thirties, 2 kids, married, lives in housing association property, earns same as my husband (about 23.5k but only 22k accounted for in TCs), wife is a s-e hairdresser and earns more in a couple of days than I do in 23.5 hours in a professional role. They get into the hundreds per week in tax credits and other benefits.

Guy 2 - Mid thirties, 2 kids, married, lives in mortgaged house, earns same as my husband, wife doesn't work. They get what we would get if we had 2 kids. They don't use childcare.

My husband - Mid thirties, 1 child, married, lives in mortgaged house, earns 23.5k (only 22k accounted for by TCs), I work 23.5 hours and earn about 13.5k a year. If I DON'T work, we get 10.50 a week TCs. If I DO work and we therefore need childcare, we get 10.50 per week TCs. We have checked this several times both before and after we started getting childcare vouchers from husband's employer.

 

[Gingerspice]

we do pay for child care so some of what we get is from that, but they don't account for £243 of our childcare as we get childcare vouchers to that value. We only have 1 child and neither have disabilities and in rented house. Not sure they've ever asked us though what our property status was or how much our rent is.

It seems strange how some of these factors cause huge variants in the amount given. Doesn't make checking independently easy either though.

 

[LankyDoodle]

we do pay for child care so some of what we get is from that, but they don't account for £243 of our childcare as we get childcare vouchers to that value. We only have 1 child and neither have disabilities and in rented house. Not sure they've ever asked us though what our property status was or how much our rent is.

It seems strange how some of these factors cause huge variants in the amount given. Doesn't make checking independently easy either though.

We pay childcare but it's only 300 a month. If you pay more than 300 a month you will probably get more TCs. That, and the fact you are in rented, are the only things I can see that make a difference. We also get childcare vouchers (243 a month). Doesn't really make sense to me. Think I may call them now.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I also think the huge variation on what similar income people get is very confusing.
I just had the CAB go over our situation with CTC, benefits etc with a fine tooth comb and they came back telling me I would be better off on benefits. And that's me working 3 days a week in a pro rata 26k job. OH earns £21k. We do pay out £520 per month combined commuting costs though.

 

[LankyDoodle]

Well I just spent 25 minutes on hold to get through to them, went through the details and he cut me off!!! I am fuming!

Anyway, Claire, your household income is similar to ours. I think your childcare costs are probably more, so that may be why you get 4x what we do in CTC.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

But we get no childcare element at all...tis odd.

 

[LankyDoodle]

I am not usually like this at all, but I actually feel quite murderous! They are seeming fairly incompetent, and I just got cut off again after 14 minutes on hold! I give up!

We don't get any of the other elements at all. LOL. There must be someone on here who works for them or something and can shed some light!

 

[jenny_wren]

emily's will only be about £100 a month
that's for 2 mornings a week, she wont get anything
free until next may so we'll be paying for it all and we
can only afford 2 mornings a week `

if it was 8.30 - 5 pm all day every day
it would equal £790 a month roughly
that's without any discounts

it's also a playschool for 2 1/2 and over
and is part of a school

​

 

[MrsT&Ben]

Tax credits make me so cross!
They are unfair and don't seem to be based on anything other than random figures plucked out of the air!!!

 

[lauren28]

We pay £24 pounds a day for a childminder - thats £3 an hour - 4 days a week.

I am also confused about tax credits. We get £10 a week but no childcare element.

 

[LankyDoodle]

What is the £10 a week? I am now thinking we don't get the childcare element but something else, as we got this before I started using childcare! :s

 

[ellismum]

Our CM charges £33.50 a day and this includes lunch and any trips. X

 

[fairy1984]

about £70 per day for nursery. we use it 3 days per week so its almost £900 per month.

 

[aimee-lou]

Tax credits are pointless if you ask me! I think they should bring back the married tax allowance if you're married/co-habiting and have done with!!

I have a slightly different situation to most - my hubby is a student so we are currently attempting to claim the childcare grant through SLC - because of this we're not entitled to claim childcare element. Hubby is full time student and we claim everything we can. Without the childcare that works out at nearly £10k a year!!! We should get at least 50% of the childcare cost paid as well but we're still waiting for the award notice....been waiting since April!

I work 4 days per week and earn somewhere in the region of £10.5k per year. We have done a tax credits claim (need to send in the renewal but we don't have a P60 for hubby for last year yet!) and we get around £55 a week in WTC and CTC without the childcare element. I think this will change soon (hoping not) but I think they may take offence at hubby being a student as it's currently all in his name and not mine - depsite the fact that I filled in the forms, call them to change details and have repeatedly told them that I am the only one earning in a PAYE role!! Grrrrrr

And our childcare costs - £94 a week for 29 hours a week (over 4 days) at a childminder. Good deal if you ask me lol - compared to teh £38 a day nursery he used to go to lol