Feel like I am up a creek without a paddle

[Kte]

I can't return to my full time job after maternity leave as the cost of two kids in childcare would cost me more than my monthly wage.

I found a job that is 70 hours a year, so I get do work a few hours a week term time on an evening and spend the rest of they time caring for my kids.

I checked the benefits advice calculators - we can get chid Tax credits and that is it and it's hardly anything since oh wage is decent according to them.

Oh has a decent wage at the moment but is training to become a paramedic. So that will drop once he secures a job.

I'm freaking out, we are struggling as it is with me being on maternity leave, I am at 500 a month at the moment, I will be getting 100 a month when I start this new job.

It just feels insane, I can't afford to work full time but I can't afford to not work either and now I'm scared we will loose the house. We struggle for essentials as it is, we spend about 40 a week on food etc, don't buy luxuries, go on holidays or out unless it's free, have one car so oh can get to work. There is nothing to cut back on!

I really do nt want to loose the house and renting is more than the mortgage, and the job I have it just down the road, it's all a mess

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

Can you get a part-time job on your partner's days off, or evenings? Does your company have any work from home type jobs like we have here in the US?

 

[Pearls18]

Have you done the tax credits calculator to work out how much assistance you would get towards childcare? It's a slightly different system and the thresholds are higher than what they are for the other tax credits.

 

[Kte]

We never used to qualify for them so I had to get the vouchers pre tax from work. When I went on maternity leave my eldest had her hours reduced, so only goes for the free 15hrs a week as we can't afford to pay for any extra sessions.

I am going to have to give them a call and see how much they say, as I keep getting different information for the calculators about how much child tax credit we would be entitled to.

It's just a minefield!

 

[Pearls18]

Definitely ring them, as you've been on a reduced income this year you may be entitled to some help even if it's just for a year.

 

[Kte]

Can you get a part-time job on your partner's days off, or evenings? Does your company have any work from home type jobs like we have here in the US?

The job I have accepted is part time, it's evenings mostly or working from home. There is scope to increase my hours in the future, just not at this moment in time.

 

[Pearls18]

Can you get a part-time job on your partner's days off, or evenings? Does your company have any work from home type jobs like we have here in the US?

The job I have accepted is part time, it's evenings mostly or working from home. There is scope to increase my hours in the future, just not at this moment in time.

Just wanted to add when I said about childcare assistance it would have to be for a different job, as I think the minimum you would have to work to qualify is 24 hours a week, but I'm assuming you know I meant that as I'm guessing you don't need childcare with this job

 

[Kte]

Yep, I knew what you meant

I think that is why I have different numbers and I am confusing myself. Because we would be entitled to about 28.00 a week at the moment but in the future it looks like it would rise to 45 a week, we need at least that I think.


I keep writing it all out and getting confused!

 

[Pearls18]

Yep, I knew what you meant

I think that is why I have different numbers and I am confusing myself. Because we would be entitled to about 28.00 a week at the moment but in the future it looks like it would rise to 45 a week, we need at least that I think.


I keep writing it all out and getting confused!

They're really helpful on the phone I find, hope you manage to sort something.

 

[Abz1982]

My oh is on 24k and when I go back FT I will be on about 21k, with vouchers of £486 we would get about £980 in tax credits for the remainder of the child care - effectively paying for all of it, that is according to the tax credits calculator.

 

[Kte]

My oh is on 24k and when I go back FT I will be on about 21k, with vouchers of £486 we would get about £980 in tax credits for the remainder of the child care - effectively paying for all of it, that is according to the tax credits calculator.

OH can't get the vouchers as we tried before, I'm amazed with both your wages as they are you are getting that much support but at least it's worked out for you. OH was around 24K and I was 19K. I could get the £243 a month but we get nothing in tax credits.

I used to get around 900 a month to take home after the voucher had gone out and OH paid 100 a week as he is paid weekly to pay for Chloe - but to have them both in childcare now it would cost us 1,400 a month!




We had always wanted to wait until Chloe was in school before we had a second child because of this very problem but it has happened and I wouldn't change it for the world seeing them together. Still trying to get through on the helpline!

 

[Pearls18]

My oh is on 24k and when I go back FT I will be on about 21k, with vouchers of £486 we would get about £980 in tax credits for the remainder of the child care - effectively paying for all of it, that is according to the tax credits calculator.

OH can't get the vouchers as we tried before, I'm amazed with both your wages as they are you are getting that much support but at least it's worked out for you. OH was around 24K and I was 19K. I could get the £243 a month but we get nothing in tax credits.

I used to get around 900 a month to take home after the voucher had gone out and OH paid 100 a week as he is paid weekly to pay for Chloe - but to have them both in childcare now it would cost us 1,400 a month!




We had always wanted to wait until Chloe was in school before we had a second child because of this very problem but it has happened and I wouldn't change it for the world seeing them together. Still trying to get through on the helpline!

I did a quick calculation based on the figures you have, and if you were to have those incomes paying £1400 a month you would get about £520 a month in help from tax credits, but if you've just been on maternity leave (or out of work for a while) your income will be much lower so for one year at least you would get much more help than that- then it wouldn't be long until still starts for the eldest?

 

[Kte]

My oh is on 24k and when I go back FT I will be on about 21k, with vouchers of £486 we would get about £980 in tax credits for the remainder of the child care - effectively paying for all of it, that is according to the tax credits calculator.

OH can't get the vouchers as we tried before, I'm amazed with both your wages as they are you are getting that much support but at least it's worked out for you. OH was around 24K and I was 19K. I could get the £243 a month but we get nothing in tax credits.

I used to get around 900 a month to take home after the voucher had gone out and OH paid 100 a week as he is paid weekly to pay for Chloe - but to have them both in childcare now it would cost us 1,400 a month!




We had always wanted to wait until Chloe was in school before we had a second child because of this very problem but it has happened and I wouldn't change it for the world seeing them together. Still trying to get through on the helpline!

I did a quick calculation based on the figures you have, and if you were to have those incomes paying £1400 a month you would get about £520 a month in help from tax credits, but if you've just been on maternity leave (or out of work for a while) your income will be much lower so for one year at least you would get much more help than that- then it wouldn't be long until still starts for the eldest?

Thanks x

I don't get what I am doing wrong on the calculators to not get that.

 

[Pearls18]

My oh is on 24k and when I go back FT I will be on about 21k, with vouchers of £486 we would get about £980 in tax credits for the remainder of the child care - effectively paying for all of it, that is according to the tax credits calculator.

OH can't get the vouchers as we tried before, I'm amazed with both your wages as they are you are getting that much support but at least it's worked out for you. OH was around 24K and I was 19K. I could get the £243 a month but we get nothing in tax credits.

I used to get around 900 a month to take home after the voucher had gone out and OH paid 100 a week as he is paid weekly to pay for Chloe - but to have them both in childcare now it would cost us 1,400 a month!




We had always wanted to wait until Chloe was in school before we had a second child because of this very problem but it has happened and I wouldn't change it for the world seeing them together. Still trying to get through on the helpline!

I did a quick calculation based on the figures you have, and if you were to have those incomes paying £1400 a month you would get about £520 a month in help from tax credits, but if you've just been on maternity leave (or out of work for a while) your income will be much lower so for one year at least you would get much more help than that- then it wouldn't be long until still starts for the eldest?

Thanks x

I don't get what I am doing wrong on the calculators to not get that.

Do you work it out by the number of weeks in the tax year? When you use the tax credits calculator it works out how much you would be entitled to for the rest of the year not for the whole year, so if for instance I put in all the details and it said you were entitled to £3000, that means you are entitled to £3000 from now until April 5th, so instead of dividing it by 52 to work out what you would get a week, you need to divide it by 25 as that is the number of weeks left in the tax year this week -ish- , times it by 4 and that is what you should get every 4 weeks. I get confused when my income is vastly different from the previous years, but on the whole the calculator is usually right for me but I have spent many hours trying to work out the system! Especially when job hunting!

 

[Foogirl]

If you might lose your house, why would your OH be going for a job much lower in salary?

 

[// arcadia]

You prob didnt get much help before as you had only one child and a combined income of over £26k .. things change when you have more children i think.

But yeah ring them xxx