new child tax credits for 2012!!!!!

[Tasha]

My rent is almost £1500 it is the cheapest three bedroom place we could find, its a flat on a council estate

 

[ChloeBaybee]

Well this topic has made me feel shitty with people saying they can't understand how anyone can bring up a kid on less than a certain high salary which quite frankly I probs will never achieve!

 

[tina_h75]

Its obvious that the cost of childcare is a real issue. Even after taking the 70% contribution into consideration, it would cost me about £700 a month for childcare if I was to go back to work. After rent, bills and other essential living expenses I would be working at a loss and unable to survive. I have worked all my adult life and while I am extremely grateful for the time I get to spend with my children, I also wish I was able to go out and work, not only for the fact that I would be earning my own money but also because I need some mental stimulation. I have said it so many times before but I find it absolutely crazy that I cannot afford to go to work - How on earth can having a job and working hard all week make you worse off ? This country is in a mess, rents are ridiculously high, energy bills and petrol costs are through the roof and wages don't reflect the true cost of living. But for all the moaning about the state of things, I can't argue with the fact that I need the Government handouts to survive and for the time being, I am trapped in their vicious circle. The benefit service is essential as it assists those who really need help but as with most things, there are people who will take advantage and that obviously puts a greater strain on the country and as is apparent, causes resentment from those working and struggling in order to fund the benefits for those who won't.

 

[leash27]

I don't really follow what happens with the thresholds for tax credits etc as we have never qualified for any financial help. OH and I earn 46k between us before tax and I would say we live comfortably enough so that we would never really need to claim benefits. We never planned to have a baby so soon and when I got my BFP we did sit down and do some number crunching to work out what financial situation we would be in. We had always agreed that we would only have children when we could afford to - my mum raised 4 children as a single parent and there were periods of time when we lived on benefits so I would never judge anyone for doing the same but I always wanted better for my own children. I am not sure I would agree that people shouldn't have children unless they are on a decent income but I do think it should be something to consider. I would love to have another baby but at the moment we just couldn't afford the childcare costs for 2 children so we are waiting until one of us is earning more money or Max has started school.

x

 

[HellBunny]

https://sophwilkinson.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/david_cameron_fail.jpg

 

[Eve]

I just think we should all be thankful to have help and be grateful with anything we are given.

 

[XJessicaX]

the BIG differentiator between what people earn and how much disposable income they end up with is the location they live in. compare some of the mortgage/rent costs people have quoted in this thread....i've seen everything from £1100 to £358. Yes they may have different size houses etc but its more than just that.

If you earn a higher income as a result of living in the wealthier area then not only are you taxed more (quite rightly) but you're not entitled to any benefits and your mortgage costs/council tax/travel costs are likely to be SIGNIFICANTLY higher as a result


Also, for those comparing how much they earn when you're paid less than the 27K limit then remember that 27K doesnt result to 2K in your bank account each month

someone earning 13K per year wil.l only be taxed on 3K of what they earn so the difference is huge to those earning 27K.

Also, what if you have the higher earning job because of a degree you've studied for and therefore have a student loan. this means some of that money wil be taken back in repayments. i dont begrudge paying back what I have spent but it does mean that when people think that we earn loads and therefore dont need any help when we have a child, they should remember that after tax/sky high mortgage costs/student loan etc which come as a package deal with earning over the 27K limit significantly reduce disposable income

This. Both have debt from uni (I got paid to study, but paying for halls etc...I ran into debt) husband especially as he went to Cambridge and wow I think he owes £30'000 which a chunk is being removed per month. A large salary looks exciting on paper, but actually looking at his tax and outgoings most months sometimes his outgoings exceed £1300! Its insanely expensive here too, like zone 1 London prices.
Now that my maternity pay is stopping, we actually had to look at how we could afford to live. Some of you may snort and roll eyes! But I have to go back to work 2 long days a week so we 'can' afford to maintain our lifestyles.

 

[XJessicaX]

Its obvious that the cost of childcare is a real issue. Even after taking the 70% contribution into consideration, it would cost me about £700 a month for childcare if I was to go back to work. After rent, bills and other essential living expenses I would be working at a loss and unable to survive. I have worked all my adult life and while I am extremely grateful for the time I get to spend with my children, I also wish I was able to go out and work, not only for the fact that I would be earning my own money but also because I need some mental stimulation. I have said it so many times before but I find it absolutely crazy that I cannot afford to go to work - How on earth can having a job and working hard all week make you worse off ? This country is in a mess, rents are ridiculously high, energy bills and petrol costs are through the roof and wages don't reflect the true cost of living. But for all the moaning about the state of things, I can't argue with the fact that I need the Government handouts to survive and for the time being, I am trapped in their vicious circle. The benefit service is essential as it assists those who really need help but as with most things, there are people who will take advantage and that obviously puts a greater strain on the country and as is apparent, causes resentment from those working and struggling in order to fund the benefits for those who won't.

Really well written!

 

[lindseymw]

From my personal experience when it comes to a difference in wages, is if you are 'use' to earning say £40k, you tend to have outgoings to reflect this, i.e you will probably have a bigger mortgage because the bank would lend you more than someone on £20k, therefore bigger council tax bill, bigger gas & electricity bills etc. For us, we are actually in a very good position, DH bought the house 10 years ago before the housing market went mental, he paid £47k for it. He has since had to remortgage it for an extra £15k (to pay off the ex wife) & because he was earning quite a bit, he was able to pay well over his mortgage payments. We now pay £200 a month & it will be paid off in 3 years....our council tax/gas/electricity bills are still quite high though

Jessica, it is quite scary how much tax/ni comes off a high wage! DH put in a load of overtime in one month, he was paid £4,500, but only (I say only...) came out with just under £3k! That was tax, ni & pension!

 

[XJessicaX]

It is tax, uni fees, national insurance etc... all comes out and its amazing how much!!!

I work for the NHS, so rubbish hours, loooong shifts, shitty days off, aggressive patients and my wage does NOT reflect how much work I do. I hate looking at my pay slip, sometimes my total deductions are near £600! We eventually got a joint bank account because I hated that I 'wasnt pulling my weight' financially until my OH said that it isnt HOW much you bring in, its how hard you work for it, and that I was working way harder than he was for his salary so now we share the money completely.

 

[babyhopesxx]

Why don't the government just pay the WTC/CTC towards registered child minders. That way families can afford to go to work and not have to pay extortionate amounts for child care and the child minders still get a wage

 

[Tasha]

Why don't the government just pay the WTC/CTC towards registered child minders. That way families can afford to go to work and not have to pay extortionate amounts for child care and the child minders still get a wage

There is an element within tax credits for childcare but it depends on your income and the costs. The maximum you can get is £175 a week, in my area the typical nursery fees are £70 a day do that x 5 and you are still paying £200 yourself. So most people whole wages or there abouts

Plus some childminders wont accept the vouchers because of them being a PITA so if tax credits were paid directly those same childminders would probably not accept tax credits as a form of payment.

And finally some of it is to help pay for normal stuff, like milk, clothes or whatever you need it for, for you little one

 

[XJessicaX]

Why don't the government just pay the WTC/CTC towards registered child minders. That way families can afford to go to work and not have to pay extortionate amounts for child care and the child minders still get a wage

Il vote for you if you put yourself up!!!

I think mothers who return to work should be congratulated. I don't think people should get money for having children, but I think making it easier for the mother to go back to work after having children would save money in the long run. I have a very well educated friend who has 2 children under 3, she was a pharmacist on a good wage before having children and she doesnt work now. She would have to earn about £40'000 in order to make it worth her going back to work as the cost of child care is so incredibly high! On average, most of the nurseries around here want over £60 a day (sometimes up to £90!)....who can afford that?! That would annihilate the majority of a days work!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Why don't the government just pay the WTC/CTC towards registered child minders. That way families can afford to go to work and not have to pay extortionate amounts for child care and the child minders still get a wage

Il vote for you if you put yourself up!!!

I think mothers who return to work should be congratulated. I don't think people should get money for having children, but I think making it easier for the mother to go back to work after having children would save money in the long run. I have a very well educated friend who has 2 children under 3, she was a pharmacist on a good wage before having children and she doesnt work now. She would have to earn about £40'000 in order to make it worth her going back to work as the cost of child care is so incredibly high! On average, most of the nurseries around here want over £60 a day (sometimes up to £90!)....who can afford that?! That would annihilate the majority of a days work!

Agreed, I am about to have 2 children under 3 and I've worked out I'd need to be on at least 50k for it to be worth it for me to work fulltime and pay full childcare plus commuting to London (any high paying job for me would be based there) I wish.

 

[babyhopesxx]

Why don't the government just pay the WTC/CTC towards registered child minders. That way families can afford to go to work and not have to pay extortionate amounts for child care and the child minders still get a wage

There is an element within tax credits for childcare but it depends on your income and the costs. The maximum you can get is £175 a week, in my area the typical nursery fees are £70 a day do that x 5 and you are still paying £200 yourself. So most people whole wages or there abouts

Plus some childminders wont accept the vouchers because of them being a PITA so if tax credits were paid directly those same childminders would probably not accept tax credits as a form of payment.

And finally some of it is to help pay for normal stuff, like milk, clothes or whatever you need it for, for you little one

While most people can afford the rent/mortgage, council tax, utility bills etc on there wages it's the child care thats the killer. When DS1 was with a child minder i got some of it back in WTC/CTC but it was the large amount i was paying out each mth for c.care that i struggled with. If i didn't have that outgoing in the first place it would have been easier to pay my other bills. So if all child minders were paid directly by the government it would be so much easier for families. Then get smaller tax credits paid to families to help towards milk, nappies, clothes etc. A good idea in theory i suppose, lol.

 

[XJessicaX]

Why don't the government just pay the WTC/CTC towards registered child minders. That way families can afford to go to work and not have to pay extortionate amounts for child care and the child minders still get a wage

Il vote for you if you put yourself up!!!

I think mothers who return to work should be congratulated. I don't think people should get money for having children, but I think making it easier for the mother to go back to work after having children would save money in the long run. I have a very well educated friend who has 2 children under 3, she was a pharmacist on a good wage before having children and she doesnt work now. She would have to earn about £40'000 in order to make it worth her going back to work as the cost of child care is so incredibly high! On average, most of the nurseries around here want over £60 a day (sometimes up to £90!)....who can afford that?! That would annihilate the majority of a days work!

Agreed, I am about to have 2 children under 3 and I've worked out I'd need to be on at least 50k for it to be worth it for me to work fulltime and pay full childcare plus commuting to London (any high paying job for me would be based there) I wish.

oh my, the commuting to London is VASTLY expensive! Just getting a monthly tube pass is about £90? (it was a few years ago so maybe more now) add on the actual cost of the train journeys (I drive to London now as its cheaper) and you are looking at...what? £400/£500 a month...more? add on top of that CHILD CARE!!!! I can definitely see why you are not tempted!!!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Why don't the government just pay the WTC/CTC towards registered child minders. That way families can afford to go to work and not have to pay extortionate amounts for child care and the child minders still get a wage

Il vote for you if you put yourself up!!!

I think mothers who return to work should be congratulated. I don't think people should get money for having children, but I think making it easier for the mother to go back to work after having children would save money in the long run. I have a very well educated friend who has 2 children under 3, she was a pharmacist on a good wage before having children and she doesnt work now. She would have to earn about £40'000 in order to make it worth her going back to work as the cost of child care is so incredibly high! On average, most of the nurseries around here want over £60 a day (sometimes up to £90!)....who can afford that?! That would annihilate the majority of a days work!

Agreed, I am about to have 2 children under 3 and I've worked out I'd need to be on at least 50k for it to be worth it for me to work fulltime and pay full childcare plus commuting to London (any high paying job for me would be based there) I wish.

oh my, the commuting to London is VASTLY expensive! Just getting a monthly tube pass is about £90? (it was a few years ago so maybe more now) add on the actual cost of the train journeys (I drive to London now as its cheaper) and you are looking at...what? £400/£500 a month...more? add on top of that CHILD CARE!!!! I can definitely see why you are not tempted!!!

Yup, my commuting would (and does! until next week when my redundancy kicks in!) cost £350 a month. Never mind what they'd take off me for student loan repayments if I was on 50K!

 

[Tasha]

While most people can afford the rent/mortgage, council tax, utility bills etc on there wages it's the child care thats the killer. When DS1 was with a child minder i got some of it back in WTC/CTC but it was the large amount i was paying out each mth for c.care that i struggled with. If i didn't have that outgoing in the first place it would have been easier to pay my other bills. So if all child minders were paid directly by the government it would be so much easier for families. Then get smaller tax credits paid to families to help towards milk, nappies, clothes etc. A good idea in theory i suppose, lol.

See my experience is different to yours, most people I know cant afford their £1500 rent, and then everything else on top. So they set aside the CTC just for LO's needs plus for lots of women who partners work this is the only bit of money they they have themselves.

I know quite a few childminders and they wont accept the funding for three plus because they struggle to actually get the money from the government, I am guessing they would feel the same about tax credits.

 

[babyhopesxx]

While most people can afford the rent/mortgage, council tax, utility bills etc on there wages it's the child care thats the killer. When DS1 was with a child minder i got some of it back in WTC/CTC but it was the large amount i was paying out each mth for c.care that i struggled with. If i didn't have that outgoing in the first place it would have been easier to pay my other bills. So if all child minders were paid directly by the government it would be so much easier for families. Then get smaller tax credits paid to families to help towards milk, nappies, clothes etc. A good idea in theory i suppose, lol.

See my experience is different to yours, most people I know cant afford their £1500 rent, and then everything else on top. So they set aside the CTC just for LO's needs plus for lots of women who partners work this is the only bit of money they they have themselves.

I know quite a few childminders and they wont accept the funding for three plus because they struggle to actually get the money from the government, I am guessing they would feel the same about tax credits.

I just wish this government would kick there asses into gear and actually help families with work and child care. Instead of paying the c/minder yourself they get funded by the government. So women who rely on tax credits for as bit of money can go to work and earn the money for themself. I would happily not receive any tax credits at all if child care was free, that way i could work, pay my taxes which would then pay the child minder, and put some of my own money into my household.

 

[babyhopesxx]

And even if child care was free there arent any jobs available anyway. Oh well were screwed either way