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- Member
Thu Jan 03, 2019 9:47 pm
Hi there,
I currently claim carers allowance but am considering a new job with more hours which, after pension contributions, will bring me about £18 per week over the carers allowance limit. (It’s still too little to pay tax or NI on though). However if I go for the job I will have to pay childcare costs of around double that for someone to pick my daughter up from school. I have read though that you can offset childcare costs as expenses with appropriate carer (not a relative etc), and therefore bring your earnings back within the limit again.
However I rang the DWP carers allowance helpline a few times and got some conflicting advice from different people - the problem seems to lie in the fact I will work in a school (TA work) and therefore not need the childcare for 13 weeks of the year. So although most of the time the 4-weekly childcare costs will more than bring me under the limit, during the long summer holiday my earnings will be too high for one period only.
In reality I will probably pay the same childcare rate throughout the year to our provider and use the summer payments for extra respite, but as it won’t then be work related childcare they seemed to think it would have to go to a decision maker who may struggle with the case. If you take the amount I will pay in childcare spread over the cost of the year it more than brings me under the yearly earnings limit, it’s just concentrated in term time only?
Does anyone have any advice on how to approach this one with the carers allowance team? I don’t want to take the job and risk losing my carers allowance as I will be working more hours for less money if I do??
Many thanks in advance!
I currently claim carers allowance but am considering a new job with more hours which, after pension contributions, will bring me about £18 per week over the carers allowance limit. (It’s still too little to pay tax or NI on though). However if I go for the job I will have to pay childcare costs of around double that for someone to pick my daughter up from school. I have read though that you can offset childcare costs as expenses with appropriate carer (not a relative etc), and therefore bring your earnings back within the limit again.
However I rang the DWP carers allowance helpline a few times and got some conflicting advice from different people - the problem seems to lie in the fact I will work in a school (TA work) and therefore not need the childcare for 13 weeks of the year. So although most of the time the 4-weekly childcare costs will more than bring me under the limit, during the long summer holiday my earnings will be too high for one period only.
In reality I will probably pay the same childcare rate throughout the year to our provider and use the summer payments for extra respite, but as it won’t then be work related childcare they seemed to think it would have to go to a decision maker who may struggle with the case. If you take the amount I will pay in childcare spread over the cost of the year it more than brings me under the yearly earnings limit, it’s just concentrated in term time only?
Does anyone have any advice on how to approach this one with the carers allowance team? I don’t want to take the job and risk losing my carers allowance as I will be working more hours for less money if I do??
Many thanks in advance!
