single parent tax credits

deere13

hi people . im new to boards so bare with me . im looking help on tax credits .im a single father of one and my ex has two kids by 2 different fathers . just wondering can i still claim the allowance now or does this affect her claim . i know she cant claim for 3 so can i still apply. as one father doesnt work so it wouldnt affect him if she claimed for that child and i claimed for mine ? . its a big loss for me to take. as im rearing my son half the year too . Thank you

Citizenpain

deere13 wrote: »

hi people . im new to boards so bare with me . im looking help on tax credits .im a single father of one and my ex has two kids by 2 different fathers . just wondering can i still claim the allowance now or does this affect her claim . i know she cant claim for 3 so can i still apply. as one father doesnt work so it wouldnt affect him if she claimed for that child and i claimed for mine ? . its a big loss for me to take. as im rearing my son half the year too . Thank you

Anything here ?
http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/credits/single-person-child-carer-credit.html

Manofthewest

Ah you bet me to it citizenpain!

Have a read of this on the revenue website:
http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/credits/single-person-child-carer-credit.html

deere13

Thanks for the response folks . I did read though that, but i was a little unsure of it until i read it again, and now it seems a lot clearer to me , thanks for the reply . now to get her head around it hmm shall be fun . thanks again

_Kaiser_

Ah yes this is another great move by our "leaders" - punish those fathers who take an interest in their children rather than walking away!

As it stands I pay maintenance plus incidental costs and because he and his mother live in another part of the country I'm out travel and accommodation too (if I am down I have to book a hotel/B&B), as well as the costs at this end if he's up with me.

However as she's the primary carer but not currently working, it means she won't get it either so it's win-win for Noonan and co. The only one who loses out is my son!

I'm no fan of FF either but the current shower are actually worse IMO.

HouseHunter13

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

However as she's the primary carer but not currently working, it means she won't get it either so it's win-win for Noonan and co. The only one who loses out is my son!

she can relinquish the credit to you by filling out a short form, split the difference with her, better in your pockets...

Citizenpain

Don't the kids need to reside with him 100 days to make that possible ?

HouseHunter13

Citizenpain wrote: »

Don't the kids need to reside with him 100 days to make that possible ?

if the child stays over night with the dad, lets say every Saturday, that counts as two days (sat & sun) as partial days are counted as full days so that would be 104 days for year

HouseHunter13

Citizenpain wrote: »

Don't the kids need to reside with him 100 days to make that possible ?

for the chap above who travels, sorry get ye now

_Kaiser_

HouseHunter13 wrote: »

for the chap above who travels, sorry get ye now

Yea and therein lies the problem as I interpret the changes. As it's a 2.5/3 hour car trip and he's not yet 2 and hasn't been well lately (teething, colds etc), a lot of the time I travel down instead.

Considering everything else is going up, €200 a month is a fair chunk to lose overnight like that and the net result will likely be one of 2 things - either I have to give her less, or I don't get to see him as much.

Great choice really! :mad:

Manlord

Hi,

I'm in exactly the same boat and feeling rather hard done by.

I have always given my all for my two kids and feel like this is a kick in the teeth for any Father who is making a serious effort to do what's right.

My kids are 4 & 18. My youngest stays with me on wed, thurs, fri, sun one week & thurs, fri, sat the next week. This alternates perfectly over the year to give a 50/50 to myself and my x wife.

My 18 yr old daughter stays with me full time but does see her mother weekly yet I'm now out of pocket to the tune of €2490 per year which I cannot afford to take on the chin.

I actually feel this is blatant discrimination towards me and will fight this as far as I can.

I have no way of working this out with my X so I'll not even bother attempting to suggest she pay me half and there lies my problem.

I received a form from revenue 3 weeks before Xmas saying if I think I'm still due the credit please fill in the form. I did so but received my 2014 tax clearance cert and it was not on it.

I rang up today and was told it was abolished (as I knew) but then asked why I was sent a renewal form of sorts?

It was a mistake and nothing we can do but having explained my situation she is now sending me a form (code I can't remember) and said to fill it in and detail my situation and send it back in. I was in a place where I couldn't really talk so never got the chance to ask what exactly is was or ow it works but basically accepted that is was being posted to me so ill let you know what it is and what's it's about.

I'm actually considering contacting my local TD to discuss this further if I get no satisfaction because it is wholly unacceptable for the govt to have no plan b for situations like the one I find myself in.

Ok rant over.

Thanks.

HouseHunter13

The problem is there aren't enough separated dads who actually provide for their children and avail of this credit to actually make enough noise to have it reversed, this was an easy target for pittance in the grand scheme of things...

Kaiser2000, I would never recommend or encourage this in any other circumstance but make a small white lie maybe in order about how often your child stays?

2ndcoming

To the poster above who travels down if the mother of your child doesn't work if I was you I would get her to relinquish the credit to you and send in the claim anyway. Worst case scenario the credit will be taken back off you and your credits will go back to what they are now.

The reason for the change was due to widespread abuse of the old credit, I don't think Revenue will take an extremely hard line on legitimate cases, their main target was to root out people who were living together, using their parents addresses and both claiming the extra credit.

detective

What if a separated couple have two children? Let's say the mother has primary custody over one child and the father has primary custody over the other... can they both claim the tax credit then?

Kimbot

Its crazy, I took a hit with this aswell. I have to drive 130+kms to see my son every weekend and with this change I either have to go to the court and get the maintenance reduced or find a way of claiming it again. Its crazy that they are hitting people like this tho.

Citizenpain

detective wrote: »

What if a separated couple have two children? Let's say the mother has primary custody over one child and the father has primary custody over the other... can they both claim the tax credit then?

from the link already posted

What happens in the circumstances where there are two children of a relationship and both parents claim in respect of one child each?
[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]In circumstances where an individual, who meets the other requirements of the legislation and who is the parent of a qualifying child, claims that the child is residing with him or her, and the child is not the subject of a claim by any other person, the credit will be granted. If both parents make a claim in respect of one child each and they each satisfy all the qualifying criteria, each parent will be granted a tax credit.
[/FONT][/FONT]

2ndcoming

They get a tax credit. I think that means the full credit will be split betweeen them so they get 825 each, but I'm not 100% on that.

twopeasinapod

Hi, so I am a little confused about the Single Person Child Carer Credit, I am researching this for my partner who has a child and noticed today when he got his pay slip he has been deducted.

I have printed off the information from revenue.ie to bring home.
He pays maintenance, contributes to school expenses, bills etc. and keeps to his allocated time.

The mother of his child (primary claimant) would she have had to apply for this? Does she get this amount automatically?
The secondary claimant, would this be the child’s father (my partner)?

Also, does anyone know what his entitlements to access are, I know fathers’ rights are practically non-existence in Ireland but what if any are his entitlements, he pays maintenance etc
I will admit the mother of his child does make it difficult for us at times.

Being with someone who has a child has really opened my eyes to how little rights fathers have to their child (children) and how mothers know they have the upper hand and play to this.

He rang the tax office, they are sending him a form which he will have to get signed by the mother of his child, how will this work, surely if she is getting this money she wont want to give it up too easily….

Thank you in advance for any help or advice

Dublin Muppet

I think it automatically goes to the parent who is in receipt of child benefit. If your partner is living with you he is not entitlled to claim the credit

twopeasinapod

Dublin Muppet wrote: »

I think it automatically goes to the parent who is in receipt of child benefit. If your partner is living with you he is not entitlled to claim the credit

My partner doesn't want to claim the credit. He already pays maintenance, contributes to schooling, medical expenses etc so why should he have to pay this aswell.
Would if have been the mother of his child that would have had to fill in the claim form or does it automatically just come out of his account? Its just a bit confusing.

Citizenpain

twopeasinapod wrote: »

My partner doesn't want to claim the credit. He already pays maintenance, contributes to schooling, medical expenses etc so why should he have to pay this aswell.
Would if have been the mother of his child that would have had to fill in the claim form or does it automatically just come out of his account? Its just a bit confusing.

He doesn't pay it ! It's a credit given against tax by revenue similar to paye tax credit or personal tax credit .

As in ; it reduces the tax a person pays if they qualify

Dublin Muppet

This is a revenue tax credit that the primary carer claims against their income. If your partners wages are down it probably means that he was claiming the old one parent family tax credit which has now been abolished and he cannot claim the new primary carer credit if his ex is claiming it

twopeasinapod

Dublin Muppet wrote: »

This is a revenue tax credit that the primary carer claims against their income. If your partners wages are down it probably means that he was claiming the old one parent family tax credit which has now been abolished and he cannot claim the new primary carer credit if his ex is claiming it

He doesn't want to claim anything....
So if his ex is getting this new payment should he now not pay maintenence.... the €31 that came out of his wages, does that go to his ex's bank account....

twopeasinapod

Citizenpain wrote: »

He doesn't pay it ! It's a credit given against tax by revenue similar to paye tax credit or personal tax credit .

As in ; it reduces the tax a person pays if they qualify

Ok maybe not paying it as such but its a deduction in his wages, its €31 per week, he already pays maintence, school costs etc as I said before.... will his ex receive all of this €31?

Citizenpain

twopeasinapod wrote: »

He doesn't want to claim anything....
So if his ex is getting this new payment should he now not pay maintenence.... the €31 that came out of his wages, does that go to his ex's bank account....

They are completely unrelated

She would have got this credit last year too as long as she was not cohabitating

All that has changed is that last year he would have been able to get it too if the child stayed with him a certain number of nights and he was living alone

What is the 31 reduction in His wages ? Do you mean between this year and last ? Did he get this credit last year ?

deere13

To Detective as it stands all the credits were cancelled and it reverted to the person who holds the children allowance book as the state said it was the only way they knew who the main carer was . i need to find out more on this as my ex said she she would sign the form so i could collect the tax credit, as it wont affect her because she can claim for one of the other children. But im not sure would this affect the children allowance as i would be then defined as the main carer then because they seem to be linking all these things together now .

Citizenpain

No, it won't affect the childrens' allowance

owiseone

deere13 wrote: »

To Detective as it stands all the credits were cancelled and it reverted to the person who holds the children allowance book as the state said it was the only way they knew who the main carer was . i need to find out more on this as my ex said she she would sign the form so i could collect the tax credit, as it wont affect her because she can claim for one of the other children. But im not sure would this affect the children allowance as i would be then defined as the main carer then because they seem to be linking all these things together now .

she is only entitled to one tax credit no matter how many children she has so if she relinquishes her entitlement to you she can no longer claim it so you both will not get it. if she has 2 kids by different fathers both fathers would be entitled to the credit if she relinquishes hers. If they satisfy all the qualifying criteria of course.

from FAQ on revenue website :-
A primary claimant has three qualifying children and is in receipt of one credit. Can he
or she surrender a credit in respect of one of the children while retaining his or her own
claim?
No. A claimant is only entitled to one credit regardless of the number of qualifying children
residing with him or her. He or she would have to surrender that credit in respect of all the
children for any of the children to become the subject of a claim by a secondary claimant. It
should be noted that where a credit is surrendered a number of secondary claimants may
make claims in respect of each of the children, (once they qualify as secondary claimants).

woodoo

My sons mother doesn't claim the one parent credit anymore as she has married someone else now. My son stays with me Friday and Saturday nights. Would i be able to qualify for the payment as she doesn't claim it?

Citizenpain

woodoo wrote: »

My sons mother doesn't claim the one parent credit anymore as she has married someone else now. My son stays with me Friday and Saturday nights. Would i be able to qualify for the payment as she doesn't claim it?

As far as I am aware ;Yes , as long as you are not cohabitating

Gal_Lad

Citizenpain wrote: »

As far as I am aware ;Yes , as long as you are not cohabitating

I've a similar case to WooDoo where my ex partner is now married and not entitled to the credit. I am not co-habitating.

Is it a matter of filling in the necessary form and just applying directly for the credit or do you still have to go through a process of getting the mother to relinquish it? Daft question maybe but I reckon this government will put up as many roadblocks as they can.

Citizenpain

Good question - and sorry but I dont have answer

I'd say just ring the tax office

owiseone

Citizenpain wrote: »

As far as I am aware ;Yes , as long as you are not cohabitating

A parent can only relinquish/surrender the credit if they are entitled to it. So if a mother remarries or is living with someone she is not entitled to the credit so can not give it to some one else. The primary carer has to complete form SPCC1 to confirm she's entitled to the credit, i.e not living with anyone and is the primary carer. Then on same form she can relinquish it to the other parent. The other parent fills in SPCC2 form to confirm he isn't living with anyone and he takes child at least 100 days.

Morak Thun

My situation is somewhat different, if anyone has any experience or advice.

My ex wife moved to the UK a number of years back with our daughter. Similar to a previous poster the costs involved for me are extensive, from child support, to travelling expenses to the UK for visits, to paying for my daughters travel to and from the UK for frequent visits to Ireland. My daughter spends a lot of time with me in Ireland. Weekends, school and summer holidays etc.

I have been in receipt of the one parent family tax credit which has made these expenses more manageable, but am now faced with a reduction of some €2,500 net over the course of 2014 as a result of these changes.

This is very hard to stomach, and can only result in my daughter being disadvantaged.

My assumption is (correct me if I am wrong), that based on the fact that my ex wife resides outside the jurisdiction with my daughter, and are in receipt of children's allowance in the UK, that she would not be entitled to the single person child carer credit regardless of whether she was agreeable to surrender her entitlement to the credit.

Has anyone come across such a scenario or can anyone suggest any possible solutions?

Thanks in advance

Frank Boggins

Hey I would love some help on this.

I am after getting shafted on this.

My ex has 2 kids with another lad and I am wondering would she get it cause of them kids and I could get it for my son?

Citizenpain

see post #33 - doesnt look like it (assuming she does not qualify as a primary claiment )

_Kaiser_

It's a mess is what it is and will ultimately affect a lot of children €200 is a lot of money to lose in a month.

In my case I think I'm going to just have to live with it as myself and the little fella's mother don't really talk or have a formal agreement on maintenance in place (I give her an agreed amount and pay other incidental costs as well as the cost of travelling down/accommodation etc) and if she was to sign this over to me, no doubt they'd start chasing me for more money than I'm already paying if reading some of the other threads here is any indication.

But I'll be sure to remember it when the local election campaigning starts!

Enright330

Hi there,

I am in the same boat as you. It's is clearly designed for one parent to receive the credit in this case it's is us as we are the ones working in Ireland and paying tax.

Even if your child is with you for 100 or more , your ex partner cannot receive an irish tax credit as she is out of the state. Therefor she cannot sign it over to you.

Any father who has a child living out of the state is gonna be paying tax as a single man.

It is discrimination at the fullest. Your child is entitled to child benefit here but the mother gets the payment you have to fill in a cb1 form and provide you and your ex details and they will pay your ex the difference between the payments in both countries so that your child receives the same amount as an irish child.

I've called the minister for finance office, the revenue, citizen advice, my local td and one family org, we are hitting a brick wall.

My child is with me over 100 days a year between school holidays and wknds and days I spend with him in the uk also..I'm lucky with my job that I can get over easily and get him home but it still a cost.

I'm wondering can anything be done on a European level

If anyone can help or share light on this please get in touch

jimjims64

Hi guys I am in the same boat and have contacted revenue:

When the budget came into effect they took everyone off old credit. Now only the mother (primary carer) can apply for the new credit, but she can relinquish it to the father if they both agree.

Step 1: Mother applies for new credit

Step 2: Mother signs a form relinquishing the tax credit to the father

The mother can at any time after the current tax year has ended take back the tax credit by contacting revenue. So if she gave you the tax credit in 2014, she will have to wait until 2015 to take it back if she wants to.

In some cases the mother is not working, and is claiming social welfare, so the tax credit is useless to her.

Citizenpain

its still rather unfair in the cases where the mother is not entittled to claim as a primary claimant ad can not pass it on

jimjims64

Citizenpain wrote: »

its still rather unfair in the cases where the mother is not entittled to claim as a primary claimant ad can not pass it on

That's how the government intend on screwing us..they're a cute bunch, know exactly what they're doing...

jimjims64

Citizenpain wrote: »

its still rather unfair in the cases where the mother is not entittled to claim as a primary claimant ad can not pass it on

Just to know, what circumstances would the mother not be eligible to receive the tax credit?

Citizenpain

jimjims64 wrote: »

Just to know, what circumstances would the mother not be eligible to receive the tax credit?

if she is co-habitating or has remarried


I wonder if it was a genuine mistake when they were drafting the legislation and could still be changed?

Enright330

Hey guys...
The mother is not entitled to the credit if she is co hab or married or lives out of state.

Anyone who has a kid to a foreign mother has lost their credit as the mother can't receive it therefore cannot relinquish it to the father.

I'm being taxed as a single man and my child is not recognised by this country

My advice is to email your local TDs and the minister for finance and Taoiseach

Also appeal it with the revenue and contact the appeals commissioner

I've received mail back from the government that they are looking in to it .

Daveo1982

Hi
I have my son over the 100 days and my x is married and still claiming the tax credit and won't relinquish it is there anything I can do I've sent forms in and just keep sending them back asking for the primary to relinquish it I also give her maintenance every month so this has hit me hard in my pocket as I live alone and pay for stuff for my kid also now he asks to do stuff and I just have to say I've no money

Manlord

Daveo1982 wrote: »

Hi
I have my son over the 100 days and my x is married and still claiming the tax credit and won't relinquish it is there anything I can do I've sent forms in and just keep sending them back asking for the primary to relinquish it I also give her maintenance every month so this has hit me hard in my pocket as I live alone and pay for stuff for my kid also now he asks to do stuff and I just have to say I've no money

If not relinquished I don't think you have any choices here unfortunately apart from common sense and split the credit between you but I am aware that this is sometimes never going to be an option when dealing with a separation of the previous relationship.

I have spent almost 4 months fighting this with mail after mail after mail after conversation after conversation after conversation after returned mail after returned mail after returned mail (annoying isn't it?) Well then multiply that by a 100 and you will still be nowhere near how frustrated I became having to deal with the Revenue and trying my best to explain my situation.

I was told by revenue officials on at least 7 occasions (5-6 different members of staff) that I did not qualify for the SPTC (or whatever it's called now) but I insisted that I was and I sent in a 5 page detailed review of my situation (5 weeks ago) and how from statements shown on the revenue website I was fully entitled to the credit.

I also spoke to my local TD (FG Dublin South) and asked if I could reference her name on the letter and if I did not receive satisfaction I would be taking my claim further up the chain of command.

I have just received my credit through my accountant in work and they have also backdated the amount of money I have lost this year.

Summary: Revenue officials do not know what they are talking about when discussing it with the parents involved as this new framework is only in existence the last 4.5 months so they will and have made incorrect statements to me and I assume others on numerous occasions without actually knowing what it right & wrong. I can also assume that many people will just ring up and inquire and if told no will then just call it a day. I could have called it a day on so many levels but just kept fighting for what i know to be correct and in the end got what I deserve.

Advice: When the revenue phone line tells you the call is being recorded it is also a good idea to tell the representative that you are also recording the call. I have an app on my phone which records my selected calls but from experience I find it best to allow the call to progress towards conclusion (or basically fobbing you off) before you tell them that you are/were recording the call and see how the attitude changes IMMEDIATELY from being 100% sure you are not entitled to the credit to an attitude of well actually I'm not sure and you should speak to someone who does know which is usually the supervisor (also let them know and see them also claim not to know exactly who is entitled)

My experience has shown me that they do not actually care if you deserve it, want it, entitled to it but would sooner finish the call and go for a cuppa. Am i being harsh? Not at all - i have gone through hell with each and every member of staff I ever spoke to and have no other observation than they are wasters.

Everything that is wrong with this country can be summed up in my dealings with the revenue Re; single parent tax credit.

Good luck to all of you and never give up or believe anything they tell you over the phone. Our situations are complex and have many facets of confusion which they do not want to investigate so it's up to you guys to detail it just like a solicitors letter with threats of media coverage or even just asking them for their full name and position and that you have the full call recorded and will highlight exactly what they have TOLD YOU WAS FACT!

Nothing like a public show for someone to step right back and change their stance on things that were FACT only 1 minute previous to your threat.

I'm now €49 better off each week which makes a big difference to me.

My x is still receiving the credit also just for reference and fully entitled to I might add rather than a revenue clerical error.

Manlord

deere13 wrote: »

hi people . im new to boards so bare with me . im looking help on tax credits .im a single father of one and my ex has two kids by 2 different fathers . just wondering can i still claim the allowance now or does this affect her claim . i know she cant claim for 3 so can i still apply. as one father doesnt work so it wouldnt affect him if she claimed for that child and i claimed for mine ? . its a big loss for me to take. as im rearing my son half the year too . Thank you

OP - this is 100% available to you. i know you have not been active since first posting but if you get this please PM me and i will chat to you outside of boards as to how to do this and I will also mail you a copy of the letter I sent so that you can get this credit immediately.

hoping you see this soon.

Manlord

owiseone wrote: »

she is only entitled to one tax credit no matter how many children she has so if she relinquishes her entitlement to you she can no longer claim it so you both will not get it. if she has 2 kids by different fathers both fathers would be entitled to the credit if she relinquishes hers. If they satisfy all the qualifying criteria of course.

from FAQ on revenue website :-
A primary claimant has three qualifying children and is in receipt of one credit. Can he
or she surrender a credit in respect of one of the children while retaining his or her own
claim?
No. A claimant is only entitled to one credit regardless of the number of qualifying children
residing with him or her. He or she would have to surrender that credit in respect of all the
children for any of the children to become the subject of a claim by a secondary claimant. It
should be noted that where a credit is surrendered a number of secondary claimants may
make claims in respect of each of the children, (once they qualify as secondary claimants).

Again too many different individual circumstances to cover everyone but if a mother has two kids for example by two different fathers the mother can claim for one of the kids and keep her credit and the father can claim for his child also which the mother does not claim for (once mother is not claiming for that particular child as there is no extra benefit to claim for both)

Does that makes sense?

Use the same situation as above but with both kids being by one father and you cannot have two credits awarded - Just the one awarded to the children's allowance receiver (99% the mother)

Manlord

Morak Thun wrote: »

My situation is somewhat different, if anyone has any experience or advice.

My ex wife moved to the UK a number of years back with our daughter. Similar to a previous poster the costs involved for me are extensive, from child support, to travelling expenses to the UK for visits, to paying for my daughters travel to and from the UK for frequent visits to Ireland. My daughter spends a lot of time with me in Ireland. Weekends, school and summer holidays etc.

I have been in receipt of the one parent family tax credit which has made these expenses more manageable, but am now faced with a reduction of some €2,500 net over the course of 2014 as a result of these changes.

This is very hard to stomach, and can only result in my daughter being disadvantaged.

My assumption is (correct me if I am wrong), that based on the fact that my ex wife resides outside the jurisdiction with my daughter, and are in receipt of children's allowance in the UK, that she would not be entitled to the single person child carer credit regardless of whether she was agreeable to surrender her entitlement to the credit.

Has anyone come across such a scenario or can anyone suggest any possible solutions?

Thanks in advance

Simple answer here is that if she is not claiming the credit and you look after your daughter (meeting criteria of days etc) and are single then the credit is yours no doubt.

Do NOT listen to anything they tell you over the phone as they are not sure about what they are telling people.

Pick the parts out on the revenue website under FAQ's etc and work out the situation for yourself and I know you will get this.

Manlord

Frank Boggins wrote: »

Hey I would love some help on this.

I am after getting shafted on this.

My ex has 2 kids with another lad and I am wondering would she get it cause of them kids and I could get it for my son?

definitely open to you once she is willing to only claim for one child (not yours) and then you claim for your child only.

Both will obtain the full credit.

Manlord

i must just clarify i meant you are entitled to it if you are 50-50 with child's time in each parents care i.e. both primary carers.

Then you would be entitled to apply as the primary not just a secondary and it would make no difference if she lived abroad.

Right I'm all done here because there's not much else I can say until other reply or ask questions.