one person tax credit being restricted to principal carer

Hit the small unloved groups

I'm afraid this is Govt cashing in on lack of compassion for small groups, and old-fashioned moralism.
It's absolutely correct that separated parents get a lot more tax credits than cohabiting parents.Indeed sometimes grandparents get a credit as well, so it is on the face of it unfair and anti-stable-family.
I'm still, thank God, together with my family but every separated parent I know has a hard time of it financially and emotionally, and I don't grudge them an "unfair" subsidy. This should've been phased out at worst, in the same way we helped the weak, helpless stateless companies by phase-out, not this cruel fell swoop.
I'm saying this despite being very pro-marriage, eg I'm furious that two people sharing a house can get medical cards with a combined income of 1000 while a married couple would have to have as little as 900.
 
Snax: As far as I understand it, you start paying income tax €1,650 earlier. But then the real sting is if you earn more than €32,800. Before you would have had to pay 41% on everything you earned in excess of €36,800, now you have to pay 41% on everything in excess of €32,800. Bottom line is if you earn 36,800 or above you will lose the most. If you earn a lot above the 36,800 then you will probably not mind too much but if you are quite marginally above that 36,800 mark then you will be harder hit.
 
Unfortunately you will lose a minimum of 137.50 per month, there is potential to also lose up to an additional 70.00 per month if the reduction in the tax band from 36,800 to 32,800 pushes you further into the higher tax bracket of 41%
 
@Kateball

Tax bands are not going to change. Please visit Revenue website.

​
Single or Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner, qualifying for
One Parent Family Tax Credit (2013), Single Person Child Carer Tax Credit (2014)
 
kasko said:
@Kateball

Tax bands are not going to change. Please visit Revenue website.

​
Single or Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner, qualifying for
One Parent Family Tax Credit (2013), Single Person Child Carer Tax Credit (2014)
Click to expand...

Yes Kasko, you are correct there, even if you lose the one parent family tax credit, you're tax band remains the same.

[broken link removed]
 
Chrisboy, Kasko, is that correct?

My reading is that it is only the individual who qualifies for Single Person Child Carer Tax Credit that will retain the 36,800 rate band. In 2014, only the primary carer will qualify.
 
Just to clarify.

I am in receipt of the additional credit and increased cut off for One Parent Family Tax Credit.

However my wife (we are separated and living apart 50/50 custody of 2 kids) works part time and gets a reduced social welfare one parent family payment but no tax credit as she never applied for it.


What happens in this instance.
 
A family law practitioner I spoke to yesterday is furious about this move - the family courts have been trying to move to a system where parenting is joint as far as possible and away from the primary carer model for years and it is apparently starting to work.

Having a declaration of one parent as primary carer and the other as secondary carer will undo an awful lot of progress.

Also, where one parent is not working, and is presumably the primary carer, there will be no credit at all as the non-working parent can't use it and the working one can't get it?
 
So it'll be a "main parent/sub parent" sort of set-up then.

Unbelievable!

Anyone affected like to write a letter to a certain Minister who is a renowned family law practitioner? I can't imagine he's too happy about the situation.
 
Both men and women are legally obliged to support, out of their means, a dependent spouse/civil partner and children.

The One-Parent Family Credit (OPFA) was originally intended to assist a parent who was caring for a child (children) without the support of a partner, such as a widow, a deserted wife, etc.

Through poorly drawn up legislation, OPFA could, inadvertently, be applied to both non-cohabiting parents, without either parent having to proveadequate,or indeed any child maintenance, in the case of natural children.

Both parents were entitled to the equivalent of the married tax credit – 3,300, i.e. a combined credit of 6,600.
Both parents were entitled to a 20% rate band of 36,800 – i.e. a combined 20% rate band of 73,600.

A cohabiting couple with children are entitled to a combined personal tax credit of 3,300 and to a combined 20% rate band of 41,800 up to 65,600, depending on their income.

The combined gain for two non-cohabiting parents over co-habiting couples was a tax credit of 3,300 and a combined rate band increase of at least 8,000 and at most 31,800.
The Celtic Tiger years could sustain this, but they were an aberration.
 
Can someone clarify the situation for me:

I am unmarried with a 9year old child which resides with her mother during the week and me most weekends.
Her mother was getting lone parent until 2010 along with a relatively small weekly sum from me which her social worker was aware of.
I was working up to 2009 and was then unemployed until 2011. I declared myself as being single rather than having a co-dependent as I wasn't the primary care giver.
I have been back in employment since then but now pay alot more a week as her mother has since been living with someone else and has lost her lone parent allowance.
As money is becoming alot scarcer now than in the past I have only recently become aware I was eligible for the single parent credit.

So my questions are:
1) Can I claim this credit back for the years I missed? If so I assume I can only get 3 years back as I was getting welfare in 2010 and the max revenue go back is 4 years.

2) Was I also entitled to the lower tax band? I was earning over this in 2007-2009 but have only just gone over the €32,800 figure again this year so I assume I can only get a refund on that bit.

3) As her mother is now co-habiting can I claim the credit and tax band for next year. If so how do I go about that?
 
I think you are right for number one and 2, contact the tax office and claim the credit and ask for a P21 for all years.

For number 3, you would have to be the primary care giver to the child, it looks like they are going to use the payment of the child benefit to work out who is the primary care giver. ~Unless you can prove other wise the tax credit will got to the mum.
 
Thanks.

As it's all ending this year should I just wait until the new year and claim back the credit for 2011-2013 to make things simpler or is there any advantage of claiming for this now? (considering I was on jobseekers benefit in 2010).
 
From my boards.ie post......

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.
 
I just got my pay this morning and i am down significantly. I take it its the One Parent Tax Credit removal. A real kick in the teeth. On top of all other changes over the last few years i am really going to struggle now.
 
Just got my 2014 tax free allowance cert - confirmation of worst fears
Tax credit down by 1650 and standard threshold down by 4000 - equivalent loss of 5000 gross income

gonna be a tough year - what a shame labour in government doesnt look after minorities.
I wrote to Eamon Gilmore who is my local TD - he told me I should ask my ex-wife for the tax credit if she isnt using it!! Do these people have any idea that when people divorce - they dont tend to talk to each other that much - never mind swap tax credits!! what world do these people live in!!
 
Hi there,

Also caught in a similiar position and cant afford it. Does anyone know of any way around this without going to court seeking to reducing the maintenance agreement?

TIA
 
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