seekingsunshine Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Hi everyone! thought some family people (especially with young children) might be interested in this comparison! I have recently had my child tax credit/and working tax credit back - telling me I'm now entitled to.......67 pounds a month!!!! I have two children under three, i work (20 hrs) earning minimum wage and my husband is an a contracted electrician - usually working 60 hours a week - earning about 25 grand (after tax) HOWEVER, he is at moment working away (as due to economic crisis there are few jobs local to us) so he has to pay about 120 pounds a wk i just cant believe how much we are being penalised for being married and wanting to be a family! I dont expect the gov to support us, it just annoys me how it doesnt support married couples and/or family units. In contrast after doing a bit of research I've discovered that with my hubbie working full time, me as STAY AT HOME mum and with three kids, we'll be entitled to around $1200 in Australia - because the gov there has a scheme to support families with only one breadwinner, where one parent wants to stay at home!!! WOW! i cannot believe this we're actually not going to be penalised for being a family! i think we need to get on a plane quick, because with rising costs here in the UK we won't be able to survive much longer!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobj Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Any help? Family Assistance Office | What payments we offer Cheers, Bobj. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I agree with you , Australia seems much more 'giving' than the UK was to low earning familys and newly arrived familys. Lots of people who move here start work on lower wages so the top is great for familys like that. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallyho! Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Any help? Family Assistance Office | What payments we offer Cheers, Bobj. Thanks for that - certaintly puts the UK's tax credits system to shame! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yes and no. For instance, in the UK when they pay housing benefit they pay the full rent and then some. For some strange reason they pay the local housing allowance in full even if the rent is not as much as the LHA. In Australia, they only pay rent assistance, so a portion of your rent, which means the rest has to come out of things like the family tax benefit. Also, over here in the UK, minimum income guarantee is for everyone, even the self employed. In Australia, the self employed get nothing, unless they are farmers and then only in certain circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kazmatt Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 apparently, not sure if its true, but aussie pensioners are one of the poorest in the world?????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest proud2beaussie Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 It's easy to do comparisons about benefits in the two countries about who gives what to who but I'm sorry it's totally pointless because of the vast differences in the population and taxpayer base. The UK has over 60 million people,and I would guess about 25 million taxpayers (Cant find actual figures) whilst Australia has 21 million population and probably about 10 million taxpayers,and with the UK's larger GDP and revenue from taxpayers it's not hard to see that the Australian tax base simply cannot afford to provide the level of benefits that the UK system does-unless you dranatically increase the amount of tax everybody pays,and that would be political suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 comparing the two countries is definately not pointless for our family! i'd choose $1200 dollars a month over 67 pounds a month any day! just nice not to be penalised for being a family - can't believe there is a country that has added tax benefit for families where one parent chooses to stay at home! obviously i dont know anything about other kinds of taxes eg pensioners etc - though hopefully will concern me one day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest boomerangpommie Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 seekingsunshine, Don't get too excited just yet, until you've checked out everything. When we lived in Australia, we applied for family assistance - the equivalent of child benefit here and got one of them - Family Tax Benefit A or B, can't remember which one. Having read all of the literature and spoken to an advisor on the phone who did a calculation, I also thought it was going to be helpful, especially as only one of us was working and if you get a certain level, you can also get help with rent. The snag came when providing birth certificates as only one of my children is with my OH, my older one is from a previous relationship, this seems similar to your situation. We only got the full amount for our child together and for my older child, got a reduced rate as they expected her father to making up the rest and they have an international department to go after if him if provided with a name and unless he can't be found etc, they will not change the rate, that avenue has to be exhausted first. You don't have to agree to this but the lower rate then stays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slipshot Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Agree with many - until you are here, you cannot accurately ascertain what you will or will not get. We're here with three kids, all under 5, and neither of us is working. Kids all have Australian passports and we're on the system, but even Medicare/Family assistance office admits the system is very complicated and while they are trying to make it easier, it's not as simple as plugging in a few numbers. I have a mate, who has worked out that while he earns and his missus stays at home looking after the kids, he is worse off. He is now looking at her doing some small amounts of work (it is min of an hour a week) and acquiring her an ABN< and that changes the amount of money they get back by a large amount. Thus in his case (defacto partner, full PR, 2 kids under 4), they are not better off at all. Just goes to show that you need to assess your sistuation. We've decided not to cliam anything now but because we are 'on the system', when we do a tax claim at the end of this financial year, we'll recoup everything in a lump sum. This first year is the key one too, as we'll have moved from overseas thus have little time to make much money and the tax refund will thus help us a lot. It's all good fun.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 boomerangpommie, thanks for this info - i will defo look into this - as hadnt even thought about it! i did speak to a migratation agent who said we would qualify as myself and three kids (to be) all australian citizens, but i will approach the family benefits people themselves and see what happens in this situation thanks for pointing this out to me! oh dear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stiggibbs Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 seekingsunshine, Don't get too excited just yet, until you've checked out everything. When we lived in Australia, we applied for family assistance - the equivalent of child benefit here and got one of them - Family Tax Benefit A or B, can't remember which one. Having read all of the literature and spoken to an advisor on the phone who did a calculation, I also thought it was going to be helpful, especially as only one of us was working and if you get a certain level, you can also get help with rent. The snag came when providing birth certificates as only one of my children is with my OH, my older one is from a previous relationship, this seems similar to your situation. We only got the full amount for our child together and for my older child, got a reduced rate as they expected her father to making up the rest and they have an international department to go after if him if provided with a name and unless he can't be found etc, they will not change the rate, that avenue has to be exhausted first. You don't have to agree to this but the lower rate then stays. Thanks for the info, for us this is really useful to know as my OH is step-dad to both my 2 children and i hadnt even though that far ahead yet!!! (still in the process of pre application stage so plenty of time !!) Charlotte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsDoyle Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Just wondering where you got that amount from Seekingsunshine? We live in Australia, have 4 children, and my husband earns what is considered to be a pretty low wage. I am a stay at home mother, and we get around $450 a fortnight as benefit. No doubt that seems better than what is on offer in the UK....but still nowhere near the amount you are saying for 2 children! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Just wondering where you got that amount from Seekingsunshine? We live in Australia, have 4 children, and my husband earns what is considered to be a pretty low wage. I am a stay at home mother, and we get around $450 a fortnight as benefit. No doubt that seems better than what is on offer in the UK....but still nowhere near the amount you are saying for 2 children! Hi i take it you dont recieve family Benefit Part B as you dont work at all, family Benefit part B is paid to the lower earner, normally the wife who just does a few hours a week.This is paid alongside Part A. If you have 4 children have you applied for the large parenting payment as if your on PR you should be entitled to this too? Also be aware the amount of child benefit varies depending on the age of your children ,the younger the children the more you get. Be warned though as i believe if your children start part time work when they are 14, anything they earn is deducted from your benefit. Hope this helps explain why figures can be slightly different Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsDoyle Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hi i take it you dont recieve family Benefit Part B as you dont work at all, family Benefit part B is paid to the lower earner, normally the wife who just does a few hours a week.This is paid alongside Part A.If you have 4 children have you applied for the large parenting payment as if your on PR you should be entitled to this too? Also be aware the amount of child benefit varies depending on the age of your children ,the younger the children the more you get. Be warned though as i believe if your children start part time work when they are 14, anything they earn is deducted from your benefit. Hope this helps explain why figures can be slightly different Cal x I get both FTB - A & B, since i don't work at all (Yes it's for the 'lower earner' which also means one who doesn't earn at all). I also get the large family (which is bugger all), and my eldest child will be 5 in June, so all elligible for the benefits. So there's no reason someone with only 2 children, who also will have a low income (assuming that is the case) would get nearly $200 extra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hi MrsDoyle, my calculation was just done on net, as not in Oz yet as i state in my post, i'm five months pregnant, so all going well ( ) we'll have three children, two of three, and one of twelve weeks! sorry for confusion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I get both FTB - A & B, since i don't work at all (Yes it's for the 'lower earner' which also means one who doesn't earn at all). I also get the large family (which is bugger all), and my eldest child will be 5 in June, so all elligible for the benefits. So there's no reason someone with only 2 children, who also will have a low income (assuming that is the case) would get nearly $200 extra. Hi , i think the maximum benefit is for those earning $41,350 or less, anything over this you would get a lower benefit and also lose the Healthcare Card. I think the OP had done a website calculation which is only really a guide, if you think you can get more , go and ask though, ive always found Centrelink helpful when approached in person, ring them and you'll probably find yourself going around in circles,lol,or hanging up in dispare,lol. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 hi, just re-done estimate and comes up with $605.64 per fortnight , but this is just an online estimate, and although i entered details this site doesnt give you full opportunity to explore personal details!!! (i put in matt earning $60000) all estimates, i did estimate on Uk child benefit site and that came out at about right .....as we now get 67 pounds a month....although we will prob get a little more when baby arrives that 67 pounds a month in the Uk will prob fill my car for two weeks (huge people carrier) and buy me my weekly supply of 'Now' magazine even $800 dollars a month in Australia will do a lot more for us as a family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 even $800 dollars a month in Australia will do a lot more for us as a family You are so right and every penny counts when you have just arrived .The thing i like about Centrelink here is if they under pay you, (you dont earn as much as you expect) the happily pay what they owe you without any qualms at the end of the tax year, after all its always better to quote the max you think you will earn so you dont end up being over payed and owing them,lol. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hi Cal, i agree that overpayement would be a nightmare! never experienced it in uk thankfully, but have heard of lots who have! not nice situation when here, in uk its often the systems fault! i just really like the fact that in australia, single mums and families with only one wage earner were treated a lot more fairly - rather than here where married couples especially seem to get penalised! will let everyone know what we get if we ever get out there Helen x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buttercup Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hi everyone! thought some family people (especially with young children) might be interested in this comparison! I have recently had my child tax credit/and working tax credit back - telling me I'm now entitled to.......67 pounds a month!!!! I have two children under three, i work (20 hrs) earning minimum wage and my husband is an a contracted electrician - usually working 60 hours a week - earning about 25 grand (after tax) HOWEVER, he is at moment working away (as due to economic crisis there are few jobs local to us) so he has to pay about 120 pounds a wk for digs/food etc while he is away!!! this time a year ago, i was a single mother, working full time (children looked after by mother) and government were giving me just over 500 pounds a month!!! my husband has very happily taken on the role of 'dad' to my two (and we're expecting) i just cant believe how much we are being penalised for being married and wanting to be a family! I dont expect the gov to support us, it just annoys me how it doesnt support married couples and/or family units. In contrast after doing a bit of research I've discovered that with my hubbie working full time, me as STAY AT HOME mum and with three kids, we'll be entitled to around $1200 in Australia - because the gov there has a scheme to support families with only one breadwinner, where one parent wants to stay at home!!! WOW! i cannot believe this we're actually not going to be penalised for being a family! i think we need to get on a plane quick, because with rising costs here in the UK we won't be able to survive much longer!!! My 1st post on here so hi.:smile: You haven't stated how much child benefit you get per month in addition to your Child/Working Tax Credits. You appear to be comparing 1/3 of the amount of what you get in the UK with the full amount of what you might get in Australia. It's a bit like comparing apples with pears. I was under the impression that CB was around 20 pounds for 1st child and 13 pounds per week for any subsequent children so that would make your benefit income 199 pounds per month and once the new baby comes along you'll get another 52 pounds per month. But yes, I have found that Australia supports the family a bit more than the UK. Please correct me if I'm wrong btw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hi buttercup i get 125 a month for child benefit, i think its about 18/19 pounds for first born and about 11/12 pounds for second and subsequent children. i think it has gone up a pound recently so in total i get about 200 pounds a month - up that by another 100 pounds in total when new baby arrives (though might be being a bit generous there haha!) so will be 300 pounds a month - australia still in the lead! (estimate only tho of course) anyway, my main point as i said, was that i was impressed that families/married couples dont seem to get penalised for being together. in the Uk it seems to make more financial sense to be a single parent which is probably why so many people cheat the benefit system!!! also families in uk don't seem to get as many tax breaks compared to rest of world (inc oz) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 While it may appear that Australia's benefits system seems to be more generous than Great Britain's, I think it a bit misleading. For a start, the income tax rates in Britain are quite a lot lower than in Australia. The National Insurance contributions roughly equate to Australia's superannuation contributions, 9% last I was there, though they may have gone up by now, plus the medicare contribution. Also, with low incomes here, which after all have to reach £300 a week before any working tax credit, for example, is clawed back from a family, one gets various other exemptions, none of which are available completely in Australia. For instance, - all prescription costs here are waived. In Australia, even those on the lowest incomes have to pay a contribution per prescription item. - There are huge council tax rebates in Britain. In Australia, no relief is available for rates and even for tenants, where the rates are recovered by the landlords via the rent, only partial relief from rent is available via rent assistance. - In Britain, dentists work for free if you are an NHS patient. You could get free care in Australia if you attended dental hospital. But this would in itself be a vastly different experience from here in Scotland, and possibly also from the rest of the UK. In Australia, students would then get to practise on your teeth. No such thing here in Scotland - if you need to go to the dental hospital, fully trained surgeons are on hand to do the work. - There are no school fees at state schools here in Britain. This seems to even extend to things like the schools providing jotters. While school levies are supposedly voluntary in Australia, in practice it would be a very brave parent who refused to pay them, such is the "moral obligation" to pay such fees. For working people on low incomes in Australia, the benefits tend to be paid out via the tax system. So if you haven't claimed, be sure to put your tax return in asap after the 30th of June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest proud2beaussie Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Sorry treesea but your English tinted eyes don't actually see the facts. 1 You claim "all prescription costs here are waived" well that's what you pay taxes for,it's actually not "free"-taxpayers subsidise ,and prescription costs are only waived for some,my GF who has parkinsons disease pays for her medicine because parkinsons disease is not on the list of illnesses where she gets free prescriptions. 2 You say no relief is available for rates-wrong,pensioners receive a rate rebate in all states and having owned and rented out property in Australia I can advise that none of my tenants has ever paid rates,that's a fact. 3 You claim that In Britain, dentists work for free if you are an NHS patient,have you tried to get to see an NHS dentist in the UK recently.Read this: NHS Blog Doctor: The destruction of NHS dentistry : the fat cats go private and this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/7903234.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rach28 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I have to agree with nigel. My 7 year old daughter has only just seen a dentist as we have only just been given an nhs dentist. The only other time my daughter has seen dentist is when the dentist went into school to check the teeth. But they have stopped doing that now. The nhs is not as rosy as you may think. Most dentist told us they would only take my daughter on as an nhs patient if both me and my husband paid full private dental fees. Rachael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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