Providing dependent care for your children can prove to be exceedingly financially burdensome for you. While expenses for child care seem to keep rising, it is important to explore other options to reduce costs. For this purpose, there is a government program known as the Dependent Care Tax Credit which provides you with certain child care financial benefits and is designed to help you reduce your taxes considerably while caring for a child.
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Child Care & Single Parents
Caring for a child if you are a single parent isn’t an easy task but if you are caring for a child on your own then there are several ways you can get help and support, you may also be entitled to help with costs for child care if you are working or want to return to work. Benefits you may be entitled to claiming are:
- Child tax credit
- Working tax credit
- Child care allowance
Child tax credit
You can claim for this benefit if you have one child or more regardless of whether you are working or not, if you have a child under the age of one year old you will receive a higher payment or if you have a child who is disabled. Click here to Read more
Benefits you may be entitled to when going back to work
If you are thinking of returning to work after having a baby then you are entitled to financial and practical help with childcare:
Parental leave
If you have a child who is under the age of 5 years or a disabled child under the age of 18 then you are entitled to take unpaid time off from work to take care of them. You are entitled to parental leave such as:
- Take 13 weeks off work for each child under the age of 5.
- 18 weeks off work for a child under the age of 18 who is disabled.
Parental leave is different from maternity or paternity leave and is usually unpaid. Parental leave must be taken in full weeks; you can’t for example take the odd day off to take your child to the Doctor’s. You can’t take more than four weeks leave in any one year and must give your employer at least 21 days notice when you want to take parental leave. Click here to Read more