Stay-at-home mums like me could receive a €1,200 credit

Suzin Staunton is ‘really enjoying’ being a stayat-home mum to Callan, five, and nine-month-old baby Corin. ‘I LOVE being with my two children,’ says Suzin, who lives in Saggart, Co. Dublin.

‘That’s what being a mum is all about. If I went to work, I’d earn so little after tax and childcare and I wouldn’t be seeing them nearly as much.

‘I couldn’t get permanent work the way things are anyway and when you add in the cost of childcare I decided it was best to stay at home with the kids.’

Living on one income is challenging, but Suzin, a secondary school teacher, and her husband are lucky enough to have a tracker mortgage, which is a big help.

‘Some people don’t have the option, but we can just about afford it,’ she says. ‘We’re very lucky, we have a tracker mortgage. A lot of people are paying twice what we are paying [for their mortgage].

‘We have to sit down and budget for everything. We had a major issue in December when the car broke down and it was €3,500 to get it fixed.’

‘It’s not easy to pluck that kind of money out of the air when only one parent is working. You have to budget and cut wherever you can.’

The family can’t afford some treats they used to enjoy such as regular holidays abroad.

Suzin was astonished to learn that they may be missing out on what could prove a huge financial benefit to many struggling families: the home carer tax credit.

‘It would be a lot of money, €1,200, into my family’s hand, especially if it can be backdated for the years I’ve been at home, in which case it would add up to thousands.’

‘That money could pay for a well-deserved holiday every year. Or it could provide an emergency fund to ease the stress of things such as car breakdowns.

‘We were completely unaware that I may be entitled to the home carer credit until details were posted on Mummypages.ie last week,’ says Suzin.

‘I saw people speaking out about it and looked it up on the Citizens Information website.

‘The Government really should ensure that people are better informed about these things.’

Suzin seems to meet the qualifying criteria to receive the credit. These are as follows:

You must be married or in a civil partnership. ÷One spouse must work in the home, caring for one or more dependents.

You must be jointly assessed for tax.

Home carers can claim even if they have earnings as long as they are less than €7,200. (There’s also a reduced credit for those with incomes between €7,200 and €9,600.)

When Suzin talked to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau she was told she couldn’t claim both the home carer tax cedit and benefit from the increased standard rate band for dual income couples, which seemed confusing to her.

However, this doesn’t seem to apply in Suzin’s case because she is not working outside the home.

Other couples with dual incomes would have to assess which option was more beneficial; either the carer’s credit or the shared standard rate tax band. The answer would depend on how much they are earning.