Practical Help & Financial Factsheet for Families with Twins. Triplets or More. | Financial Help & Advice | Twin Tips | Resources Centre | Twins UK
Practical Help & Financial Factsheet for Families with Twins. Triplets or More.
What help can I get if I am expecting twins. triplets or quads ?
Tamba and its network of registered Twins Clubs exist to help you cope with a multiple pregnancy and the years that follow with your twins. triplets or quads. Help and advice is only a phone call away 0870 770 3305 or Freephone Tamba Twinline 0800 138 0509 evenings/weekends or to find your nearest Twins & Multiples Club.
Practical Help for Parents
Unfortunately. the government do not provide any statutory entitlement for additional support in the home for families with multiple birth children and this is something Tamba is continually raising awareness about and trying to get redressed. However. if you are expecting multiples. especially triplets or more. or you already have other children. it is worth contacting your local Social Services department to see if any help can be arranged.
Other sources of free help include the charity Home-Start. which has trained volunteers who can help families with pre-school age children for a couple of hours a week. Home start can be contacted on 0800 068 6368. You can also visit their site at http://www.home-start.org.uk/
You may also like to consider NNEB students final year nursery nurse students are always looking for placements. but cannot be left in sole charge of the babies. Contact your local college or call 01727 847636 or visit www.cache.org.uk to find out the course nearest to you.
Nannies and maternity nurses can be arranged through local agencies but you are strongly advised to take up thorough references. The cost for a maternity nurse for twins is around £800-850 a week. and for triplets it's about £1.000 a week. For a Nanny expect to pay around £7 per hour although this covers multiple children.
You can also opt for an independent mid-wife who offer midwifery care outside the NHS. For more information on their services you can visit their site at http://www.independentmidwives.org.uk/
Financial Help
Despite popular misconceptions. UK parents of multiples are not entitled to additional benefits or grants from the government. In fact. Tamba believes the current system actually penalises families with twins or more and is campaigning for change.
Like all parents you will be entitled to Child Benefit. If the twins or triplets are your first children. the first-born will receive the higher rate (currently) £16.05 a week and the second and subsequent children. if only younger by a couple of minutes. will get the lower rate of £10.75 a week.
In addition. depending on your income. you may be entitled to Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. which can also help with the costs of childcare. The Child Tax Credit is made up of the £545 family element. an amount payable per child dependent on your income and an additional £545 for a baby under 1 year old. This baby element is only payable for one baby at a time - meaning families with twins miss out on £545 and families with triplets lose over £1.000 by having all their children at once - which Tamba believes is wrong and is campaigning against.
If your child tax credit award entitles you to anything more than the basic family and baby elements - ie the per child amount. this is often referred to as higher rate child tax credit.
There is also something called the Sure Start Maternity Grant. a payment of £500. which you may be eligible to claim. You will be pleased to learn that the Maternity Grant is payable per baby. so if you are entitled. you will be able to claim £1500 for triplets. This grant must be claimed within 3 months of the babies' birth. So. even though you will be incredibly busy when the triplets arrive. it is important to apply for child tax credit as soon as possible. and if you are entitled to the higher rate. you must then claim the Maternity Grant as soon as you can.
For more information on benefits contact the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 882 200 or your local Citizen"s Advice Bureau.
The Inland Revenue has information and guidance about tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) on Employer-supported Childcare. Here you will find information and guidance about the new tax and NICs exemptions on childcare or childcare vouchers provided by employers. There are also links to guidance about tax credits and other Government departments and organisations. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/childcare/
Childcare Costs
The typical cost of a full-time nursery place for a single two year old averages £110 a week. more than £5.700 a year and for a childminder it"s around £90 a week. Nearly three-quarters of multiple birth families get no discount on their childcare costs and for triplets the costs can be as high as £2500 per month.
Multiples Insurance Policies
To help with the cost of extra equipment. insurer Zurich has created the Twins and Multiple Birth policy for expectant mothers. It is available through broker Marcus Hearn (020 7739 3444) and can pay out between £1.000 and £5.000 as a one-off when you give birth. "This policy is most likely to appeal to parents with a history of twins in the family." says Maria Donald of Zurich. "The returns for the initial premium outlay are substantial. depending on the sum you choose to insure yourself for. It can be a big boost at the start. when parents have so many costs.". This policy is not open to anyone receiving IVF treatment
.
Other Articles : Maternity Benefits & Rights - Expecting Twins or Triplets
http://www.twinsuk.co.uk/twinstips.php?action=view&id=9933824
< Back
Tamba and its network of registered Twins Clubs exist to help you cope with a multiple pregnancy and the years that follow with your twins. triplets or quads. Help and advice is only a phone call away 0870 770 3305 or Freephone Tamba Twinline 0800 138 0509 evenings/weekends or to find your nearest Twins & Multiples Club.
Practical Help for Parents
Unfortunately. the government do not provide any statutory entitlement for additional support in the home for families with multiple birth children and this is something Tamba is continually raising awareness about and trying to get redressed. However. if you are expecting multiples. especially triplets or more. or you already have other children. it is worth contacting your local Social Services department to see if any help can be arranged.
Other sources of free help include the charity Home-Start. which has trained volunteers who can help families with pre-school age children for a couple of hours a week. Home start can be contacted on 0800 068 6368. You can also visit their site at http://www.home-start.org.uk/
You may also like to consider NNEB students final year nursery nurse students are always looking for placements. but cannot be left in sole charge of the babies. Contact your local college or call 01727 847636 or visit www.cache.org.uk to find out the course nearest to you.
Nannies and maternity nurses can be arranged through local agencies but you are strongly advised to take up thorough references. The cost for a maternity nurse for twins is around £800-850 a week. and for triplets it's about £1.000 a week. For a Nanny expect to pay around £7 per hour although this covers multiple children.
You can also opt for an independent mid-wife who offer midwifery care outside the NHS. For more information on their services you can visit their site at http://www.independentmidwives.org.uk/
Financial Help
Despite popular misconceptions. UK parents of multiples are not entitled to additional benefits or grants from the government. In fact. Tamba believes the current system actually penalises families with twins or more and is campaigning for change.
Like all parents you will be entitled to Child Benefit. If the twins or triplets are your first children. the first-born will receive the higher rate (currently) £16.05 a week and the second and subsequent children. if only younger by a couple of minutes. will get the lower rate of £10.75 a week.
In addition. depending on your income. you may be entitled to Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. which can also help with the costs of childcare. The Child Tax Credit is made up of the £545 family element. an amount payable per child dependent on your income and an additional £545 for a baby under 1 year old. This baby element is only payable for one baby at a time - meaning families with twins miss out on £545 and families with triplets lose over £1.000 by having all their children at once - which Tamba believes is wrong and is campaigning against.
If your child tax credit award entitles you to anything more than the basic family and baby elements - ie the per child amount. this is often referred to as higher rate child tax credit.
There is also something called the Sure Start Maternity Grant. a payment of £500. which you may be eligible to claim. You will be pleased to learn that the Maternity Grant is payable per baby. so if you are entitled. you will be able to claim £1500 for triplets. This grant must be claimed within 3 months of the babies' birth. So. even though you will be incredibly busy when the triplets arrive. it is important to apply for child tax credit as soon as possible. and if you are entitled to the higher rate. you must then claim the Maternity Grant as soon as you can.
For more information on benefits contact the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 882 200 or your local Citizen"s Advice Bureau.
The Inland Revenue has information and guidance about tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) on Employer-supported Childcare. Here you will find information and guidance about the new tax and NICs exemptions on childcare or childcare vouchers provided by employers. There are also links to guidance about tax credits and other Government departments and organisations. http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/childcare/
Childcare Costs
The typical cost of a full-time nursery place for a single two year old averages £110 a week. more than £5.700 a year and for a childminder it"s around £90 a week. Nearly three-quarters of multiple birth families get no discount on their childcare costs and for triplets the costs can be as high as £2500 per month.
Multiples Insurance Policies
To help with the cost of extra equipment. insurer Zurich has created the Twins and Multiple Birth policy for expectant mothers. It is available through broker Marcus Hearn (020 7739 3444) and can pay out between £1.000 and £5.000 as a one-off when you give birth. "This policy is most likely to appeal to parents with a history of twins in the family." says Maria Donald of Zurich. "The returns for the initial premium outlay are substantial. depending on the sum you choose to insure yourself for. It can be a big boost at the start. when parents have so many costs.". This policy is not open to anyone receiving IVF treatment
.
Other Articles : Maternity Benefits & Rights - Expecting Twins or Triplets
http://www.twinsuk.co.uk/twinstips.php?action=view&id=9933824
< Back
