In this section:
- New arrivals to the UK - do you qualify for tax credits?
- Immigration control and tax credits
- Your family doesn't live in the UK - can you get tax credits?
Your family doesn't live in the UK - can you get tax credits?
If you're in the UK but your family lives in another European country or Switzerland, you may be able to get tax credits to top up your income. The tax credits you can get and the amount you can receive depends on how much money you've already got coming in and on your circumstances. You can only get tax credits for a child outside of Europe or Switzerland if your partner (if you have one) is a Crown Servant working abroad.
On this page:
- Who can get tax credits?
- If your partner's not in the UK and you have no children
- If you have a partner and a child outside the UK
- If your child lives with your ex-partner outside the UK
- Countries that are in the EEA
- What Working Tax Credit payments could you qualify for?
- What Child Tax Credit payments could you qualify for?
- What if your partner gets benefits in another EEA country?
- Contact the Tax Credit Office
- More useful links
Who can get tax credits?
On top of the usual qualifying rules around being 16 or over, working a certain number of hours or being responsible for a child, to get tax credits you'll also normally need to be:
- physically present in the UK
- ordinarily resident' in the UK - so your main home is here
However if you're claiming Child Tax Credit you must also have a 'right to reside' in the UK
Find out more about residence rules and tax credits for new arrivals to the UK
More about how work can help you qualify for tax credits
More about children and tax credits
If your partner's not in the UK and you have no children
If you've come to the UK and are working but your partner has stayed behind in their own country, you'll normally just get paid Working Tax Credit as a single person. If they join you in the UK then you will need to let the Tax Credit Office know within one month as your tax credits payments may change.
To get Working Tax Credit you need to work a minimum number of hours each week. This could be either 16 hours a week or 30 hours a week, depending on your age or whether you have a disability.
Find out how work can help you qualify for tax credits
If you have a partner and a child outside the UK
If you're working, you'll normally just get paid Working Tax Credit as a single person. If they join you in the UK then you will need to let the Tax Credit Office know within one month as your tax credits payments may change.
To get Working Tax Credit you need to work a minimum number of hours each week. This could be either 16 hours a week or 30 hours a week, depending on your age or whether you have a disability.
Because you have a child, you may also be able to get Child Tax Credit as well if:
- you work in the UK
- you pay National Insurance contributions here
- your child lives in a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or in Switzerland and is living with your partner or someone else
You can't claim for a child who lives outside the EEA or Switzerland unless your partner is a Crown Servant working abroad.
Find out more about Crown Servants living outside of the UK and tax credits
Find out how work can help you qualify for tax credits
If your child lives with your ex-partner outside the UK
If you're working, you'll normally just get paid Working Tax Credit as a single person. To get Working Tax Credit you need to work a minimum number of hours each week. This could be either 16 hours a week or 30 hours a week, depending on your age or whether you have a disability.
But you may also be able to get Child Tax Credit if your child lives with your ex-partner in an EEA country or in Switzerland and they depend mainly on you to support them.
The Tax Credit Office will check to make sure your child really does depend on you for money. They might check that you make regular payments for them. And they could check if your ex-partner works or gets their own family benefits.
Find out how work can help you qualify for tax credits
Countries that are in the EEA
The countries in the EEA along with the UK are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
What Working Tax Credit payments could you qualify for?
Working Tax Credit is made up of ‘elements' or payments. If you qualify for Working Tax Credit, the amount you get will depend on how much income you have.
You have no children in the UK
You can usually get the following payments as a single person:
- Up to £1,890 a year, which is around £36 a week. This is the 'basic element'.
- Up to £775 a year, which is around £14 a week. This is the '30 hour' element if you work 30 hours or more a week.
If you have a disability or are aged 50 or over, you may also be able to get the following elements as well:
- Up to £2,530 a year, which is around £48 a week. This is the 'disability element'.
- Up to £1,075 a year, which is around £20 a week. This is the 'severe disability element'.
- Up to £1,935 a year, which is around £37 a week. This is the '50-plus element'.
You have children in the UK
If your children are living with you in the UK you can only get tax credits for them if you pay for approved or registered childcare. If you do, you could get back up to 80 per cent of your costs up to the following limits:
- £175 cost per week if you're paying for one child
- £300 cost per week if you're paying for two or more children
Help with childcare costs - do you qualify?
What Child Tax Credit payments could you qualify for?
Child Tax Credit is made up 'elements' or payments. If you qualify for Child Tax Credit, the amount you get will depend on how much income you have.
You could get:
- Up to £545, which is around £10 a week. This is the 'family element' and is the basic element for families with one or more children.
- Up to another £545, which is around £10 a week. This is the 'family element' paid for your eldest (or only child) under the age of one.
- Up to £2,235, which is around £42 a week. This is the 'child element' paid for each child you are responsible for.
If your child has a disability
You can usually get extra tax credits for your child if one of the following applies:
- you are getting Disability Living Allowance for your child
- your child is registered blind
- your child has been taken off the blind register in the 28 weeks before the date of your claim
If any of these apply to you, you could get:
- Up to £2,670, which is around £51 a week. This is the 'disability element'.
- Up to £1,075, which is around £20 a week. This is the 'severe disability element' if you get the Highest Rate Care Component of Disability Living Allowance for your child.
Children with disabilities - can you get extra tax credits?
What if your partner gets benefits in another EEA country?
If you've got children and your partner gets benefits paid by another EEA country, these may be taken into account when the Tax Credit Office works out how much you can get in tax credits. Some benefits are counted as income, for example benefits paid because of unemployment, but others - like family benefits - aren't. It's worth knowing that if your partner does get family benefits paid by another EEA country, it may affect the amount of Child Tax Credit you can actually be paid.
Find out more about tax credits if you get non-UK benefits
Contact the Tax Credit Office
If you need more help you can call the Tax Credits Helpline which is open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The numbers you can ring are:
- Tel 0845 300 3900
- Textphone 0845 300 3909 - if you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment
If you're calling from overseas you can also contact the Tax Credit Office on Tel + 44 289 053 8192.
You can ask the Helpline for someone to translate for you when you call.
More useful links
Find out how to claim tax credits
Get help with your tax credits claim if your family isn't in the UK
How your tax credits entitlement is worked out
Find out how much you can get using an online tax credits questionnaire
