# Can I use my wife's Tax Credits if she is on maternity leave?



## Chuckey (15 May 2014)

Hi All,

My wife and I both work full time and earn approximately the same.
We are in the highest income tax bracket.

We were married in 2004.

We never informed Revenue of this and have always been individually assessed for Income Tax.

My wife had a baby in Jan 2014.

Her company pays 22 weeks maternity leave consisting of of her full salary minus the DSFA Maternity Benefit top up, which she also receives.

The DSFA top up ends after 6 months/ 26 weeks.

She would like to take an additional 3 months off of work unpaid.



We are trying to figure out how to finance this lack of income.


Question:
Am I entitled to her Tax credits for the 3 months when she is not working?

How do I go about setting this up? 

Does it take long to implement this?

Can we keep our individual Income Tax assessment status?


Thanks
C.


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## Chuckey (19 May 2014)

Anyone?  If I have posted this in the wrong forum, maybe a mod could move it for me?


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## DB74 (19 May 2014)

Chuckey said:


> Question:
> Am I entitled to her Tax credits for the 3 months when she is not working?
> 
> How do I go about setting this up?
> ...



Yes you are entitled to her tax credits for those 3 months but TBH it's not worth the hassle of contacting Revenue to do the transfer. It's worth about an extra €137.50 in your paypacket for each of the 3 months but if your wife is going back to work after her maternity leave is finished then she will get the benefit of those unused credits before the end of the year (ie - she will/should receive an extra €412.50 in her paypacket in Oct-2014) so the net effect will be NIL anyway.

In my experience you are at the mercy of Revenue and 2 different employers when you start messing with tax credits in the middle of the year and more often than not one of them will screw up.


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## DB74 (21 May 2014)

Anyone going to thank me for this? Anyone? ANYONE???


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## Joe_90 (21 May 2014)

DB74, as always your contribution is greatly appreciated by everyone, everyone!

I'm sure it's an oversight on the part of the OP not to display their gratitude!  ;-)


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## Chuckey (21 May 2014)

DB74 said:


> Yes you are entitled to her tax credits for those 3 months but TBH it's not worth the hassle of contacting Revenue to do the transfer. It's worth about an extra €137.50 in your paypacket for each of the 3 months but if your wife is going back to work after her maternity leave is finished then she will get the benefit of those unused credits before the end of the year (ie - she will/should receive an extra €412.50 in her paypacket in Oct-2014) so the net effect will be NIL anyway.
> 
> In my experience you are at the mercy of Revenue and 2 different employers when you start messing with tax credits in the middle of the year and more often than not one of them will screw up.



Thanks DB74, sounds like a nightmare and not worth the hassle.


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## Chuckey (21 May 2014)

DB74 said:


> Yes you are entitled to her tax credits for those 3 months but TBH it's not worth the hassle of contacting Revenue to do the transfer. It's worth about an extra €137.50 in your paypacket for each of the 3 months but if your wife is going back to work after her maternity leave is finished then she will get the benefit of those unused credits before the end of the year (ie - she will/should receive an extra €412.50 in her paypacket in Oct-2014) so the net effect will be NIL anyway.
> 
> In my experience you are at the mercy of Revenue and 2 different employers when you start messing with tax credits in the middle of the year and more often than not one of them will screw up.





DB74 said:


> Anyone going to thank me for this? Anyone? ANYONE???



Thanks DB74 - I only come on here every few days.  new baby and work and all that.


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## Learner2015 (2 Oct 2017)

Hi all. My wife and I are in a similar situation to the OP. However the unpaid part of leave is from September 2017 until February 2018 when my wife will receive all her holiday pay before returning to work in March 2018. 

DB74 said that on return to work the wife would get the unused benefit of the tax credits anyway so not worth the hassel. Is this still the case as my wife is going back in a new tax year, 2018?


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## Miakk (2 Oct 2017)

Sorry, was posting a reply but has misread your post


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