I am working at the minute and am due to leave work ta the end of the eyar to have child #2, childcare cost me $1100 a month so though even i you get a sibling rate at ceche I would be only $500 better off a month. If I choose to stay home I would get more from CL and it would work out the same as if I was working and I would be paying for travel to and from work and long hours rushing aorund getting dinner etc. It will be abit tight either way but when my children are old enough I might have a career change and do something else. I think its just they way things are these days with both parents work as hings are alot more dearer than a few generations ago.
I think every situation is different from the next and its up to the individual families themselves to decide.
I work 22 hours a week, with my son going to daycare 3 days a week and my daughter 2 (plus after school care one day a week). It costs me about $700 a fortnight in day care costs as we dont get the initial child care rebate, I earn about $1100 a fortnight. We also do not get any FTB, so in actual fact I get paid about $200 a fortnight (after you deduct what I would get from FTB if I stayed home). I have to drive 50kms every monday to collect my kids from daycare plus the additional stress of dragging them out of bed to get ready to go. BUT because I work 15 hours a week we get 50% out of pocket expenses back from centrelink every quarter.
I love my work and even though it doesnt seem worth it at the moment, I wouldnt have it any other way. I enjoy my child free time and I know that as time goes by the cost of day care will go down for us.
As everyone else has said,it's all about what works for you. For us, it's worth it financially, although I have recently had to take on an extra day at work (not my choice) and we aren't really any better off for it. So for me, 3 days is that 'sweet spot'.
It will be different for everyone, certainly financially as there are all kinds of things which affect it, but also because only you know what it's worth to you.
Surprised, sometimes the benefit of returning to work is more of a cumulative one over a longer period of time than an immediate one. You're right, you may have work clothes costs but it's not like that's a cost you have every fortnight (eg I just bought a $75 pair of shoes but they will last me a good 12-18 months), likewise there may be some travel savings (eg by public transport or sharing a ride with coworkers or friends). I'm surprised really that you feel the cut to your CL income will be so great, esp because the main disincentive people have re returning to work is childcare expenses which you won't have.
I have found the online CL calculator to be difficult to navigate, I think you're better off actually ringing CL and getting them to give you some *real* figures based on your likely fortnighty income. You might be surprised when you do the maths. Even a couple of hundred in the hand every week or fortnight does make a difference. Also when you work, your income does not remain the same, it goes up each year or so, and by being at work you gain experience etc that may result in promotions or other bonuses, etc. Whereas on CL you're pretty always going to be living on the same amount.
Also, you need to know that when you return to work after caring for a child, the new income estimate you give only applies to those weeks in that fin year when you're actually working. So, say you were earning $0 until you started work in Oct (earning $10K per year). CL would calculate your benefit for July, Aug, Sept at your income of $0, and then the rest of the year at your income of $7.5K, so that you're not penalised for the increase in your income. (does that make sense?) At the end of the fin year, your reconciliation would be based on 6 fortnights earning $0 plus 18 fortnights earning $7.5K (instead of 26 fortnights at $7.5K)...which can make quite a difference depending on when in the year you go back to work.
BUT having said all of that, what do you really want to do? If you really, in your heart, want to stay at home with DS, then make your decision based on that, no matter what the figures on the paper say. They are little for such a short time, and you may feel different and more ready to make that return to work in 6 months or a year or two. TAke your time and make the right decision.
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TAke your time and make the right decision.
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