can ft studens claim working tax credits?

If you claim tax credits, it won't affect your entitlement for maintenance loan, maintenance grant or tuition fee loan. For a new student, tax credits will also not affect the amount of Parents' Learning Allowance that you receive - however, the income itself will. It will also affect the amount of Childcare Grant you receive.

Also, if you claim the childcare element of WTC, it will make you ineligible for the Childcare Grant from SLC. You would have to work out which of those would leave you better off.

The calculation for PLA and CCG eligibility is complex, but basically, if you and your partner have one dependant child, then one partner earning £8,473 will begin to affect the entitlement; if you have more children then one partner earning £9,627 will begin to affect the entitlement. All the details on Grants for Dependants are here.

Note that, as with the standard assessment for student finance, the tax year 13/14 will be used for PLA and CCG. If your income has dropped by 15% or more since then, you can fill a CYI assessment form to have your income assessed on estimates for the 15/16 tax year instead.