SOA - please could someone check this for me

petrified_2

Hi all

Below is my soa, and I’d be really grateful for your comments and advice. It looks to me as though I have too much coming in and going out, but everyone’s circumstances are different I guess. I have meeting with citizens advice bureau tomorrow to fill in br forms and I’m hoping to send them off tomorrow afternoon.

My main question is will this soa be tallied up against bank statements against what I currently spend? I’m not being creative with my figures to hide anything, but I don’t currently save for car repairs, tax, holiday, emergencies, but I guess that being br I need to have a proper budget and work out all eventualities. I’m just worried that OR will pare everything down to absolute minimum without emergency/hol/car repair etc allowance, and that I won’t be left with anything in case of emergencies, plus I’m going on holiday to Cyprus for my brother’s wedding in may, and I’ll need some spending money. My parents have helped me out a lot (they paid for the holiday), but for one thing it’s degrading and against my principles to rely on my parents at my age (34!!), and my mum has just been made redundant so they won’t be able to help as much.

Here goes:

Household – one adult and one 17month old baby.

IN

WAGES 1198
MAINTENANCE 240 (ex partner pays this in cash)
CHILD TAX credit 464
Child benefit 80
Housing benefit 296

TOTAL 2278


OUT

RENT 645
GAS 50
ELEC 60
WATER 37

Phone (Landline
/broadband
/mobile phone) 45

HOUSE INS 9
CAR INS 32

CAR TAX 16
NURSERY 520
Car repairs 20
PETROL/parking 90
COUNCIL TAX 106

FOOD/TOILETRIES 400
CLOTHES 60
TV LICENCE 28
HOLIDAY 20
EMERGENCY 20
Haircuts 20


TOTAL 2118

left over: 160


SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:

1) Housing benefit is due to commence on 22/3 as I’ve only just applied. Will this be questioned as an extra that I’m not already spending? My parents currently help out a lot with nappies, clothes etc, and that would go some way to replace what they’re spending.
Council said they'd backdate payments to august, but I haven't given the evidence they've asked for as i assume this payout would just be taken by OR to pay creditors?

2) Will I be in trouble for getting new mobile phone contract in January this year? I’ve gone down from £45 a month tariff to £25, so thought this was good, but since found out I’m not allowed mobile when br, and that signing up to contract will be viewed as obtaining credit.

3) Does food/toiletries look too high at £400? CAB advised to put this – she said it is a reasonable amount for 1 adult and child and that OR won’t question this

4) have I missed anything obvious?

Many thanks in advance!

StuntmanBob

If it help jog your memory, these are the categories I used when working out my SOA

Mortgage
Mortgage Endowment Policy
Second Mortgage / Secured Loans
Rent
Council Tax
Water rates
Ground rent and Service Charge
Buildings & Contents Insurance
Life Insurance and Pension
Gas
Electricity
Other Fuel
Housekeeping (Groceries)
TV Licence and Rental
Magistrates' Court Fines
Maintenance Payments
Hire-purchase Car
Travelling Expenses incl. Fuel
Car Road Tax
Car Insurance
Car Maintenance
Meals (School Meals & Work Meals)
Clothing incl. For Children
Laundry
Telephone (Land Line)
Mobile Phone
Internet Services
Dentist, Prescriptions, Health, Glasses
Other child related expenses (Childminding)
Other 1 - Entertainment (Pub, Meals, Cinema, Lottery, Books, DVDs)
Other 2 - Holiday
Other 3 - Birthdays / Christmas
Other 4 - Satellite / Cable TV

I know that some of these are not allowable, but it helped me see where all the money was going.

Hope this helps

LilyBart

Minor detail but you'll have to put £12 down for the monthly cost of the TV license, even if you're paying 6 or 9 months of installments.

lisamummytoarchieplusbump

Household – one adult and one 17month old baby.

IN

WAGES 1198
MAINTENANCE 240 (ex partner pays this in cash)
CHILD TAX credit 464
Child benefit 80
Housing benefit 296

TOTAL 2278


OUT

RENT 645
GAS 50 can up to 60
ELEC 60
WATER 37

Phone (Landline
/broadband
/mobile phone) 45 can have £60 for mobile and landline together

HOUSE INS 9 can have up to £20
CAR INS 32

CAR TAX 16
NURSERY 520
Car repairs 20
PETROL/parking 90
COUNCIL TAX 106

FOOD/TOILETRIES 400
CLOTHES 60
TV LICENCE 28 as lillybart says will have to be £12
HOLIDAY 20
EMERGENCY 20 may not be allowed but leave in
Haircuts 20 £10 per adult £5 per child so £15

lilybart is slacking do you need drycleaning ???
TOTAL 2118

left over: 160 - £80 cb and ajust other figures


SPECIFIC QUESTIONS:

1) Housing benefit is due to commence on 22/3 as I’ve only just applied. Will this be questioned as an extra that I’m not already spending? My parents currently help out a lot with nappies, clothes etc, and that would go some way to replace what they’re spending.
Council said they'd backdate payments to august, but I haven't given the evidence they've asked for as i assume this payout would just be taken by OR to pay creditors?

2) Will I be in trouble for getting new mobile phone contract in January this year? I’ve gone down from £45 a month tariff to £25, so thought this was good, but since found out I’m not allowed mobile when br, why???? yes you can and that signing up to contract will be viewed as obtaining credit. i signed up to bt again before br you are allowed

3) Does food/toiletries look too high at £400? CAB advised to put this – she said it is a reasonable amount for 1 adult and child and that OR won’t question this. im not sure as i was allowed £400 according to the CAB for 1 adult 1 baby 1 toddler so might be able to get away with it as you have nappies etc

4) have I missed anything obvious?

Many thanks in advance![/quote]

eklynne

Can I ask why you get so much CTC? Seems awful high?

petrified_2

thanks lilybart and lisamummy...
i am being really thick here, i know, but i have to ask to clarify:
you say i have to keep tv license to £12, but can prove i have to pay £28 (for some reason that's what tv license people made me pay - dunno why, pro rata?), and that i can have up to £60 for gas, £20 for house ins, £60 for phone, possibly add dry cleaning (i never have any!!) etc, etc.
BUT... won't the OR check my bank statements and see that i'm not paying those amounts (ie check dd amounts) and just make me budget for what i am paying?????
sorry again for being thick.
thanks
x

petrified_2

eklynne wrote: »

Can I ask why you get so much CTC? Seems awful high?

sorry, that was misleading, i've just always been in the habit of calling it ctc, but in reality i'm pretty sure it must be a combination of both child tax credit and working tax credit - i haven't got the award letter on me to check.
x

LilyBart

Hi Petrified,
With the TV licence, it's likely you're paying over 6 months or some other package of installments. However, the yearly payment has to be divided by 12 for the SOA, hence £12pcm. I can understand your concern about putting in for a higher amount for gas etc when your bank statements will show a lower amount, but you should get some leeway for the increase in prices this winter. ie I can't remember what it is that we pay on the monthly power bill but I know that the amount we ended up actually using was significantly higher. Of course it'll go down in warmer weather, but I would have thought you have a strong argument for increasing your budget for power.
Hope that helps a bit!
Lily

EDIT ps Everyone feels that they have to have a water-tight SOA for the OR, and it's good to fine-tune it as much as you can. But the reality is that it's sometimes just a starting point for what you end up with, a basis for negotiation, if you like. You're not going to be monstered by the OR for wanting to protect yourself against price hikes. As long as you don't take the p, it'll be fine.

ps2 Good catch, Lisa! Completely forgot about dry cleaning!