Am I understanding this correctly......please help!!

Still-in-debt

Hi,
feeling really upset and confused at the moment.
Brief history...
I work part time, 15 hours a week, earn £457 a month. Un til September it had been 25 hours (£650)
Hubby is unemployed.
Daughter at uni, eldest son working as an apprentice plumber( low wage!) and youngest (age 11) at school.
I informed tax credit people about the change in my hours. As under 16 hours, we now only qualify for CTC (£53.41 a week)
Hubby had been on CB JSA, which finished 2 weeks ago. He filled in relevant forms and it has been switched to IB JSA. Due to my wages this will be approx £5 a week.
Hubby is trying hard to find work, even went to college to retrain, has had loads of interviews, sent 100's of applications off, but so far has had no luck.

My wages just about cover all our monthly bills. If we cut out all but the essentials, we will still only be left with £71 a week and out of that comes £30 a week for a HB overpayment, leaving us with £41.
As an added bonus(!!!!!) I have just been diagnosed for the 3rd time with breast cancer and am about to start radiotherapy. The nearest hospital(and the one I am going to) is 15 miles away. So a daily trip of 30 miles for 6 weeks is going to cost a small fortune in petrol....money we have not got.

Sorry it is a long post. I just really don't know what to do.
Any advice would be gratefully recieved.

SID

dmg24

Could I ask why you are paying so much towards your HB overpayment, was this negotiated whilst your DH was working? If so, you need to contact them and ask to reduce this to the minimum.

Is there anything you can do to increase your hours to sixteen, such as Avon, Virgin Vie etc?

As you are on income based JSA, you will get help with travel costs to hospital.

Do you get full CTB and LHA/ HB?

Still-in-debt

Hi,
When I had two jobs the HB was reduced but, for what ever reason, we did not know it!!! This meant we ended up in arrears in our rent. Now they take it out of our benefit so there is a shortfall in our rent as well as arrears. It was agreed with the HA that we pay £30 a week( they wanted more!!)
We get full CTB.
Don't know about doing anything to increase my hours as I am waiting to find out When my treatment will be each day.
Thank you for the link about travel costs, I will look into it further.
SID

pisces_cat

Can you get them to check your tax credit - it seems quite low? They have previously got my award wrong and stopped payments.

Good luck

[Deleted User]

Tax Credits is actually about right for one child, no WTC.

LizzieS_2

Sorry to hear of your illness, especially when you are the only one holding the family unit up financially (not blaming your husband there).

If your eldest is living at home, a part-time job to help her costs is needed.

Your son may earn little, but it will be more than it costs to keep him - going to have to be stricter there.

Don't feel guilty, you've done everything you can to keep the house going all these years, now you are ill your children should be looking after you in every way they can.

Still-in-debt

Thanks for the replies.
Daughter is not living at home now, she is in halls at uni. She has a little job so is managing to support herself at the moment.
We sat down with our son last night and he has agreed to give us something towards living costs. He already pays for his own petrol and mobile phone. He has been trying to save so he can take his driving test and sort out his own insurance.
I have looked into help with costs to get to the hospital and I think I will be able to claim about £25 a week towards petrol etc, so feel happier about that.
Thanks again
SID

Freebie_Hunter_2

Can you negotiate with work to up your hours to 16? That way you'll get WTC.

As for your illness, I am so sorry to hear that you have this to deal with too. Get in touch with Macmillan who help cancer sufferers financially with things like this. Don't be afraid to take help from charities, you need it and that's what it's there for.

I wish you a very speedy recovery xxx

Still-in-debt

I cannot believe the job centre
Hubby went to sign on yesterday, he spoke to them about our benefits and situation.
They told him to tell me to ask my doctor to sign me off on long term sick and then to claim DLA and for hubby to claim as my carer:mad:
Ok, I know I am unwell. But at the moment there is no reason what so ever for me to be signed off sick. I love my job and I think that will help me as much as any medication.
I told hubby I would rather be struggling than doing that, especially when there are people who genuinally are unable to work through illness and can't get any help.

SID

Vader123

You need to separate your illness from your income.

And do the best for both.

Read my advice a few items and you will know what I mean.

Vader

Oldernotwiser

Vader123 wrote: »

You need to separate your illness from your income.

And do the best for both.

Read my advice a few items and you will know what I mean.

Vader

What advice?