teenagers paying board ?

violetta.

hi, im new to this site so not sure if this is the correct place to post

im 18 and at college full time, my only "income" at the moment is dla, which i use to pay for food , travel and clothing (which probably isnt the correct use for it but its the only disposable income i have).My parents who are on a low income are now asking for me to contribute board/keep each week , now i have nothing against teenagers paying their way but at the moment i do not have a part time job as im focusing on doing well at college etc and im paying for most of my expenses already.
thus im just looking for any others opinions on my situation and the subject

thankyou for reading
vi x

mickbhall

When i left school 9 years ago i was on £40 a week training course. £10 went on travel £15 went on board/lodge.

thorsoak

If they have now lost entitlement to Child Benefit, and you are receiving monies, do you not think it fair that you begin to start to contribute to the family budget?

If they still get Child Benefit but now have to pay any additional council tax, then I suggest that you contribute towards it.

Maybe now is the time to look for a part-time job. My 4 children did so - and still managed to achieve good results in A levels and go on to university.

Penelope_Penguin

violetta. wrote: »

im 18 and at college full time, my only "income" at the moment is dla, which i use to pay for food , travel and clothing (which probably isnt the correct use for it but its the only disposable income i have).

You can use your DLA for whatever you want

Are you in Further or Higher education? If FE, are you entitled to EMA (and your parents to child benefit and child tax credits); if HE, what about student grants and loans, and does your college have a hardship fund?

Good luck!

csh_2

Do you not get some sort of Bursery if you're parents are low income?

SugarSpun

I paid towards my board from being 19, as soon as I was receiving money. In my case it was a part time job. My brother, who's on DLA, refuses to pay anything and my parents are struggling as a result. If you're in FE you're entitled to EMA and your parents should be entitled to child tax credits/benefit; it would be good to look into that.

Edit: you say you're paying for most of your expenses; does this include heat, light, electricity to cook the food you eat, the food itself, council tax, rates, bin charges, the million other things your parents are paying for? I don't mean to sound harsh, but as a teenager I had no idea how much it cost to run a house and was a bit resentful that my parents took it from me. Now I wish I'd given them more.

Gemmy_2

If you had say a £5 left at the end of a week i don't see why you shouldn't give it over to your parents. After all i'm sure you use their electricity/gas/water

slightlyconfused1

Hi
You live at home and so you cost your parents money. It must have been really hard for them to ask you to contribute. At 18 you are an adult and should be contributing to your own living expenses. It may mean getting a part time job or it may mean doing without some of the things you spend your money on. That is your decision. A part time job for a few hours a week will not detract from your studies that much and will certainly help with your CV.

As the parent of a student it was really heartbreaking for me to ask him for "housekeeping" when he started a part-time job. I needed the financial help. Now he has left home to go to university I was amazed at how much my food and electricity bills have dropped. On the other hand he was amazed at how much things cost and now boasts about his "bargains". He also does without a lot of things he used to think were essential when someone else was paying.

GobbledyGook

I'm of the view that if you are costing them money and they do not receive any child-related money for you then you should contribute something.

It may leave you not as much money for clothing etc, but you are choosing not to get a part-time job to concentrate on your college. That is admirable in many ways, but every decision we make has an impact and the impact from this is that you are going to have less money available for non-essentials.

PolishBigSpender

As long as a child is studying, the parents should cover his/her board, unless it's absolutely impossible.

I don't know about the UK, but in Poland if the parents are divorced, the absent parent has to pay the decreed amount of money until the child is in full time education, unless the child is over 25.

janninew

What kind of course are you doing? If your 18 and at college (2nd year?) your parents may still receive child benefit and tax credits for you, if they are, I personally think that money is there to help cover your living expenses. You mention DLA, I don't like to pry, but does the reason you receive this stop you from maybe getting a part time job at the weekend?
My parents made me pay for board as soon as I was in college at the age of 16, it was either get a part time job, or move out! I moved out!!
Good luck OP!