Are we entitled to any help?

michelefauk

Hoping someone can give me some advice please.
My partner has just been made redundant with effect from 31/12/2010, no redundancy pay just his normal salary for the month. Obviously he will be looking for a new job as from Tuesday when everything is reopen, but in the meantime are we entitled to any help?
I work 25 hours a week so am not earning a huge amount. We have a mortgage on our property, and 2 children.
All we get at the moment is our child benefit, not entitled to Tax credits.
Obviously I am desperately worried as to how we will manage if he does not get a job immediately, so hoping someone may know what benefits (if any!) we may be entitled to?
Thank you

seven-day-weekend

If he has been working and paying Class 1 NI for the last few years he should be entitled to Contributions-based Jobseekers' Allowance for six months.

After that it will change to Income-based JSA, but this is means-tested on family income and your salary will probably be too high for him to qualify.

Council Tax Benefit is a possiblity although this too is means-tested.

I don't know about Tax Credits. Maybe you will be entitled to them now?

I suggest seing a Benefits Advisor at the CAB who will be able to advise you according to your circumstances. I would also see your mortgage provider to if see you can go interest-only until he gets another job.

michelefauk

Thank you for your help. Looking at the figures, it makes scary reading. Jobseekers allowance is £240 a month, my take home salary is £650 a month, £890 a month would pay the mortgage and nothing else.
Very worried indeed now, lets hope that he gets another job immediately, thanks again

HappyMJ

michelefauk wrote: »

Thank you for your help. Looking at the figures, it makes scary reading. Jobseekers allowance is £240 a month, my take home salary is £650 a month, £890 a month would pay the mortgage and nothing else.
Very worried indeed now, lets hope that he gets another job immediately, thanks again

You can start by reducing the payments to the mortgage to interest only. £890 is very high. You may also have equity now to be able to take a payment holiday. Ring the bank and see what options are available to you.

You will now be entitled to tax credits on your income only.

merlin68

youl will definately be entileted to working and child tax credit. Ring them up tomorrow.

Sixer

OP: how many children do you have? And what was your husband earning? On the income you're earning and with your husband out of work, you may be entitled to tax credits.

But what you need to remember is that they're worked out on the previous tax year. You can ask for them to be calculated on the current tax year - but your husband will still have been earning from April to December, so his total salary for that time will affect what you get until April 2011 when the new tax year begins. Presumably that was quite a good salary too, if you're not entitled to even the family element at the moment. The cut off for that is about £58k. At that point - if he hasn't found a job, and fingers crossed he will have - you will qualify for significant tax credit payments.

You can work out potential payments at https://www.entitledto.co.uk.

pebbles88

hiya,

what an awful time of year for you to have this happen, i mean its awful at anytime, but seems to sting more now.

as others have said wtc would depend on what he has earned so far this tax year (6/4/10 - 5/4/11). if you cannot get to see CAB adviser then another one to try is online benefits advisor.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DoItOnlineByCategory/DG_172666

i hope you manage to get something worked out, grocery wise might be worth looking at this site to get your food bill reduced.

http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/

HTH. xx

MrsManda

Put your details into the benefits checkers here:
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

and here
https://www.dwpe-services.direct.gov.uk/portal/page/portal/ba/lp?_piref278_36249_278_36248_36248.__ora_navig=

McKneff

Did your husband work for the company less than 2 years

Did he have any accrued holiday pay which should have been paid to him along with his last salary.

michelefauk

Hi
Thank you all for your replies so far, much appreciated.

re income details etc, our combined income for Apr 2010 to Apr 2011 was £36652 ( partner £31796 and £4856 me) according to the Tax Credits Dept. We were receiving £10.50 a week until about a month ago when we received a letter saying we were no longer entitled to anything as we had been over paid by £453.32 so would not receive any further payments this tax year, I have no idea how they work the figures out and just trust that they are correct!
Our children are 16 (in full time education) and 6. No childcare to pay for as I work school hours (in a school lol!)

Our mortgage is £790 a month on a £115000 outstanding loan against a house worth about £210000. recently came out of a fixed 5 year contract so payments have come down a little bit.

My partner had worked for the company for 18 months, and received slightly more in his final salary than he had expected which is prob paid holiday he had left.
I am desperately worried as you can imagine and will ring tax credits etc on Tuesday to see if there is any joy, I have worked it out that on the months he as worked it should bring the total salary down by about £10,000 which may mean we get something, fingers crossed

Thanks again for everyone who has taken the time to reply

michelefauk

Oh and going to check out the links for the benefit checker