paid tax all my life now pregnant and redundant!

WhatDidIDoToDeserveThis?

Dont know if anyone can help me out....
I've worked for my company for nearly nine years, i am fifteen weeks pregnant and im being made redundant in the next few weeks. My boyfriend earns 17,545 a year before tax. I know i'll get some redundancy which will replace my wages for a couple of months but then what? Our rent is 675 per month, we have no savings, nothing of any value... I've tried the 'turn2us' calculator thingy and it just confused the hell out of me, the government one says im only entitled to about 70 per week. Our basic outgoings with both our wages are 1700+ bearing in mind that is JUST utilities, travel to work, rent and food. We eat the cheapest food, we dont go out, we dont drink or smoke, we cant afford clothes or haircuts, we dont even have Sky tv!!! we live like paupers as it is so how the hell are we going to cope when our income is HALVED??? And then once the baby comes????
I dont think i can take much more, life has sh*t on me from a great height lately.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

nannytone_2

so your utilities and 'cheap' food cost £1000 a month?
i think you need to do some economising!
how many hours does your boyfriend work? if it's 30+ you may be entitled to a little tax credit..if he's over 25.
possibly a little LHA and CTB.
how big is the property you live in?
your LHA rate would only be based on 1 bedroom.

Indie_Kid

nannytone wrote: »

i think you need to do some economising!

And look around for better deals.

sp1987

Post a statement of affairs on the debt free wannabe board. Even if you don't have debts they can help you reduce your outgoings.

Indie_Kid

Maternity pay is around £125 a week. where did you get the £70 from?

sarahevie

You will get maternity pay - that will help.

Your outgoings seem very high. My OH earns £14250 before tax, our mortgage (gained when we were both working) is £850 a month. We have two kids and manage.

My temp contract ended when I was 6 months pregnant so I know how scary it can be - but 10 months on we are fine.

You can do it, when the baby arrives you will be entitled to tax credits, child benefit. It might not be that much of a drop in income.

I've just put your details (based on you being over 25 with one child and just your partners income) and you are entitled to £70.30 per week tax credits, £41.85 housing benefit per week to help with your rent, £20.30 child benefit per week. That's £6906.23 per year tax free. You should be able to manage on that.

What about moving to somewhere cheaper to rent to help. Part time work, in my first pregnancy I worked up to 39 weeks if you are ok you can, so you might be able to get another job in the meantime.

Indie_Kid

sarahevie wrote: »

I've just put your details (based on you being over 25 with one child and just your partners income) and you are entitled to £70.30 per week tax credits, £41.85 housing benefit per week to help with your rent, £20.30 child benefit per week. That's £6906.23 per year tax free. You should be able to manage on that.

Remember - there are quite a few changes coming in this April, so the OP may not get that much.

They don't take outgoings into account when calculating benefit entitlement.

As well as looking on the debt free board, you may also want to look at the old style board.

WhatDidIDoToDeserveThis?

Thankyou to the nice people for genuine advice. As for the others: Rent 675, Council tax 180, Gas 50, Electric 50, Water 40, Mobiles 20 for both, Tv licence 13, Car insurance 55, Official Receiver 120, Travel to and from work,him train, me driving and parking 360minimum, BT 50. We aren't living in the house by choice- when our hours were cut and I was relocated we could no longer afford our mortgaged house and had to go bankrupt. Due to this only ONE landlord would deal with us despite me going to our local MP because of the prejudice hence we ended up in the house we are in, and no the council wouldn't help us. I've been with this company 9 years but I have worked non stop since I was fifteen years old. We are always looking for work closer to home (its no fun travelling over two hours a day) but there is NOTHING- and I'm sorry but I think we're doing the more honourable thing by travelling in order to keep in work! Why would I come on here to start a pointless argument with a stranger??!! Still thankyou skcollobcat10....for a minute there I was losing faith in humanity. Feel free to post me some more abuse or sh*t on what I've said.

dmg24

Please stop with the bad language.

WhatDidIDoToDeserveThis?

I have more important stuff on my mind right now than, perhaps the smallest, mildest swear word EVER. Are you being serious?? Are you trying to push me over the edge? Did I intrude on the sites community and that's why I'm getting hassle?? Did I not follow the right ettiquette??? OBVIOUSLY I have come to the WRONG place but after looking round the forum I mistakenly thought that I too would be accepted and helped out a little like everyone else on here getting advice in their desperate situations. Seems like some people use these forums to channel nastiness and condescension, hiding behind their computers.

dmg24

WhatDidIDoToDeserveThis? wrote: »

I have more important stuff on my mind right now than, perhaps the smallest, mildest swear word EVER. Are you being serious?? Are you trying to push me over the edge? Did I intrude on the sites community and that's why I'm getting hassle?? Did I not follow the right ettiquette??? OBVIOUSLY I have come to the WRONG place but after looking round the forum I mistakenly thought that I too would be accepted and helped out a little like everyone else on here getting advice in their desperate situations. Seems like some people use these forums to channel nastiness and condescension, hiding behind their computers.

People are more than willing to help, but you are very rude. Maybe calm down a tad and come back later?