cant seem to get any help, really down!

soph22

hi. does anyone know what other options i might have. i have made loads of calls and seem to be getting nowhere, it seems this system is so wrong!
heres my situation.
i am currently pregnant and working fulltime as an apprentice healthcare assistant, i rent for £450 a month but that will soon be going up to £525 a month when we start renting a house do to baby coming and dog needing a garden.
my partner is self employed, and whilst he used to earn alot of money, for the past 3 months he has only been earning £400 per month. and i only earn around £840 a month. he dosnt really know how many hours he works as it is from home so he has just been saying around 20, which i would say is accurate.
the problem is, i thought i would atleast be able to get working tax credits (im 25) but when applying they based it on the tax year 09/10, which is ridiculous, because that year my partner earnt £36.000. that dosnt represent what we are struggling with now. when ringing job centre plus they said we werent entitled to anything but to try tax credits and housing benefits. i tried tax credits and thats what i got. and i used to get housing benefit when i first moved to this flat on my own but only for a couple of months and now im having to pay it back as at first i was on an emergency tax code which made my wage a little but smaller. so now not only am i not getting anything, im paying back what i was being given before!
we cant carry on like this and with a baby due in july we need to be earning more, not less! im really so fed up, i keep heaing things about friends of friends who work 16 hours a week and get like a fulltime wage due to benefits and i just dont understand it. why can people break their backs at work and get nothing but those who dont get it given to them!
does anyone have any ideas?

RAS

Hi

Your situation may well change when the baby is born.

look at www.turn2us.org.uk for estimates of how things are now, will be when you first go on mat leave and then once the baby is born.

OH may have to consdier getting FT employment rather than looking to work from home. Know that is hard to get, but it may be better for you given his low income.

MrsManda

Fill your details into the benefits calculators they may provide you with avenues to explore:
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

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

Also have a look at maternity benefits
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/index.htm

plymouthargylebird

Blimey I've just done the dwpe and based on this years earnings(which is more than last year) it says my ctc/wtc will be £60 a week more. Is this right???

Oldernotwiser

RAS wrote: »

OH may have to consdier getting FT employment rather than looking to work from home. Know that is hard to get, but it may be better for you given his low income.

Alternatively, it could be better if the OH looks after the baby (as he works from home) and the OP could return to full time work.

welshmoneylover

soph22 wrote: »

hi. does anyone know what other options i might have. i have made loads of calls and seem to be getting nowhere, it seems this system is so wrong!
heres my situation.
i am currently pregnant and working fulltime as an apprentice healthcare assistant, i rent for £450 a month but that will soon be going up to £525 a month when we start renting a house do to baby coming and dog needing a garden.
my partner is self employed, and whilst he used to earn alot of money, for the past 3 months he has only been earning £400 per month. and i only earn around £840 a month. he dosnt really know how many hours he works as it is from home so he has just been saying around 20, which i would say is accurate.
the problem is, i thought i would atleast be able to get working tax credits (im 25) but when applying they based it on the tax year 09/10, which is ridiculous, because that year my partner earnt £36.000. that dosnt represent what we are struggling with now. when ringing job centre plus they said we werent entitled to anything but to try tax credits and housing benefits. i tried tax credits and thats what i got. and i used to get housing benefit when i first moved to this flat on my own but only for a couple of months and now im having to pay it back as at first i was on an emergency tax code which made my wage a little but smaller. so now not only am i not getting anything, im paying back what i was being given before!
we cant carry on like this and with a baby due in july we need to be earning more, not less! im really so fed up, i keep heaing things about friends of friends who work 16 hours a week and get like a fulltime wage due to benefits and i just dont understand it. why can people break their backs at work and get nothing but those who dont get it given to them!
does anyone have any ideas?

Can't your partner get a second job to help out?

soph22

thanks, i filled that thing out before that tells you what youres entitled to, it told me £88 a week on working tax credits, but when i rang them up to get the claim pack they dont just base it on the last few months, they base it on 09/10 tax year, which is no resemblance on what my income is now. which is insane, thats what bugs me.
he is looking for another job to help, he does have something secured for the end of march, its just a struggle at the moment, and i dont know why it has to be so hard for some people and others have to hardly do anything and live on handouts. makes me mad

zagfles

soph22 wrote: »

thanks, i filled that thing out before that tells you what youres entitled to, it told me £88 a week on working tax credits, but when i rang them up to get the claim pack they dont just base it on the last few months, they base it on 09/10 tax year, which is no resemblance on what my income is now. which is insane, thats what bugs me.

They INITIALLY base it on the previous tax year, but they can adjust it based on CURRENT tax year. So you have to go through the farce of claiming it giving your income for last tax year, getting a zero award, then phoning them up and reporting a change of circumstance, ie your income this year is going to be lower, and then you might get something!

Note that it's your income over the whole tax year which is relevant - so if you earned loads at the start of this tax year you still may not get anything till April.