Just need some clarification.....

MDF_Goblin

lisa_75 wrote:

The poster says that she pays towards her fees, so it is likely that she does not qualify for either as her husbands income is too high.

The childcare grant and parents learning allowance are only for those on very, very low incomes. Usually someone who has a partner who works would not qualify. Even when my husband was only on £11k I did not qualify for either.

Casually looking at some of the thresholds they would seem to start around the £16/17k mark. Plus they mentioned loosing £10,000 of uni money which I'm assuming is loans and grants.

lisa_75

MDF_Goblin wrote:

Casually looking at some of the thresholds they would seem to start around the £16/17k mark. Plus they mentioned loosing £10,000 of uni money which I'm assuming is loans and grants.

For the childcare grant and parents learning allowance the threshold is no where near £16/17k

For lone parents with one child the threshold is £4300
For lone parents with more than one child the threshold is £5380

For couples with one child the threshold is £3225
For couples with more than one child the threshold is £4300

Those are 2006/2007 figures

missk_ensington

MDF_Goblin wrote:

Casually looking at some of the thresholds they would seem to start around the £16/17k mark. Plus they mentioned loosing £10,000 of uni money which I'm assuming is loans and grants.

Think theres some confusion here, it was me who said Id lose £10,000 uni money is I worked full time (which obviously I couldn'y anyway cos I cant be in two places at once!) and I said its no wonder people play the system. Even after Ive finished uni I will probably only work part time because I'm better off - the calculations on the previous page are NOT taking any uni money into account.

The point I'm laking is that my salary of £24,000 is above the threshold for pretty much anything. But because I work part-time my salary is only £9,600 so on paper my annual household income is only £9,600 irrespective of working patterns, thus making me look on paper as a low income family and entitling me to free prescriptions/eyecare etc, the top-tier of tax credits, maximum 85% childcare money etc etc, as well as entitling me to all the means tested uni grants including Access to Learning Fund ([previously a hardship grant).

I also qualify for a free boiler/central heating system through Warmfront saving me £2000 because I choose to work 2 days a week and not 5.

I really dont blame people for staying at 16 hours when they have children, when as I mentioned on other page, your wage works out at £2 an hour for those additional 21 hours a week. There needs to be a better incentive to work more hours.

MDF_Goblin

lisa_75 wrote:

For the childcare grant and parents learning allowance the threshold is no where near £16/17k

For lone parents with one child the threshold is £4300
For lone parents with more than one child the threshold is £5380

For couples with one child the threshold is £3225
For couples with more than one child the threshold is £4300

Those are 2006/2007 figures

I saw some figures on direct.gov I think it was for HEG or a maintenance grant or something. Your quite right you do have to be pretty poor.

missk_ensington

lisa_75 wrote:

For the childcare grant and parents learning allowance the threshold is no where near £16/17k

For lone parents with one child the threshold is £4300
For lone parents with more than one child the threshold is £5380

For couples with one child the threshold is £3225
For couples with more than one child the threshold is £4300

Those are 2006/2007 figures

I dont see how that can be right as I get the full 85% childcare, the full £1400 PLA and the £1000 HE grant, as my salary is double those figures above.

Turning_into_scrooge

pannetteb wrote:

Thanks' for most of your reply's and thanks for some of you guys for sticking up for me. I've worked full time since I was 18 and never claimed any benefits apart from maternity grants etc, as I've never needed to. When tax credit's came out we got that but up until 2005 didn't qualify for much in vie of the household income.

In 2005 my partner had to leave his full tome well paid security job because of illness. We took our then 2 yr old out of full time nursery and my partner didn't jump onto benefits.... he stayed at home looked after the kids and home. It wasn't until he got worse that he applied for benefits, which was unfortunately and luckily when I was pregnant. He was only eligible for benefits as my income reduced.

Somebody mentioned using the system, or something... but in our situation, we genuinely need it. Some of you are probably saying, why have another kid then... but before my partner got worse, he was planning to work part-time in security or catering, still look after the kids and not put too much strain on himself.

I knew that my income would mean that we wouldn't get any incapacity benefit as such, but in they eyes of the benefit people he's not even seen as unwell. Were not looking for additional monies just for him to be classed incapacitated so childcare would be payable.

We've both worked all our adult lives.... I've worked my way up in a Banking career and could not afford to go to Uni... just seems unfair that we need help and we're being perceived as 'playing the system'! I don't want the government to pay for a 'better standard of living', just want to be able to go to work and want my kids to in the care of someone who can look after them safely.!

Not sure if anyone else has posted this but if your partner has pain in his back and legs he may qualify for disability and depending on how far he can walk and how much pain he is in he may also qualify for the mobility component. If you haven't already applied its certainly worth going for as you have nothing to lose.