Second baby on way, what will benefits be?

Anthillmob

cheers id never heard of them and working in benefits im suprised i havent.

to the OP what Tran said in the last paragraph i would take a lot of note.

i am not saying you are on the fiddle as you state you arent and i believe you. however, as tran pointed out some neighbours, friends and even family members might see this differently.

be aware also, certainly where i work, when a single mum on their own has anther child we have to report this to the fraud department who then look into this. we dont do it out of spite, we do it because we are told to by the higher beings in benefits though i am not sure wether this is the done thign in every LA or just the one i work for.

good luck with whatever path you take and with the baby.

skintio

Thanks anthillmob, I get what your saying, and what he meant but we might even be living together by then (draws in deep breath lol), i just wanted to let everyone know we arent doing anyhting wrong that was all.. Thanks for wishing us luck x

BrandNewDay, i think its because ive been burned before (by my ex), my partner is excellent with my daughter and now im preganant il prob let him get more involved (as in my head , heart , everything), its just it suited us that way, we had no reason to change anything, i totally see what you are saying, and its nice to hear when it all works out for single mums and that are decent men out there ( god i sound bitter lol, im not honest!) x

Anthillmob

i hope it all works out. awwww a new little baby. sorry im all mushy this evening after looking at the tiny baby pics of my chops who is now 1 year old.

have a good snout around entitled to and above all be honest.

Tran

To the OP:

I really wasn't trying to sound nasty. Just really trying to get you to look at the situation from and outsiders perspective.

You may be doing everything above board but you have got to admit that it looks highly suspect. As anthillmob said, friends, relatives and especially neighbours will have noted the goings-on and may well make up stories about what is going on once you start developing a bump or news of your pregnancy gets round. It only take an anonymous tip-off to the fraud dept. and you are being asked awkward questions (irrespective of whether youare innocent of not).

Also once you start applying for your healthy start vouchers & let DWP know you are pregnant and HB dept. too, sooner or later I am sure it will flag up that "single mum is pregnant". Even if you are doing nothing it may well be worth the DWP's time to drag you in for a interview for fraud just to go on a little fishing trip to ask you some questions. You gotta admit, some of the questions could be difficult to answer and even if you answer all questions honestly, it may still look suspect from and outsiders perspective. e.g. "you say you live alone with your daughter, you admit you have a boyfriend, you admit you are pregnant by him, your boyfriend lives 7 doors down the street with his mum. Yeah of course his mum would lie and say he lives there and let him use that as a postal address, but he is living with you really"etc etc. Just playing devils advocate.

Personally I would avoid at all costs potentially an interview under caution even if you have done nothing. I personally have been hauled in by the fraud dept. for an interview under caution (for a different reason other than being pregnant). Whilst there was nothing in the accusations and nothing came of the interview. The interview itself was highly unpleasant and as i answered the question honestly, i could see how my answers looked from an outsiders perspective. The interviewer didn't believe a word i said. I hope this is cautionary tale to you.

Anthillmob

and dont thinktheyll be outside your housewatching you because that is a last resort when all else has failed. but you have nowt to worry about if what you say is true. and i believe you.

clairec79

Anthillmob, they only came in in October I think - and also cut to only be for under 4s instead of under 5s (and pregnant women) - replacing milk tokens, if you qualified for milk tokens you now get these (though why you can't also use them for froen veg is beyond me)

Becles

clairec79 wrote:

(though why you can't also use them for froen veg is beyond me)

I suppose frozen veg could be a grey area and difficult to enforce.

Fresh produce is fresh produce full stop.

However with frozen veg, you get your usual bags of peas, carrots etc., but you also get things like potato products such as waffles, smiley face shapes etc. It would be a nightmare saying that peas are allowed but waffles or not, so maybe it's easier just to say no frozen food. Just my thoughts, so don't take it as gospel!

skintio

Tran, all points taken on board and i understand what youre saying, so thanks for giving us the heads up and letting me know what maybe to expect.. i never really thought of them thinking ' oh look another single mum' and teh investigating but youre right.. so ta x

kelloggs36

skintio wrote:

Hi Rich,

Thanks for that, because he works and gets a decent enough wage it would seriously reduce my money, also because hes not my little girls dad ive never wanted to put the pressure on him to move in (mind you if we're not at his he's here lol) and provide for us, also i like having my own money even if its not alot, im quite independant and have had bad experiences with my ex and money so it just suited us to stay living apart and not rely on him. Obviously now im pregnant things will change and i may want him too move in but who knows...and like you say it works, hes really happy im pregnant even though it was a big big shock and we'll have to see what the future brings. thanks for your help..

I'm afraid that just because you don't want to give up some of your benefits doesn't meant that the state should provide for you! You say you are in a stable relationship with a man who works and pays a mortgage and he is the father of your unborn child. Is this fact not enough to pursuade you to take the risk? Just because you had a bad experience before, doesn't mean you will again. I believe it is a moral obligation for him to support you properly and by that I mean become a single unit. You don't know until you try. If you did this, you would still get your child benefit and will still qualify for Child Tax credits (unless he earns over 64k per year) so you will still have some money for yourself if you have it paid into your own bank account.

lottee

kelloggs36 wrote:

I'm afraid that just because you don't want to give up some of your benefits doesn't meant that the state should provide for you! You say you are in a stable relationship with a man who works and pays a mortgage and he is the father of your unborn child. Is this fact not enough to pursuade you to take the risk? Just because you had a bad experience before, doesn't mean you will again. I believe it is a moral obligation for him to support you properly and by that I mean become a single unit. You don't know until you try. If you did this, you would still get your child benefit and will still qualify for Child Tax credits (unless he earns over 64k per year) so you will still have some money for yourself if you have it paid into your own bank account.

Not having a go at anyone, honest. I know everyones circumstances are different, & hey I may need some help one day - no one know what around the corner....

But... Kelloggs, IMO it comes down to the old 'if you're married/live with your partner & work then you get NOTHING!!!' Don't get me wrong, I don't need anything extra given to me (although I wouldn't turn it down;) ) but it still gets my back up! As I said above, not having a go at anyone, if the payments or benefits are put in place, then of course people are goin to claim then.

I feel better now!