Benefits help

paddedjohn

caz2703 wrote: »

Not sure if you're asking me but I'll answer anyway. At present I don't get any maintenance from the ex but it's a long story as he's paying the mortgage while I pay all the bills & provide for the kids all on CTC & CB.

I know it must get some peoples backs up regarding what the PWC earns and what benefits they get. All I can say is that in my circumstances, my salary would only pay for childcare and rent. I'm not looking at the Rolls Royce of nurseries nor am I renting a palatial home, we're talking normal run of the mill options for both. To find that I'd be going out to work literally to pay for childminding and to keep a roof over my head is sickening.

Here's my 2nd choice option: go on IS until I can find a part-time minimum wage job. Work 5 mornings a week (20 hours), get a fair whack of childcare paid for, claim CTC & WTC & HB as well as the normal child benefit then whatever my ex deems appropriate for his kids (min £350/month). On that salary I wouldn't be taxed and I would have more money at the end of the month as opposed to having a career when there'd be more month at the end of the money.

The big problem for working mums is childcare. I'd happily go back and earn the good money I was on but when 2/3 of my money would be going straight to a nursery, can you see how it doesn't seem worth it? I'm not having a go at anyone either, just pointing out how a single working mum can end up so badly off.

Im confused here, you say he doesnt pay maintanence because he pays the mortgage but you then say you pay rent, do you rent the house off him?

caz2703

paddedjohn wrote: »

Im confused here, you say he doesnt pay maintanence because he pays the mortgage but you then say you pay rent, do you rent the house off him?

Sorry, I can see the confusion. He pays the mortage, I pay the bills and buy everything for me & the kids. The rent I'm talking about is what I'll be paying once he kicks me out of here. At the same time that I'll have to leave this house I'm expected back to work where I could find myself refusing to comply with my contract because it's not feasible and maybe be made redundant/sacked.

This is my biggest fear as I've never had any debt in my life, I've never had sole responsibility for bills up until the ex stopped paying them and I'm scared of what will happen to me and my kids if I make the wrong decision now. I don't want to rent somewhere affordable now then find in a few months that I can no longer cope. At the same time I don't want to rent somewhere tiny for me & the kids when I could be in a nicer pad. That sounds so self-centred but with my kids being so young I'm very aware of the impact of what has already happened, the impact of moving them to a new house, putting them in childcare then what if the worst happens and we have to move again?

I know there's a lot of what-ifs in the rant above but I'm caught between a rock and a hard place.

BigAunty

caz2703 wrote: »

.. He pays the mortage, I pay the bills and buy everything for me & the kids. The rent I'm talking about is what I'll be paying once he kicks me out of here. ...

Have you sought legal advice with a solicitor to find out your rights?

Are you married to your ex? Are you a joint name on the mortgage or is it in his sole name?

There's a child support forum on MSE and they'll tell you the process for getting child support which is based on a percentage of the Non Residents Parents earnings. The child maintenance will not impact any benefits you receive, it's on top of. Off the top of my head, an NRP is expected to pay 20% of their net earnings towards two kids but there are other factors, like income, number of nights they have the children, etc.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/ChildMaintenance/IfyourealreadyusingtheChildSupportAgency/DG_199070

jojo_2012_2

paddedjohn wrote: »

If you add it all up inc your child benefits and maintanence you are probably earning more than a childless couple earn when both are working full time. And to add to this people on tax credits are getting more back than they are paying in.
Again its not the claiments fault its the system which needs changing.

I don't get maintanence. I take it as a compliment that with £140 extra a week I earn more than a childless couple. But I'm certainly paying plenty of tax in thanks.

caz2703

BigAunty wrote: »

Have you sought legal advice with a solicitor to find out your rights?

Are you married to your ex? Are you a joint name on the mortgage or is it in his sole name?

There's a child support forum on MSE and they'll tell you the process for getting child support which is based on a percentage of the Non Residents Parents earnings. The child maintenance will not impact any benefits you receive, it's on top of. Off the top of my head, an NRP is expected to pay 20% of their net earnings towards two kids but there are other factors, like income, number of nights they have the children, etc.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/ChildMaintenance/IfyourealreadyusingtheChildSupportAgency/DG_199070

Ex and I are married but he never got around to getting my name on the mortgage or any of the bills so the fun I've had with demand letters and the phone & internet getting cut off and not being able to get any information due to the data protection act!

I've had some legal advice but at £100/hour to fight the contact order proceedings, I'm keeping it to a minimum for anything else untl such time I can get legal aid.

I know what his earnings were so I know what I'd get from CSA. Basically I'd be getting for 2 children what he was paying his 1st ex for one child. I've already been told by him that he could never afford to pay me the kind of money he pays his ex. He refused to reduce his payments to his ex (almost double the CSA guidelines) to save our marriage so I can't see him reducing them now so I guess I'll be the one losing out - again

McKneff

After rent and bills you will have £1k a month to live on, that seemed to horrify you.

Try living in the real world, some and I mean lots of people are paying rent and bills and everything else on less than £1k a month.

caz2703

McKneff wrote: »

After rent and bills you will have £1k a month to live on, that seemed to horrify you.

Try living in the real world, some and I mean lots of people are paying rent and bills and everything else on less than £1k a month.

Wrong. After rent and bills I have £1k to pay a £1350 childcare bill! Unless I can bring the kids to work and chain them to my desk while I work then I'm afraid that's one bill that has to be paid.

FBaby

I don't think you got your calculations right. With such high childcare costs, you are likely to be entitled to the childcare element of working tax credits, especially for this year as based on this years earning, so even with what you will earn next year, it will be lower than your actual salary, not even counting if you go down to 30 hours.

Tc+CB+maintenance+your salary, this will definitely be enough for you to do ok. I can't believe that you are contemplating giving up a good job to rely on benefits just because you think you will be much better off on benefits. It might sound attractive to get good money to stay at home with your children, but give it 3 years and things will be very different. They will be at school, you will have to go on JSA and might find yourself struggling to get the same level of jobs after 5 years without any work history.

Yes, things will be tough, but worth it. I did it, two children at nursery, working full-time and no maintenance. However, it paid off in every way. I would never ever have considered giving up my job for a life on benefits when I had a good secured job, and therefore a sound CV. If you go on benefits, you will have a gap of 5 years when your children are at school and you will have no choice but to look for a job and you might it a real struggle to get anything close to what you are earning now. Yes, the idea of staying at home with your children for another 3 years might be attractive, but it certainly won't be worth it long term.

caz2703

FBaby wrote: »

I don't think you got your calculations right. With such high childcare costs, you are likely to be entitled to the childcare element of working tax credits, especially for this year as based on this years earning, so even with what you will earn next year, it will be lower than your actual salary, not even counting if you go down to 30 hours.

Tc+CB+maintenance+your salary, this will definitely be enough for you to do ok. I can't believe that you are contemplating giving up a good job to rely on benefits just because you think you will be much better off on benefits. It might sound attractive to get good money to stay at home with your children, but give it 3 years and things will be very different. They will be at school, you will have to go on JSA and might find yourself struggling to get the same level of jobs after 5 years without any work history.

Yes, things will be tough, but worth it. I did it, two children at nursery, working full-time and no maintenance. However, it paid off in every way. I would never ever have considered giving up my job for a life on benefits when I had a good secured job, and therefore a sound CV. If you go on benefits, you will have a gap of 5 years when your children are at school and you will have no choice but to look for a job and you might it a real struggle to get anything close to what you are earning now. Yes, the idea of staying at home with your children for another 3 years might be attractive, but it certainly won't be worth it long term.

I will get TC this tax year but when I go back up to full salary next tax year I'm above the threshold. Unless I doing something wrong are you telling me that because this tax year is a low earning one I would still be entitled next year?

The other big problem is my employer. I'm contracted to be able to do on-call and also travel between offices in another country. As a single parent this is no longer an option and I don't know if they will accomodate these changes. They may also not allow me to drop my hours so I have to wait and see when I apply for flexible working.

I wouldn't be thinking of just being a sahm until the kids are school age and I've already realised that I would have to work at something. The big problem is that the sector I work in regularly requires on-call & travel (3 out of the last 4 jobs have) and especially at the level I am at. To find a job that is purely 9-5 would involve a bit pay cut to bring myself down to an assistant level and not a consultant level.

FBaby

I think with such high childcare costs, yes, even next year, you will still be entitled, especially if you cut your hours a bit. It hits you the hardest when your childcare costs go down a bit (so when your eldest start school) and your salary goes up a bit, but even then, you should be better off. Then when your kids are both at school, you are richer, and when they are at secondary school and don't require any childcare any longer, you are very rich!!!