can i claim any benefits because i really am struggling

green_crayon

Hi there,

i am currently 19 years of age, i am studying to be a dental technician, i work wed,thurs,fri and college mon,tues

i qualify from college in july and turn to full time work in july, and turn 20 in may.

I use around 80 a week on fuel expenses to get to work and college, not to mention other expenses, road tax, upkeep of the car, etc...

Ive struggled the past 2 years of being a college but gotten through it, at the moment my mum helps me out with my car insurance with to say the least is ridiculous (the price)

When i become qualified my mum said she will stop helping with insurance, so when i earn full time ill not be earning much more.

I really want to start saving money for a house, its not my wages are poor its the fact i spend so much on travelling.

I am denied of ema due to my current household earnings being too high, of which i find highly unfair because its not like im earning the money.

I just really would love to know are there any benefits i can claim because im really struggling,and its really beginning to take a toll on me its becoming unbearable.

any help would be greatly appriciated.

BigAunty

Means tested benefits are always based on the income of the recipient and never ever take into account their expenses.

Running a car as a teenager is simply a costly endeavour. How much will you earn in the summer? It's going to be at least £170 a week based on the National Minimum Wage.

You can double-check your benefit entitlements on the Turn2us online benefit calculator based on that future scenario of full time employment but I doubt you will qualify for anything.

Other than that, you should download the MSE budget planner and work through the site to identify where to make savings, and consider the feasibility of getting a job closer to home on a public transport link so you can give up the car.

Hmm71

Hi green-crayon, obviously I don't know where you live but could public transport be an option for you, as BigAunty suggests? Car insurance for teenagers does seem to be horrendously expensive so maybe you could use mostly buses and trains for a few years, until you're earning enough to use a car all the time. I'm 40 years old, never learned to drive but I've managed to get to work every day for the past 12 years on the bus (or walked in the snow when the buses weren't running, that's fun!).
My teenage niece can't afford to run her car at the moment and she walks to work every day and back, an hour each way, as going by bus would take her even longer than walking.

kingfisherblue

If a car is essential, have you read the MSE information on car insurance? There are some tips to try to reduce the amount you pay. I read it when my daughter passed her test late last year. We then rang Aviva, who charged considerably less then most other insurers. She has a fairly new, but small, car and the average quote was over £4000 :eek:. Aviva charged £2180 for fully comprehensive and business insurance.

A friend in her 30s, new driver, had her best quote through one of the companies that provide you with a black box to track your speed, stopping time, mileage, etc. These are supposed to offer good prices for younger drivers, but for my daughter they were much more expensive.

Keeping a car in a garage or on a driveway can reduce costs.

Not all insurers appear on comparison sites, so you may need to ring some individually, but they are usually freephone numbers.

You might also find that you can car share, or use your car partway (to a train station, for example), and then public transport after that. this can also reduce parking fees.

You might need to put off saving for a house for a couple of years.

Dunroamin

green_crayon wrote: »

Hi there,

i am currently 19 years of age, i am studying to be a dental technician, i work wed,thurs,fri and college mon,tues

i qualify from college in july and turn to full time work in july, and turn 20 in may.

I use around 80 a week on fuel expenses to get to work and college, not to mention other expenses, road tax, upkeep of the car, etc...

Ive struggled the past 2 years of being a college but gotten through it, at the moment my mum helps me out with my car insurance with to say the least is ridiculous (the price)

When i become qualified my mum said she will stop helping with insurance, so when i earn full time ill not be earning much more.

I really want to start saving money for a house, its not my wages are poor its the fact i spend so much on travelling.

I am denied of ema due to my current household earnings being too high, of which i find highly unfair because its not like im earning the money.

I just really would love to know are there any benefits i can claim because im really struggling,and its really beginning to take a toll on me its becoming unbearable.

any help would be greatly appriciated.

I can't understand how you can say you won't be earning much more when you're working two more days a week in a job for which you'll then be qualified.

For the moment, I have to agree with the others that it sounds as if you really can't afford to run a car at the moment if it takes all your earnings from a three days a week job with your mother's help as well.