What am I entitled to or would get please?

Ste_mac

Hiya folks new to the forum as you can see ;-)
I'm here to ask for help/tips please :money:

This is my situation.......

I currently work 39hrs a week in retail (16yrs service) I'm 34,
Currently bring home about £950 after tax.
My girlfriend works between 4-8hrs a week in customer service.
We are both living separately in our parents houses at time of writing this,my girlfriend is 13 weeks pregnant and we want to move out now before the baby gets here.

My question is what help am I likely to get with rent or council tax etc etc rent for properties around here are about £450-£550 or what is my girlfriend entitled too to help us live and provide for our baby,please excuse my ignorance as I'm new to all this benefits and claiming you see,but I've came to the right place I'm sure.

Kind regards

Steve

zagfles

You'll tax credits and child benefit when baby is born, maybe some housing benefit, probably not council tax benefit.

Enter your details in the turn2us calculator: http://www.turn2us.entitledto.co.uk/entitlementcalculator.aspx

epitome

As post #2 plus

If she earns on average £30 or more per week, she can apply for maternity allowance which will pay her 90% of her average earnings for 39 weeks, from 11 weeks before baby is born (if she goes on maternity leave or leaves work entirely) Assuming she has been working at least 26 weeks.

When baby is born she can claim Sure Start Maternity Grant £500 if she applies for child tax credits As Soon As Possible....She will be on child tax credits "at higher rate than family element" which in English means she has a child under 1. To get the SSMG she must get CTC and THEN apply for SSMG within 3 months of baby being born

If she is not living with you she can claim Income support when she stops working from 11 weeks before due date. Her Maternity allowance will be deducted from IS.

You can also get paid Paternity Leave from work, but you must apply before 15 weeks before due date, and if you can't, then you can get Income Support (Parental Leave) for a short time (2 weeks I think) as long as you take 2 weeks unpaid time off work.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/Paternityrightsintheworkplace/index.htm
There is also "additional paternity leave" which I am not familiar with, maybe someone else knows about Paternity Leave.

kingfisherblue

I thought the higher rate of CTC for babies under one had finished last year?

epitome

kingfisherblue wrote: »

I thought the higher rate of CTC for babies under one had finished last year?

I dunno, this would probably mean SSMG is then not available any longer under these circumstances....anyone?

It still says available here but direct gov is not very clear at the best of times
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandbenefits/benefitstaxcreditsandothersupport/expectingorbringingupchildren/dg_10018854
Easiest way to find out is to call CTC 0845 3003900

kingfisherblue

The Surestart maternity grant is still available to new parents who have not previously had the grant, and who qualify financially. There have be4en quite a few threads about this.

skibadee

epitome wrote: »

As post #2 plus

If she earns on average £30 or more per week, she can apply for maternity allowance which will pay her 90% of her average earnings for 39 weeks, from 11 weeks before baby is born (if she goes on maternity leave or leaves work entirely) Assuming she has been working at least 26 weeks.
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I think the weekly wage limit is higher than this....

The earnings rule

To qualify for SMP, you must have been earning on average:

• an amount which at least equals the lower earnings limit which applies on the Saturday at the end of your qualifying week

The lower earnings limit (LEL) is the amount you have to earn before you are treated as paying National Insurance contributions. This is £107 a week if the end of your qualifying week is in the 2012-13 tax year.
If you satisfy both the continuous employment rule and the earnings rule, your employer must pay you SMP. They must pay even if your contract ends at any time after the start of the 15th week before the week your baby is due.
There are no age limits to qualify for SMP. For example, if you are under 16 and satisfy the rules you can qualify for SMP from your employer.

• Statutory Maternity Pay - how it is worked out

dookar

skibadee wrote: »

I think the weekly wage limit is higher than this....

The earnings rule

To qualify for SMP, you must have been earning on average:

• an amount which at least equals the lower earnings limit which applies on the Saturday at the end of your qualifying week

The lower earnings limit (LEL) is the amount you have to earn before you are treated as paying National Insurance contributions. This is £107 a week if the end of your qualifying week is in the 2012-13 tax year.
If you satisfy both the continuous employment rule and the earnings rule, your employer must pay you SMP. They must pay even if your contract ends at any time after the start of the 15th week before the week your baby is due.
There are no age limits to qualify for SMP. For example, if you are under 16 and satisfy the rules you can qualify for SMP from your employer.

• Statutory Maternity Pay - how it is worked out

She said MA, not SMP...

zagfles

epitome wrote: »

I dunno, this would probably mean SSMG is then not available any longer under these circumstances....anyone?

It still says available here but direct gov is not very clear at the best of times
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandbenefits/benefitstaxcreditsandothersupport/expectingorbringingupchildren/dg_10018854
Easiest way to find out is to call CTC 0845 3003900

No it means you get it if you get more than the family element of CTC (£545 a year). Reason was that the family element had a higher threshold, it doesn't any more but the same rule seems to apply. In the OPs case it would mean if income was below £24k (joint gross)

epitome

zagfles wrote: »

No it means you get it if you get more than the family element of CTC (£545 a year). Reason was that the family element had a higher threshold, it doesn't any more but the same rule seems to apply. In the OPs case it would mean if income was below £24k (joint gross)

Not my understanding at all.

Child tax credits at a higher rate than the family element is paid if you have 1 child or more under the age of 1, nothing to do with income.

If you have CTCAHRTTFE you can get a SSMG within 3 months of baby being born. as long as you satisfy the other conditionss of SSMG.

kingfisherblue

epitome wrote: »

Not my understanding at all.

Child tax credits at a higher rate than the family element is paid if you have 1 child or more under the age of 1, nothing to do with income.

If you have CTCAHRTTFE you can get a SSMG within 3 months of baby being born. as long as you satisfy the other conditionss of SSMG.

The additional amount of CTC payable for babies under the age of one has been withdrawn. It was withdrawn for all families in April last year. Some links to confirm this:

http://www.ion.icaew.com/TaxFaculty/21606

http://www.islington.gov.uk/advice/money-advice/changes-to-benefits/Pages/taxcredits.aspx

http://www.taxationweb.co.uk/tax-articles/general/tax-credit-changes-in-april-2011-the-facts.html

The baby element has ceased to exist. However, the Surestart Maternity Grant is still available for those who qualify:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandbenefits/benefitstaxcreditsandothersupport/expectingorbringingupchildren/dg_10018854

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/sb16-a-guide-to-the-social/sure-start-maternity-grants/

The OP is earning and planning to live with his partner, so it sounds unlikely that he and his girlfreind will be able to claim the grant. You have to be receiving specific benefits in order to qualify for the grant.

In an earlier post, you admit that you don't know, but then say that your understanding is different to the details posted by Zagfles. You may not be aware, but Zagfles regularly helps posters with accurate information about tax credits. A little research would have backed up my earlier comment about the baby element of CTC having been stopped, yet you continue to post about it even though you admit you don't know. Please try not to post inaccurate information. It won't help the OP.