Finished university and not earning enough to live.

Bmth100

Hi there.

I was hoping for some friendly advice - I haven't been on this board before so please play nice!

I finished University in June and I'm working now full time on a wage of just over £15,000 pa (hooray for degrees..!). The problem is that this is supporting both myself and my partner who is in her last year of full time education, finishing her degree.

The job I'm doing I think I'm being hideously underpaid for as no other similar positions online are below £20k and the national average seems to be even higher.

Anyway my point is that our monthly outgoings are just a little higher than my income which means we're steadily losing money and have very little savings less. We will be screwed before our tenancy and my fiance's last year have finished.

Does it sound like, taking into account my situation in terms of living and wages, I might be eligible for some kind of help from the government? Just for a little while mind, until we're both working.

Thanks

paddedjohn

Does your partner get a student loan/grant? Are you claiming the 25% discount for council tax?

Pollycat

As well as looking at increasing the amount of money you're getting in, you could see if you can cut down on what you're spending.

This link is to a SOA (Statement of Affairs) where you put down all your financial details:

http://www.stoozing.com/msoc/soacalc.php

Post it on the DebtFreeWannabe board and you'll get lots of good advice.

merlin68

Until your 25 you are not eligible for wtc or hb. does your girlfriend not get all her grants.

ILW

Partner could get a PT job.

Loanranger

When this happened to me, earning less than I spent and accruing debt, I got another job as well as my full time job. Bar work, Saturday job, call centre... I have done all of these while also having a degree and working 38 hours a week.

BigAunty

merlin68 wrote: »

Until your 25 you are not eligible for wtc or hb. does your girlfriend not get all her grants.

That is not correct for HB - this is based on income as the main factor. Those under the age of 35 who are single (so doesn't apply to the OP anyway) are eligible for a shared accommodation rate - until last January, the age barrier for a 1 bedroom rate was 25.

BigAunty

Your rent agreement and general living expenses are irrelevant to your benefit entitlement, it will be based in income, not your expenditure, so if you have a budgeting issue rather than any eligibility for benefits, you must simply make lifestyle changes to make your budget stretch further and up your income through other means.

Your girlfriends grant and loan will be taken into account as income, though I think a portion of this is exempt for studying expenses, like books/travel. Hopefully another poster will say what small part of her student income is ignored for benefit calculations.

AFAIK, a full time student (without dependents or disabilities) is not entitled to any benefits other than council tax discount so while her income will be included as household income, I'm not sure if she will influence any HB due to you.

Can she apply to the hardship fund at Uni?

Caz3121

BigAunty wrote: »

Your girlfriends grant and loan will be taken into account as income, though I think a portion of this is exempt for studying expenses, like books/travel. Hopefully another poster will say what small part of her student income is ignored for benefit calculations.

here you go
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121015000000/www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_070816

PasturesNew

Even until recent changes, I think if you were living alone, earning about £13k/year and of the right age.... WTC would have only given you an extra £5 or so.

£15k's more than a lot of people manage to live on for decades/a lifetime.

It must be down to your spending choices. One of those choices is not asking your gf for money.

PaulF81

Get rid. Of the mobile/ cut back or consider emigrating. You can easily earn upwards of 60k as a graduate in Dubai tax free. Plus get managerial experience.

What was your degree in? Basket weaving or something useful?