Child maintenance and mortgage

gizmo111

DeeDee74 wrote: »

Utter rubbish u cannot claim tax credits if you only work 4 hours a week she hasent a clue what shes talking about..

Of course you can - not working tax credits but child tax credits.

FBaby

You are choosing to go back to University, you don't have to. Many single parents accept that they have to go to work and support themselves and their kids. You are VERY lucky to be getting such a huge amount of maintenance. If you can't see it, then you need to go on the CSA board and see how many pwcs truly struggle with no maintenance.

You seem to consider a right to go back to University and for your children to enjoy a nice lifestyle. It isn't. You might have supported them before, but you are not now.

I know I am coming on strongly, but I really am amazed that you don't consider yourself greedy. I was a single parent and would have loved not to have to work full-time in a stressful job and instead be able to enjoy going back to studying full-time without having to worry about how to support myself and the kids. The reality is that this wasn't an option as my ex paid no maintenance and so had to support my kids on my own.

Honestly, be grateful for what you've got and the opportunity you have to go to Uni without having to fit it around a full-time job because you have no other choice.

gizmo111

I know I am coming on strongly, but I really am amazed that you don't consider yourself greedy. I was a single parent and would have loved not to have to work full-time in a stressful job and instead be able to enjoy going back to studying full-time without having to worry about how to support myself and the kids. The reality is that this wasn't an option as my ex paid no maintenance and so had to support my kids on my own.

Training to be a Social Worker with 3 kids is pretty stressful. 200 days unpaid work to start with, without the Uni work to keep up with.

Kayalana99

Unfortunalty its all the other benifits which make it better off for a non working parent then working...I do hope David C does what he says he is going to do and make working people better of at the end month then non working!

I have a friend with 2 kids not working and I love her to bits but she has the biggest wardrobe ive ever seen..smokes 20+ a day kids always go with the best....hoildays...etc..etc lol

minceforbrains

post deleted

DeeDee74

Quiet aware she'l get child tax ..kay was saying op have earn un der 5000 k 2 get tax credit not child tax credit u dont

zzzLazyDaisy

You cannot demand that he voluntarily pays anything.

If you cannot come to an agreement, then go through the CSA for child maintenance, and start divorce proceedings to deal with the issue of the house.

Assuming the house is in joint names, it does not matter one jot who paid for what during the marriage, the starting point is still 50/50. What's more, it will remain 50/50 - regardless of whether he pays anything towards the mortgage - unless and until the issue is resolved in divorce proceedings as that is the only time the law will intervene to change the division of property.

Sometimes the parent with care of the children will get a larger share of the house. Sometimes, if it can be shown that the non resident parent has already had more than his fair share out of the property, the parent with care will get more/most of the equity that's left (eg re-mortgaging the house to spend £30k on a new car the week before he walks out on his wife and kids..... and yes that is a real life example).

But no-one here can tell you how that would pan out, because there are lots of other variables, such as savings, pensions, other assets etc.

FBaby

gizmo111 wrote: »

Training to be a Social Worker with 3 kids is pretty stressful. 200 days unpaid work to start with, without the Uni work to keep up with.

But that is still a choice, one that the OP is lucky to be able to make. I don't begrudge single mums who get a large amount of maintenance for their kids, I do believe it is wrong that this is not taken into consideration for benefit purposes, but to then come and say they think they should get more I find startling.

Kayalana99

Are you 100% sure your ex is going to keep his job for the next few years? If for some reason he quit or got let go you would be £850 short and I assume no longer be able to afford uni?

Just a thought. You should have a backup plan in place if this might happen.

FBaby

minceforbrains wrote: »

Right. The £825 per month is the amount the CSA would request. Not a figure I plucked out of the air!!!!!

I don't have to go back to university...but I did have to leave my 18.5 hrs highly stressful job as I had no childcare (childminder moved, nothing available). I couldn't work full time even if I wanted to as I couldn't afford the childcare. My youngest is only 2, eldest 6. I am going to still be working one day a week (averages as 4 hours due to no sick pay, holiday pay or pay when the person I support is not in work), whilst I study. And yes, I shall be doing the 200 days unpaid work! It was highly likely that I would have been made redundant in the next couple of months anyway due to shake ups- council are going to cut 20% of unqualified posts and as I was on fixed term out I would go. So....I can be unemployed, or go back to uni. I'm thinking towards the future and going back to uni.

I also didn't have to help my ex pay off his debts. If I didn't, he would have had to declare himself bankrupt and would probably have lost his job in the financial sector. So he would not be in the position he is in now, without my assistance.

My kids have had a bleak 6 years. I think they deserve a break.

So be grateful that you can go back to Uni, that you don't have to take on any low paid job available, that you can offer the lifestyle of your choice to your kids, that you can remain owner of a property rather than looking at how you can get even more.

So you helped him pay his debts and I assume he helped support you when you were only working 18.5 hours. That's what you do when you are a couple and have children. It doesn't mean they have to continue to support your ex after you separate. Your ex is solely supporting your children financially, surely that's to be grateful for?