If I get a mortgage with my partner will I lose my Income Support?

slightbuckle4

Hi all.

I'm a stay-at-home mother with 4 children under 16 (youngest is 1) and currently live with my children in rented accommodation. My partner lives in his own flat but is thinking of buying a house for us all to live in together. I get income support every two weeks and it is key to covering our costs at home. I'm just wondering if me and my partner move into this house together will my income support be taken away altogether? He has his own full-time job and works 40 hours a week. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

SB

sleepless_saver

Your costs would probably be a lot less once you're living together, as you'd be contributing a share rather than the whole amount.

You will no longer be entitled to income support as you will not be a lone parent. If he is the one working, he will be expected to support you. Your child tax credit will also be affected and will need to be reassessed, also check working tax credit. If he is currently getting single person discount for council tax, that would stop. If his income is over £50k your child benefit could be affected.

paddedjohn

If you are on benefits then you may not get on the mortgage.

[Deleted User]

If you give up where ever you are living now and move in with your boyfriend, with no job.., you will have no rights to the property unless u can prove you contributed to the costs of the household.

This will mean, if the relationship breaks up.., you will be homeless. It happened to me.

You will not be able to put your name on the mortgage without a job.

Unless your boyfriend is an extremely low earner, you will lose your income support. Child tax credits and working tax credit entitlements will need to be assessed.

You can check http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx to see if you will be entitled to any benefits.

But also take into account if you think you can get a job.., obviously that will change everything. But proceed with caution. Its all to easy to think a relationship will last forever, and then have to face some very iffy consequences for you and your child if it doesn't work out.

Dovah_diva

Is your partner the father of the children?

zzzLazyDaisy

deannatrois wrote: »

You will not be able to put your name on the mortgage without a job.

.

This is not true. Think about it - do you really think all the traditional married and cohabiting couples where the man goes out to work and the woman stays at home to look after the children have to buy the house in the man's name only, because the woman does not work? It does affect affordability because when applying for a mortgage his affordability would be assessed on his status as a man with dependants rather than a single person.

But in any case OP is not saying that he wants then to buy a house together, she is saying HE wants to buy a house for them all to live in. From his point of view that is the safest first step in the relationship as putting the house in joint names would leave him exposed to having to pay her half of the equity if the relationship broke down.

It is a case of both parties weighing up the risks and how much they want to be together.

But as far as OP's main question is concerned - yes, if you move in with him, he will be expected to support you and your children, and you will be assessed as a family unit for benefits/tax credits purposes. Any maintenance you receive from the childrens' father(s) if different from your bf is disregarded.

chelle_bell

It depends how much your partner earns. When you apply for benefits as a single person (in your circumstances) you have no income hense you get the amount you get, but if you move in with your partner, it will be a joint income, so if he is on an ok wage they will expect you to live off his wages and stop your benefits. You can do online calculators to figure this out. For example - my friend earns £18k a year, full time, has 2 kids, her partner lives in his own house, and gets benefits, they enquired about moving in together and how much his benefits would change. Basically he was entitled to nothing because her wages is enough to cover them all. The benefits dept (and HMRC) will jump at the chance to pay you less money. Why do you think there are so many people claiming fraudulently that they live apart when they don't really!

tokenfield

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

putting the house in joint names would leave him exposed to having to pay her half of the equity if the relationship broke down.

It is a case of both parties weighing up the risks and how much they want to be together.
.

We have been married for 33 years and hope we have another 25 of them.

Our home is legally owned by my wife, my name doesn't appear on the deeds.

In fact all of our homes in the past have been this way since 1980. All mortgages have been in her name only.

When we last moved I had to sign a letter from the solicitor accepting that I had no call on the property and would move out when asked to if she sold it!

My wife has never worked in those 33 years - other than to be a stay at home mum. I did it this way to make sure that if anything happened between us, she would have a home fully paid for and would not have to sell it to buy me out.

Incidentally, My wages actually paid for all of these properties and in the near future an inheritance from my side of the family will be used to move again to a bigger and better home with her still retaining 100% ownership.

It's the least that I could do for giving me two wonderful children and giving 33 years of her life in looking after me.

themull1

tokenfield wrote: »

We have been married for 33 years and hope we have another 25 of them.

Our home is legally owned by my wife, my name doesn't appear on the deeds.

In fact all of our homes in the past have been this way since 1980. All mortgages have been in her name only.

When we last moved I had to sign a letter from the solicitor accepting that I had no call on the property and would move out when asked to if she sold it!

My wife has never worked in those 33 years - other than to be a stay at home mum. I did it this way to make sure that if anything happened between us, she would have a home fully paid for and would not have to sell it to buy me out.

Incidentally, My wages actually paid for all of these properties and in the near future an inheritance from my side of the family will be used to move again to a bigger and better home with her still retaining 100% ownership.

It's the least that I could do for giving me two wonderful children and giving 33 years of her life in looking after me.

How did your wife get a mortgage?

paddedjohn

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

This is not true. Think about it - do you really think all the traditional married and cohabiting couples where the man goes out to work and the woman stays at home to look after the children have to buy the house in the man's name only, because the woman does not work? It does affect affordability because when applying for a mortgage his affordability would be assessed on his status as a man with dependants rather than a single person.

But in any case OP is not saying that he wants then to buy a house together, she is saying HE wants to buy a house for them all to live in. From his point of view that is the safest first step in the relationship as putting the house in joint names would leave him exposed to having to pay her half of the equity if the relationship broke down.

It is a case of both parties weighing up the risks and how much they want to be together.

But as far as OP's main question is concerned - yes, if you move in with him, he will be expected to support you and your children, and you will be assessed as a family unit for benefits/tax credits purposes. Any maintenance you receive from the childrens' father(s) if different from your bf is disregarded.

If that's the case then why did the OP title the thread as follows?

If I get a mortgage with my partner will I lose my Income Support?

Mojisola

tokenfield wrote: »

Our home is legally owned by my wife, my name doesn't appear on the deeds.

When we last moved I had to sign a letter from the solicitor accepting that I had no call on the property and would move out when asked to if she sold it!

Wouldn't your rights as a spouse negate any such document?