Don't know where to post.... Going from bad to worse

Ladyluck1

Hi,
We've just been through our finances sorting everything out and struggling to get by.
A LOT of stress for me at 35 weeks pregnant and then I get a letter through the door telling me my council tax payment (our ct benefit has stopped!) is £250 a month for the next 3!!!!!
How can I afford that
That's a 5th of our total income!!!!
The office is now closed so I can't even ring anyone.
I just want to run away now....

wiseupfast

Hi Ladyluck,

I didnt want to just read and run - and I am usually a lurker

Take a few deep breaths! The council tax demand can wait a couple of days until you can contact them. You and your baby are more important. Time for feet up and a cuppa, imo!

Perhaps you could post an SOA and see if the helpful people on this board can give you some pointers?

Well done for starting to sort it all out. First step taken....:T

Hugs

Ladyluck1

wiseupfast wrote: »

Hi Ladyluck,

I didnt want to just read and run - and I am usually a lurker

Take a few deep breaths! The council tax demand can wait a couple of days until you can contact them. You and your baby are more important. Time for feet up and a cuppa, imo!

Perhaps you could post an SOA and see if the helpful people on this board can give you some pointers?

Well done for starting to sort it all out. First step taken....:T

Hugs

Thankyou!
I did a SOA around a week ago to try and help us get by but this is extra on top
We literally would have to stop paying our debts and water/electric gas to be able to afford this...
They must know that surely!? They know our income

Heffi1

Council tax is a priority bill so other direct debits to debt have to come second place, ring thme on Monday and ask if there is a way you can reduce the amount each month but pay it over a longer time.

All other debts will need to wait.

Give Stepchange or PayPlan a call and talk it through with them as they will have lots of useful advice to help you.

theoretica

This may be overly high because of the two so called free months. If this is so, ask to spread it evenly over the remaining year.

ilovelondontown

OP- It sounds like this is the straw that broke the camels back. You already feel stretched to the limit, you've worked out a plan to get by and this knocks you off your feel at a particularly vulnerable time for you when you're about to have a baby and aren't really in a position to just cut back and eat beans for a while.

Like the other posters have said there is physically nothing that can be done until Monday so you're going to have to let this go and try and relax, it can't be good for you or the baby atm. CT is a priority debt but they are also suppose to appreciate that times are hard and circumstances aren't always straightforward.

I had trouble paying my ct and when I called and explained my situation the woman said point blank there was nothing they could do. I was in pieces to my DH and felt a such a loss, then I called again and spoke to someone else who said we could basically spread the cost over the rest of the year which is much more manageable and did so without hesitation.

My point is, try and keep calm and realise that you should call them and explain your situation, you're not trying to get out of paying you just need help to spread the cost a little given the circumstances.

If at first you don't succeed do try again, this does not have to ruin the end of your pregnancy or result in you loosing focus on your debt busting plan! Best of luck with this and the impending arrival.