Please help SFE childcare grant.....will have to leave Uni!

kevsarred

If anyone can help I would be very grateful!

When I first contacted SFE they confirmed I would be entitled to the full 85% childcare grant. Based on this I decided I could just about afford to do my degree.

HOWEVER, they have since decided I am entitled to £2000 a year less than the 85% I am sure they are wrong but I keep getting conflicting info from their advisor's. I have already enrolled my daughter into nursey. My details are as follows and I would really appreciate any help as I cannot afford to pay the extra £2000 a year and will have to leave Uni in the next few weeks if I can't get them to sort it out!

My partner earns £13819 pa gross.
After tax and NI this is £12,144 pa.

We get £1055.60 pa child benefit
we get £4575.48 pa working tax credit
we get £3195.92 pa child tax credit
(although we will loose £200 per month from april 2014)

My child care costs are £172 per week for 1 child aged 18 months. She is at the University Nursery. (approved)

My rent is £425 per month (£5100 pa)
Council tax is now £714.35pa after 25% student discount.

I am entitled to the full maintenance grant and loan and the PLA.

Any help as soon as possible please.

silvercar

You have nearly £21k in income plus your maintenance loan and grant (£4k?) and the PLA. You may have to pay £2000 of your childcare costs. I'm sure it is a case of redoing your budgets to balance things, rather than dropping out.

kevsarred

Unfortunately our financial commitments previous to joinig University were already tight. Our outgoings include child maintenance for my partners other child, 2 x bank loans as well as other outgoings. I had to give up a job to start Uni, which was a huge decision and based on the figures provided by SFE we decided it would be a struggle but we could just about manage. They are paying £2000 less than expected, I was already expecting to pay £1500 towards childcare, so now out of my £4000 loans and grant, I have to pay £3500 towards childcare in total. I know technically it looks like I have enough income but my outgoings dictate my situation unfortunately.

Dunroamin

kevsarred wrote: »

Unfortunately our financial commitments previous to joinig University were already tight. Our outgoings include child maintenance for my partners other child, 2 x bank loans as well as other outgoings. I had to give up a job to start Uni, which was a huge decision and based on the figures provided by SFE we decided it would be a struggle but we could just about manage. They are paying £2000 less than expected, I was already expecting to pay £1500 towards childcare, so now out of my £4000 loans and grant, I have to pay £3500 towards childcare in total. I know technically it looks like I have enough income but my outgoings dictate my situation unfortunately.

Why do you only get £4k pa when you've said that you get the full loan and grant?