Just got married (Sad face)

Youngest78

Hi,
i was after a bit of advice, naive as my query might be....
I have been with my partner for some time now. A couple of years ago she was made redundant and has is still unemployed, having had a harrowing time trying and failing to find a job ever since. I myself have been employed constantly.
We have always kept our finances separate, mainly because I have a lot (and i mean a lot) of debt. She has been in receipt of JSA.

We recently got married and once she informed the job centre they have now written to her informing her that because I work more than 24 hours a week she's no longer eligible.

Now, this is where the naivete comes in. We obviously understood that in getting married certain things would be affected, so whilst i don't necessarily agree with it I can understand to a degree that this has happened. But the fact of the matter remains that I cannot afford to 'keep' her, and her debts. Perhaps the argument is that if that was the case then we shouldn't have married, and if that's the case then so be it. But it strikes me as being broadbrushed to assume that simply because i work 24hrs+ I can afford to keep her. I can't. I struggle to pay my own debts, let alone hers. What I'd like to know is if it is likely I can apply for some form of parity, be it tax credits, or some form of tax break? I'm aware this might all sound a bit naive, i know none of this is ever simple where benefits are concerned, but I've never been married before, and did not look into the detail because, quite frankly, it still wouldn't have stopped us.

bewilderedhelpneeded

Did you live together as man and wife before? If so this should have always been the case

mummyroysof3

IMO you need to fill in a soa jointly to look at where you can make savings in the household spending. Then make a plan to sort out the debts together. You can use turn2us site to find out if you can get any benefits.

Youngest78

We have lived together on and off (due to my job).

We are more than prepared to tighten our belts and work together as a team going forwards and would have done so anyway, I just think it's rather unreasonable to stop it on principle without us being compensated via something else, such as a tax break etc.

NYM

Firstly, congratulations

Secondly, please don't expect Tax benefits to pay yours and your wife's debts. Get appropriate advice from CAB. Nothing is unmanageable and they will help you both to deal with things so that you can carry on with enjoying married life.

duchy

Getting married won't have changed your benefits entitlement -They don't care-it's about if you are living together or not so your benefits would have dropped when you lived together previously too - assuming you were declaring correctly.

Youngest78

I pay my debts and have been doing for years, i don't expect anybody, even the state, to start doing that. My wife has some debt (not a lot, and certainly not as much as mine) but she has been managing to cover her repayments with some of her JSA (which she has always been perfectly entitled to, given she has worked almost continuously throughout her adult life). Therefore, we do not expect the state to pay off our debts, I simply wondered if and how the hard and fast principle is balanced out. If the decision was based on our income and circumstances then fair enough, but this doesn't appear to be the case (i.e. I could be on 25 hours a week minimum wage and the same would apply).

We'll certainly speak to the CAB and see what they have to say, I guess I just came here first to see if there was something obvious i was missing. Clearly not!

DigForVictory

Congraulations!
The missus does know you're hideously in debt? (And still married you? There's love, bach - hang onto her!)
So now the thank you letters are written (by you both?) time to write up a budget.
Matrimoney - always tricky, but start early & when you're eventually debt free, you spoil her to each point of the compass.
Help? From the Government? In a word, no. There's a modest tax break if you've a family but other than that? You've married the best help you'll get.

Jobseeeker

Look into working tax credits. You say 24+ but you will need to work 30 hours to get them.

Don't be sad about getting married that doesn't affect your entitlement. Cohabiting does.

Poppie68

If you were living together previous to getting married the same rules should always of applied, regardless of you working away from home for periods of time.
Non priority debts could maybe reduced to the minimum of payments, also if your wife is finding it hard to find employment are you able to increase your hours in your current employment or are you able to find additional work?

duchy

It is co-habiting that changes things. Think about it-You're paying for one property not two, lower utility charges, even down to furnishings - you need one washing machine , one three piece suite not two, one home insurance policy etc etc. It wouldn't be fair that two people living seperately got the same as two people living together.