Help me i'm a single weekend dad

CaptainCaveman11

Hi everybody some advice needed please i'm struggling financially and cant see any light at the end of the tunnel, i will explain my circumstances.

I work full time i earn £13,100 a year so take home £950 average monthly now here is the problem being a single man with 4 children that live with their mothers i see them every weekend and pay my CSA every month £350, plus i pay rent of £450 a month for a room in a shared house (not ideal for me and 4 kids at weekends) but its all bills included, this leaves me with £100 for the month for all my other bills like shopping, clothing, travel, phone, and many other little things like more shopping when i have my children etc.
I just cant survive on that a month and get no ectra help at all, im over the working tax threshold and the mothers get the tax credits, they also (which bugs me) get child benefit, working tax credits, my CSA there wages new partners wages its alot more than i get!!!!!
It seems the single Dads who had no choice but to leave the house and belongings to the mum and kids are now dumped on the scrap heap and forgotten about!! I'm struggling i need to boost my income but the more i earn the more csa i will pay i just cant win
PLEASE HELP any advice is helpful

stusarah14

been there doing that right now although i have one of my children living with me now which i am happy about due to his past conditions !! i would love to earn a little more too as struggling at the minute but am struggling like you , just hang in there search these message boards and hopefully things will come right for you , nothing is easy money but is worth gicing it a go :-)

CaptainCaveman11

Its so difficult i do everything right like i'm supposed to do but get no extra help at all

Wizzbang

CaptainCaveman11 wrote: »

Hi everybody some advice needed please i'm struggling financially and cant see any light at the end of the tunnel, i will explain my circumstances.

I work full time i earn £13,100 a year so take home £950 average monthly now here is the problem being a single man with 4 children that live with their mothers i see them every weekend and pay my CSA every month £350, plus i pay rent of £450 a month for a room in a shared house (not ideal for me and 4 kids at weekends) but its all bills included, this leaves me with £100 for the month for all my other bills like shopping, clothing, travel, phone, and many other little things like more shopping when i have my children etc.
I just cant survive on that a month and get no ectra help at all, im over the working tax threshold and the mothers get the tax credits, they also (which bugs me) get child benefit, working tax credits, my CSA there wages new partners wages its alot more than i get!!!!!
It seems the single Dads who had no choice but to leave the house and belongings to the mum and kids are now dumped on the scrap heap and forgotten about!! I'm struggling i need to boost my income but the more i earn the more csa i will pay i just cant win
PLEASE HELP any advice is helpful

No 1, where do you work? Can you change your job for something better paid? Can you get a 2nd job?

No 2- I would definitely be checking with the CAB that you are not missing out on any benefits you are entitled to. That is a very low wage and I would've thought you could get Tax Credits for yourself as you are working full-time. You say you're over the threshold, but I don't see how that can be- my husband is a newly qualified teacher, but he is getting almost £2K basic tax credit and then just over £800 because he works over 30 hrs a week. So I really think you should be getting similar to that.

Kayalana99

£350 seems awful high. Have you checked this is what you should be paying?

CaptainCaveman11

Hi yes ive rang CSA and thats the going rate for my wages and 4 children.
also ive just got off the phone with Working tax credits and im entitled to the grand sum of £0 per year im annoyed nobody seems to help i just dont know where to turn to!!
I cant take out loasns or payday loans as thats a big viscous circle i dont want to get into

Wizzbang

Sorry to hear that has not been of help. I agree, that's a very large monthly sum of money for someone on minimum wage. Could you go to the CAB and ask for some help getting it reconsidered? I mean, it's almost as much as your rent/ bills alone. Doesn't seem right.

CaptainCaveman11

Its killing me im taking a trip to CAB on Thursday as can no longer survive like this, but im sure i will be told the same its just wrong everybody else gets help here there and everywhere while us single men get no help at all i could find more work or different job but more i earn the more csa i will pay its just a never ending circle i wish somebody had answer all these politicians seem to care about families and single mothers what about us single dads, somebody said to me go find a girlfriend but i cant afford to go out and find one or take one out thats not really the answer.
I cant afford to live alone in my own country and i work full time always have done and always paid my taxes csa etc its just so unfair!!

fragmented

Has CSA taken into account that you have the kids at weekends ?
From reading a post on Mumsnet (#5 in the thread) it looks like you should be paying 25% for 3 or more kids, minus an amount for the number of nights they stay at your place.... no discount for days tho... just nights.

naturaljazz

CaptainCaveman11 wrote: »

Hi everybody some advice needed please i'm struggling financially and cant see any light at the end of the tunnel, i will explain my circumstances.

I work full time i earn £13,100 a year so take home £950 average monthly now here is the problem being a single man with 4 children that live with their mothers i see them every weekend and pay my CSA every month £350, plus i pay rent of £450 a month for a room in a shared house (not ideal for me and 4 kids at weekends) but its all bills included, this leaves me with £100 for the month for all my other bills like shopping, clothing, travel, phone, and many other little things like more shopping when i have my children etc.
I just cant survive on that a month and get no ectra help at all, im over the working tax threshold and the mothers get the tax credits, they also (which bugs me) get child benefit, working tax credits, my CSA there wages new partners wages its alot more than i get!!!!!
It seems the single Dads who had no choice but to leave the house and belongings to the mum and kids are now dumped on the scrap heap and forgotten about!! I'm struggling i need to boost my income but the more i earn the more csa i will pay i just cant win
PLEASE HELP any advice is helpful

Hi
Minimum wage 40 hours is £13520 ?
A man like yourself on £260 a week (again min wage for 40 hours) Would pay £49 per week for 3 or more children.
You may have been on more when it was calculated?
You owe back pay?
There has to be a reason you are paying £100 ish a month more?
I appreciate you may not wish to discuss that on here, no problem. What I would suggest is you go to CAB and take wage slips/P60 with you and have them work out what you should be paying.
From what you have said, I dont think you work 40 hours. Your wage is slighlty lower than min wage for 40 hours. I agree about tax credits. I earn £10,053 and work in schools, so I work 30 hours and my wages are spread over the 52 week year. I therefore get £21 ish tax credits. I dont think your wages are low enough, but it is worth asking at the CAB.
Also if there is a Law centre near you or a welfare rights centre (google and fine out), you would be wise to visit them to ask the above questions. They are excellent. Good luck and let us know how things go... do not leave it

naturaljazz

Wizzbang wrote: »

No 1, where do you work? Can you change your job for something better paid? Can you get a 2nd job?

No 2- I would definitely be checking with the CAB that you are not missing out on any benefits you are entitled to. That is a very low wage and I would've thought you could get Tax Credits for yourself as you are working full-time. You say you're over the threshold, but I don't see how that can be- my husband is a newly qualified teacher, but he is getting almost £2K basic tax credit and then just over £800 because he works over 30 hrs a week. So I really think you should be getting similar to that.

I assume your husband has the care of a child? A single person with no children (as I am now mine are grown up) gets £21 ish a week working more than 30 hours earning around £10,000 PA (single people with no children cannot get tax credits unless they do 30 hours and so there is no premium for over 30 hours). My salary is just over £10,000 PA, I have checked etc and done online calculations and that is the amount paid for my salary. Your husband earns a lot more than me (I am a school TA), I would suggest if you do not have children that you check the calculation, otherwise you will have a lot of money to pay back. I dont mean to be rude by the way