Stay at Home Dad with FT Student wife

gonnafixit

Hi there

I am going back to college FT in September to do an access course, with a view to going to Uni next year. We have 3 kids and I am wondering if we would be better off for my husband to give his job as a s/e taxi driver and stay at home with the kids, rather than paying out for childcare.

Does anyone know what benefits we could claim if this were the case? None of the calculators online support student information!

Thanks in advance

chazsucks

Hiya,

My partner left his job to become a SAHD whilst I went to uni.

We claimed child tax credits and child benefit.

Because it was an NHS course I got a student bursary that had different elements such as childcare (Which obviously we didn't need or receive), disability, dependants etc.

I also got a student loan, which to be honest we would have been stuffed without.

Most benefits I enquired about we couldn't claim because I was a student and because we rented off of a family member we couldn't claim housing benefit.

If you are privately rented you may be entitled to housing benefit. And your council tax will be reduced for being a student and/or on a low income - speak to your council about that one.

Depending on your circumstances you may also be entitled to grants for getting back into education... I think maybe the turn2us website has information about grants.

tomtontom

As a taxi driver surely be can work when you are at home?

gonnafixit

That would be a great idea of he didnt need to sleep.

You cant honestly suggest that he look after 3 children aged 1, 5 and 10 in the day and then go out and work all night too?

missbiggles1

gonnafixit wrote: »

That would be a great idea of he didnt need to sleep.

You cant honestly suggest that he look after 3 children aged 1, 5 and 10 in the day and then go out and work all night too?

Presumably the 5 and 10 year olds are at school in the day and he doesn't need to work all through the night?

Also, Access courses can be intense but you won't be in college from 9 to 5 for 5 days a week.

gonnafixit

In order to pay his car payment, depot rent and insurance he would need to work all through the night. He currently works approx 70 hours per week.

Yes the older 2 are in school during the day and the baby is at home.

My course is approx 1hr drive away from home Beginning at 9am and finishing at 4.30pm 5 days per week - I understand this is because I have an additional Maths class to attend.

shegirl

You'll get child tax credits and child benefit. No idea if he'd get JSA but if he did it wouldn't be for long and he'd be expected to find a job.

One of you needs to be working. Sorry.

shegirl

gonnafixit wrote: »

Hi there

I am going back to college FT in September to do an access course, with a view to going to Uni next year. We have 3 kids and I am wondering if we would be better off for my husband to give his job as a s/e taxi driver and stay at home with the kids, rather than paying out for childcare.

Does anyone know what benefits we could claim if this were the case? None of the calculators online support student information!

Thanks in advance

What 'student information' would you want it to support? You don't get special allowances for being a student and don't get student loans for Access courses. There is nothing for them to take into account. One parent should be working

gonnafixit

shegirl wrote: »

You'll get child tax credits and child benefit. No idea if he'd get JSA but if he did it wouldn't be for long and he'd be expected to find a job.

One of you needs to be working. Sorry.

Actually one of us does not 'need' to be working. Sorry!

One of us 'needs' to be at home with the children. AND - having both paid into the system well over and above anything we will ever get back for the last 16 years, I have no problem saying that.

If you have nothing constructive to add, please just hit the back button - I came here for advice, not for judgement.

gonnafixit

shegirl wrote: »

What 'student information' would you want it to support? You don't get special allowances for being a student and don't get student loans for Access courses. There is nothing for them to take into account. One parent should be working

Meaning the calculator would not do calculations for people who stated they were students. It's not difficult to understand really.

It will happily do them for lazy sods, who lie on their !!!!!! all day, but not for someone who has never claimed a penny on welfare in her life and now wants to better herself.

shegirl

gonnafixit wrote: »

Meaning the calculator would not do calculations for people who stated they were students. It's not difficult to understand really.

It will happily do them for lazy sods, who lie on their !!!!!! all day, but not for someone who has never claimed a penny on welfare in her life and now wants to better herself.

But being a student makes no difference. You are still a couple with at least one person available to work.

And yes one of you does have to work,unless you want to have a small amount of money and potentially have the hassle of being made to find work through claiming JSA. You would get some housing benefit.That is the reality and it wasn't meant to be a judgement. It's just what everyone else does.

No idea how childcare help works if one parent is a student.

It's not about not being able to better yourself!