To do list for the newly single

andymoneysave

Hi, asking for a friend who has recently become single
Female, not married, 1 child 4 years old
Income less than 20k, assume partner was similar
Finances were already kept seperate

What can you suggest she needs to do to adapt her finances now that it's a single household with lower income? Eg. council tax, tax credits etc? Any suggestions welcome!

Oakdene

Apply for tax credits, both working & child, child benefit, child maintenance. When she gets her council tax bill for whatever property she is at she needs to ask for single adult discount.

Guest101

What did gender have to do with it? just curious

Primrose

Wells she should rewrite her Will as an urgent necessity, even though divorce ahould have negated her financial entanglements with her husband. I presume although the father will still have parental right withbthw child she should think about appointing a guardian for her child should he die.

missbiggles1

Primrose wrote: »

Wells she should rewrite her Will as an urgent necessity, even though divorce ahould have negated her financial entanglements with her husband. I presume although the father will still have parental right withbthw child she should think about appointing a guardian for her child should he die.

OP states "she wasn't married".

andymoneysave

@guest101 - I didn't know if it would make any difference or not TBH, I just mentioned it in case, I've got no idea about benefits and tax credits and so on

Guest101

andymoneysave wrote: »

@guest101 - I didn't know if it would make any difference or not TBH, I just mentioned it in case, I've got no idea about benefits and tax credits and so on

Without trying to go too far off topic - that is worrying.


Anyway it doesn't make any difference whatsoever so now you know

BNT

missbiggles1 wrote: »

OP states "she wasn't married".

The OP states that she is not married, not that she wasn't married. She has recently become single, which suggests she was not single before.

missbiggles1

BNT wrote: »

The OP states that she is not married, not that she wasn't married. She has recently become single, which suggests she was not single before.

Most people nowadays (rightly or wrongly) talk about being single when they're not in a relationship. I took the OP to mean that this woman and her partner weren't married, the relationship broke up and now she's on her own.

BNT

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Most people nowadays (rightly or wrongly) talk about being single when they're not in a relationship. I took the OP to mean that this woman and her partner weren't married, the relationship broke up and now she's on her own.

Yes, it could be read that way. But there is nothing that states that she wasn't married. If she has a child and is recently single, it is not unreasonable for Primrose to think that she was previously married. One could assume either way.

Primrose

In any case, regardless of her new status, if she has a small child she should have an up to date Will with a guardian named for her child in case her ex is no longer alive and able to take responsibility for her child in the event of her demise.