Paying for 25 year old child

meer53

I think the OP just hasn't ever discussed their financial situation with their children. Fair enough the younger ones don't need to know but a 25 year old is quite capable of being told that their parents are in debt and that they may need to put some money aside for their future. Letting them spend spend spend, even if it is their own money is irresponsible.

It's a difficult conversation to have, i've had to have it with my daughter who is 18 as there is only my salary coming into tour house (she has worked a part time job since she was 16) but hiding it and then springing it on her would have been really unfair to her. She's now off to Uni with her budget set and a clear idea of what she can and can't spend from her Student Loan, she's already planning on saving towards her house deposit for next year when she moves out of Halls of Residence. I know she's sometimes been sick of me saying "i can't afford that this week/month" but better that than letting her think that money grows on trees as some youngsters seem to think.

silvercar

I'm still waiting for you to show me the government's statement that student loans may be reduced due to parental income AND the loan is inadequate to live on and therefore parents have to pay the differential even though there offspring are adults and could be as old as 25.

How many times does it need pointing out that the student loans are means tested?

Therefore they are reduced by parental income.

So either you think that the government gives those coming from poorer families more than they need or that they give those from families with greater income less than they need.

Most people would appreciate that the latter is true.

So now we are at the situation where you know that the student is receiving less of a loan as a direct consequence of their parents' income.

So you are struggling with the idea that you as a parent should have an obligation to act on that direct consequence.

As for the age limit - all students are over 18, so you know that the government expects parents to help with their adult offspring. It's for the parents to research when this should stop - there was no reason for you to assume it would be 24 or any other age.

Red-Squirrel_2

Tabbytabitha wrote: »

You could be claiming benefits in your own right from when you finish school to starting a job. If you spend those months being subbed by your parents then obviously you can't claim that they count towards a period of being independent.

I thought 18 year olds can’t claim unless they are parents now?

Spendless

maman wrote: »

Is this what you want to see?

https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance/household-income


As for the loan being inadequate to live on, I suppose that will depend on the level of accommodation and the location.

I *think* what the OP means is she expected even the minimum to cover most if not all of accommodation costs.

I've already said on here that Leeds Beckett accommodation prices shocked me to the core - cheapest campus ones were £6300 and that's on last year's prices. We live less than an hour from Leeds and I would never have put that as an expensive place to live.

My son has just started at Teesside, a lot cheaper place to live. We're paying his accommodation which is £3,300 for the year, which is mid-range (ish) on the ones offered there. His loan is just over £4K. He'd need a job pronto if we weren't able to help him.

I was very much under the impression (until I found out differently) that Halls of residence was the cheapest accommodation year a student got. That's what people who had kids go some years ago told me, I googled some mse threads from some years back and they supported what I'd thought. That it is no longer the case that Halls are the cheapest year seems to have happened relatively recently.

Toomuchdebt

When I went to uni halls were indeed the cheapest option. When my eldest went to uni I was shocked to see the prices. So far 2 of my children have gone to uni and both have worked through their courses to be able to afford it. I've had a low income and am currently on ESA so they have had the full loan amount, but they found that wasn't enough for accommodation and transport and the course itself and quickly found work.
In the OP's situation, if I had been assessed as being able to afford to top up their loans I would have, no matter if they were 18 or 25, unless we had discussed it previously and they had told me they didn't need it. I certainly wouldn't be trying to get out of paying in the final (most stressful) year!

maman

Spendless wrote: »

I *think* what the OP means is she expected even the minimum to cover most if not all of accommodation costs.

I've already said on here that Leeds Beckett accommodation prices shocked me to the core - cheapest campus ones were £6300 and that's on last year's prices. We live less than an hour from Leeds and I would never have put that as an expensive place to live.

My son has just started at Teesside, a lot cheaper place to live. We're paying his accommodation which is £3,300 for the year, which is mid-range (ish) on the ones offered there. His loan is just over £4K. He'd need a job pronto if we weren't able to help him.

I was very much under the impression (until I found out differently) that Halls of residence was the cheapest accommodation year a student got. That's what people who had kids go some years ago told me, I googled some mse threads from some years back and they supported what I'd thought. That it is no longer the case that Halls are the cheapest year seems to have happened relatively recently.

I think halls were good value until private developers saw a way to make a killing. The halls are luxurious but expensive and universities no longer build their own. At least, that's the situation where I live.


My DGD is at university in London. Her room in a student house is £7200 for the year which is cheaper than halls. For that she has a large room and shares the house and garden in Greenwich with 4 others. It's expensive but we expected that in London.

Spendless

maman wrote: »

I think halls were good value until private developers saw a way to make a killing. The halls are luxurious but expensive and universities no longer build their own. At least, that's the situation where I live.


My DGD is at university in London. Her room in a student house is £7200 for the year which is cheaper than halls. For that she has a large room and shares the house and garden in Greenwich with 4 others. It's expensive but we expected that in London.

I hadn't realised that re private developers. All the halls we looked at were managed by the universities concerned, so I sort of assumed they 'belonged' to them.

Yikes to the London prices. We had to veto DS choosing around there.

annandale

If a family is on 40k gross a year the student loan will be around 6615. The difference between that and the full loan is around 35 pounds a week. That is technically what you should be paying.

The issue here is your debt. As you don't need anyone to tell you. But for all the people saying how hard it is for people in the middle to live, the statement of affairs that the op posted up a few years back showed massive over spending in some areas while being hugely in debt at the same time.

This isn't simply about your younger kids not being able to go to clubs because you are paying out this money to your eldest child. It's years of overspending when you (I don't mean you particularly as you have an OH) could not afford it.

You've been upset that you've had to pay out due to your child's age. Then upset that they've taken the gross income and not the net. And upset because they haven't taken into account your debt.

If you are having to pay a large sum out in debt repayments just to keep your head above water of course you'll struggle.

But that's not the fault of this child. And if you had an adult child at home barely paying their way. Then it's up to you to try and ensure they pay more particularly if money is so tight for you.

Good for you for getting a handle on the debt issue. And I've had debt myself. I know it's easily racked up and harder to pay off than it's spent in the first place.

But there's a massive difference between being poor and the situation the op is in.

foolofbeans

annandale wrote: »

If a family is on 40k gross a year the student loan will be around 6615. The difference between that and the full loan is around 35 pounds a week. That is technically what you should be paying.
But there's a massive difference between being poor and the situation the op is in.

What do you class as poor? If I was a single parent working part-time my net income would only be £90 less per week than we have together. We pay for two cars rather than one so that's an additional cost. We don't get any free school meals, uniform grants or help with school trips. We have to pay full price for a college bus pass for another child. I have to pay the full cost of a training course for myself.
All of the things above would be free or reduced if I was a single parent and earning under the magical £25k figure. Then add that I should technically be paying £35 a week towards a uni student and we are actually worse off (net) than people who earn a lot less.
No, we are not poor but please don't assume the "situation we are in" is easy living.

foolofbeans

maman wrote: »

Is this what you want to see?
https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance/household-income
No, I have read that. I want to see a government statement or information saying "because off-spring (as they are NOT children but adults when they attend uni) may have a reduced loan amount due to parental income declarations the parent should contribute that amount to the offspring"
I think you've just been caught out by the generic start of term being September 1st. Personally it doesn't surprise me because it applies to all academic years from 5 years of age upwards but I can understand you didn't know.
I have to admit I was blinkered and assumed that university courses start much later than school terms so was a little caught out and I guess I expected that if a person is 25 within the academic year they would be classed as independent.
As for the loan being inadequate to live on, I suppose that will depend on the level of accommodation and the location.
I think with rising rents all over the country there can't be many places that you could afford on just the student loan amount alone.

Adding nothing in particular just because it says my message is too short!