Will i be entitled to any help?

united237

Hi everyone, 

i just wanted to find out if anyone has been in the same boat as me or can give me some information. 

me and my partner both regularly worked 35+ hours a week up until the last couple of months. My wife is currently pregnant so hours have been reduced and my work place is downsizing which means extra hours have been cut which means i am on a contracted 16 hours a week. 

obviously as you can imagine this is leading to some worry about how we might cope once the baby arrives so i am trying to find out if there will be any help available to us in terms of benefits. 

we have our own home with a mortgage, neither of us have debts or major savings, but we both feel when she starts her maternity leave it will be a struggle to cover all the costs on a 16 hour a week wage. 

any help or advice you can offer is greatly appreciated. thanks  

Grumpy_chap

united237 said:

Hi everyone, 

i just wanted to find out if anyone has been in the same boat as me or can give me some information. 

me and my partner both regularly worked 35+ hours a week up until the last couple of months. My wife is currently pregnant so hours have been reduced and my work place is downsizing which means extra hours have been cut which means i am on a contracted 16 hours a week. 

obviously as you can imagine this is leading to some worry about how we might cope once the baby arrives so i am trying to find out if there will be any help available to us in terms of benefits. 

we have our own home with a mortgage, neither of us have debts or major savings, but we both feel when she starts her maternity leave it will be a struggle to cover all the costs on a 16 hour a week wage. 

any help or advice you can offer is greatly appreciated. thanks  

Have you tried using the online benefits calculators?

comeandgo

Have you thought on getting a second part time position? 

united237

comeandgo said:

Have you thought on getting a second part time position? 

I have of course but the issue I have with that is my current job that I’ve been in for 10 years is in retail and the hours are flexible meaning I have no structure to work around. 

united237

Grumpy_chap said:

united237 said:

Hi everyone, 

i just wanted to find out if anyone has been in the same boat as me or can give me some information. 

me and my partner both regularly worked 35+ hours a week up until the last couple of months. My wife is currently pregnant so hours have been reduced and my work place is downsizing which means extra hours have been cut which means i am on a contracted 16 hours a week. 

obviously as you can imagine this is leading to some worry about how we might cope once the baby arrives so i am trying to find out if there will be any help available to us in terms of benefits. 

we have our own home with a mortgage, neither of us have debts or major savings, but we both feel when she starts her maternity leave it will be a struggle to cover all the costs on a 16 hour a week wage. 

any help or advice you can offer is greatly appreciated. thanks  

Have you tried using the online benefits calculators?

I have yes but it seems difficult to find an accurate outcome without the baby being born and knowing exactly what my wife might get on maternity leave 

MEM62

united237 said:

comeandgo said:

Have you thought on getting a second part time position? 

I have of course but the issue I have with that is my current job that I’ve been in for 10 years is in retail and the hours are flexible meaning I have no structure to work around. 

Time for a new career now you have a family to support?  

united237

MEM62 said:

united237 said:

comeandgo said:

Have you thought on getting a second part time position? 

I have of course but the issue I have with that is my current job that I’ve been in for 10 years is in retail and the hours are flexible meaning I have no structure to work around. 

Time for a new career now you have a family to support?  

If only it was that easy. I’ve been trying to find a new career for the past couple of years in preparation for this but not had much luck. 

poppy12345

As you won't need to claim for help with any rent, if you have no dependent children at the moment then there may not be any entitlement to Universal Credit. 

Once the baby is born there maybe some entitlement. Use a benefits calculator and put in different figures, which should include information as if the baby is already born. 

Dazza1902

Congratulations, becoming a father brings a whole new set of responsibilities. I wish you good luck in finding a job to support your new family.

peteuk

poppy12345 said:

As you won't need to claim for help with any rent, if you have no dependent children at the moment then there may not be any entitlement to Universal Credit. 

Once the baby is born there maybe some entitlement. Use a benefits calculator and put in different figures, which should include information as if the baby is already born. 

OP clearly states they have their own home with mortgage. 

Why has your wife had her hours cut - how far in the pregnancy is she, has she discussed SMP with her employer?  How long is she expecting to take off?

You can try a benefits calculator with your reduced hours, but any UC claim wil be a joint claim and so will take into account your wifes income. 

Although I somewhat agree its time for a change, may be look for a more perminant, full time role with defined hours. 

poppy12345

peteuk said:

poppy12345 said:

As you won't need to claim for help with any rent, if you have no dependent children at the moment then there may not be any entitlement to Universal Credit. 

Once the baby is born there maybe some entitlement. Use a benefits calculator and put in different figures, which should include information as if the baby is already born. 

OP clearly states they have their own home with mortgage. 

Which was why I said "as you won't need to claim for help with any rent"