new panic

cdboy

Hi again, have just been fine tuning my forms online in preparation for the 8th but have come across a thread which has thrown me into blind panic.Please bear with me while i explain: i rent a room from a friend who charges me £475 a month which isn't bad for a nice area in middlesex and includes water, heating etc. i have to provide my own food and, since i can't cook normally buy a sandwich for work and a ready made meal for supper which costs over £10 per day.the thread i've read describes a standard allowance of between £160 - £190 per month for HK.is this right? any ideas where i can reallocate the costs?thanks again.

fermi

The OR does have some rough guidance figures to work from, but that is all they are, "guidance". And obviously they don't tell us what they are.

Really you should put down what you actually use/spend. The OR/examiners are aware that everyone's circumstances can be very different.

If you post up an Income and Expenditure breakdown, we can help you do a little tweaking, and make suggestions if it looks like you have forgotten anything.

dalip

Hi
Just post your whole I&E up and we will try to help as much as we can. When are you planning to go bc?

AmIdone4?

Hi cdboy:),

Yep the following link shows a guideline for costs... http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/dmbmanual/DMBM800120.htm

It does state £190, but recently posts on here have suggested that OR's have been agreeing to about £160 for single people... But all depends on the OR really. I would personally put £200 and see what your OR says.

Someone else will be along in a min, with some additional advice I'm sure...

Cheers

edit: presumed you'd already posted I&E:doh:

cdboy

thanks fermi for your quick reply.this is my expenditure as it appears on the online form:
Income £1150
Expences.
rent= £475
hk = £350( i really can't cook)
telephone= £25
travel= £160 (petrol to and from work and 1 visit each month to see my elderly mother who lives 380 miles away)
clothes= £35
essential payment= £38(car tax and insurance)
other= £382 to cccs
i don't see any option to claim for dental charges or things like having a hair cut(which may not be an issue after i've pulled it all out!!!).
any ideas would be appreciated

fermi

I haven't had a look on the online forms, but on the paper versions there is a section for "Other essential payments" where you can itemise everything that doesn't fit into the other categories. I presume the online versions must have something similar?

Others here are better at picking apart budgets than me, so I'll let them comment on the details first.

cdboy

have looked at the site http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/dmbmanual/DMBM800120.htm
which was useful, thanks. i'll try for £200 for hk although honestly is does cost me much more to feed myself.any ideas how i can use the allowance under "other discretionary expenditure"?
thanks again

scaredwitless32

cdboy, go along to the 'old style' board, here on MSE ,they have a thread with lots of cooking receipes and tips in.........you would be amazed at some of them you might get some good advice there..........................have I got the wrong end of the stick here, you mean you cant cook because you dont know how or have NO cooking facilities? gosh, feel rather silly now lol :o:o

dane-katie

Do you have to provide proof of your rent etc? as in a rent agreement etc?

wherediditallgo

Cdboy, I think the OR may well have an issue with your housekeeping costs, as £350 is well over their guideline figures for a couple with no children & for a single parent. One OR may look at it that you need a bit extra as you can't cook, another may say you can't cook & should learn, & yet another may say he's not going to allow your creditors to fund you eating out (I'm not saying that's what you're doing, but be prepared for one to think that way). This might be the time to invest in a simple & cheap "cooking for one" cookbook, as you'll be lucky to get £200 from them.

You'll probably be OK on your travel costs.

The OR will ask you what the £382 to the CCCS covers, as that money will be freed up once you go BR & will be taken into account as part of your surplus. If you've been paying £382 to the CCCS to service your debts, don't be surprised if the OR takes the view that you can pay a similar amount as an IPA. The CCCS are a respected organisation. If the OR sees you've been through one of their assessments & have been able to make those payments to them & still live, he's likely to question it if you claim not to be able to afford an IPA now, so I think it's only fair to warn you to be prepared for your finances to be questioned quite deeply & an IPA to be levied.

While they don't always ask for something in writing to confirm your rent, they may well do if you're living with friends or family. Your bank statement will also give an indication of how much you're paying each month, so it's pointless to say you pay more than you do & you could be in deep trouble if you're caught telling a lie.

betterlatethannever

cdboy wrote: »

thanks fermi for your quick reply.this is my expenditure as it appears on the online form:
Income £1150
Expences.
rent= £475
hk = £350( i really can't cook) i doubt any OR will allow that much. Do you have a microwave? buy one before BR for about £30 and buy a £2 frozen meal on the way home. Also get a bread roll and some ham for a sarnie. You could easily eat for a fiver a day or less.
telephone= £25 is this just landline or mobile?
travel= £160 (petrol to and from work and 1 visit each month to see my elderly mother who lives 380 miles away)
clothes= £35 you maybe able to up this to £50
essential payment= £38(car tax and insurance) thats low, have you included AA/rac etc and maintenance? tyres etc etc
other= £382 to cccs this is very high. Your payments to CCCS won't count.
i don't see any option to claim for dental charges or things like having a hair cut(which may not be an issue after i've pulled it all out!!!).
any ideas would be appreciated

You need to include dental/opticians/prescriptions.
Also hair (at least £5) do you have to pay for tv licence? or council tax?
Dry cleaning? holidays?