baby due in 2 weeks what could i be entitled to

petermc_2

both on low income please help not long to go. mean due not die.me self employed jenni minimum wage in hotel. thanks for help

petermc_2

sorry spell check meant due in 2 weeks

Badger_Lady

Welcome to the boards. Advise:

1) Change the title of this thread - I assume you meant "baby due"

2) Go to www.entitledto.co.uk - you can fill in all your details and it will calculate your entitlement.

asea

That titled scared me!!!

bestpud

You will be entitled to child benefit, which is about £18 a week for the eldest child - I think! You can claim this once the baby is born - do it asap but they will back date to the birth.

If you are on less than around £60,000 a year (it sounds like you are!) then you will be entitled to child tax credits. If your income is lower, you may get working tax credit too. Just put a claim in after the baby is born and they will work out what you are entitled to. You will need to give your income for the tax year 2007-8, but let them know if your income has gone down this year.

You may also be able to get the maternity grant of £500. you can get the form from the midwife and you could claim for that now, or up to 3 months after the birth. It depends on your income so if you are unsure, claim anyway.

Other than that, you may get housing benefit or council tax benefit if your income is very low (the thresholds are much lower then for tax credits).

And, lastly, you will possibly get help with childcare, through your tax credits if you both continue to work, and if your income is below around £14,000, you may get free prescriptions, NHS dental care and eye tests etc.

That's all I can think of! It is all dependent on your income, except the child benefit, which pretty much everyone gets.

Good luck with everything!