Please help/advise. Anyone? :'( So stuck.

Boppy_2

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your situation.

In all honesty i would go down the income support route for now, purely because if things get worse between you and your ex and he refuses to pay you one week, you will struggle. How it works is CSA will take 15% of his earnings for the 1st child and then add extra on for the others, they will then give you £10 extra on top of your income support a week (hope this is making sense!) You will also get child tax credit and child benefit. I found when i was a single mum on benefits, it was easier to be paid weekly (you are given that option) and i kept on top of things, we now get paid fortnightly and we're skint already and don't get paid until a week on monday *eeek!*

Don't worry about working for now hun, your baby is still so so tiny, i find lists a god send, i am very organised with lists, if it would help why not write a list of things to do so for instance 1) settle at your dads 2) sort benefits out etc, i find crossing them off makes me feel better too lol maybe i am strange!!

There is a wonderful calculator which will tell you roughly what you can claim, google entitled to and it should come up.

If you ever need anyone to chat and whinge to, do feel free to PM me, i know how stressing and daunting it can all be, give it a few weeks, enjoy your children and everything will fall into place.

Sending you buckets full of luck. xx

MummyToTwo_4

Boppy wrote: »

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your situation.

In all honesty i would go down the income support route for now, purely because if things get worse between you and your ex and he refuses to pay you one week, you will struggle. How it works is CSA will take 15% of his earnings for the 1st child and then add extra on for the others, they will then give you £10 extra on top of your income support a week (hope this is making sense!) You will also get child tax credit and child benefit. I found when i was a single mum on benefits, it was easier to be paid weekly (you are given that option) and i kept on top of things, we now get paid fortnightly and we're skint already and don't get paid until a week on monday *eeek!*

Don't worry about working for now hun, your baby is still so so tiny, i find lists a god send, i am very organised with lists, if it would help why not write a list of things to do so for instance 1) settle at your dads 2) sort benefits out etc, i find crossing them off makes me feel better too lol maybe i am strange!!

There is a wonderful calculator which will tell you roughly what you can claim, google entitled to and it should come up.

If you ever need anyone to chat and whinge to, do feel free to PM me, i know how stressing and daunting it can all be, give it a few weeks, enjoy your children and everything will fall into place.

Sending you buckets full of luck. xx

Thank you very much x

I have just entered my details (not that there was much to enter ) into www.entitledto.com

It has come up with;

Child tax credits: £101.08 per week
Income Support; £60.50

Plus obviously, once I've registered my little boy, combined CB of £31.
Which gives me a weekly figure of £192.50 . Does this sound about right?

In the "Rent" and "Council Tax" section, I left them blank as I'm going to be living with my Dad as of the weekend. Was I right to do this?Obivously once (if) I find somewhere to live, that will change.

Sorry to go on and for all the questions. Your replies are very much appreciated, thank you once again xxxx

Boppy_2

Yes that sounds about right, plus you will get an extra £10 income support once your ex starts paying CSA maintenence for the children. Also you have 12 weeks after your baby is born to claim a Sure Start maternity grant of £500 which would help you in a massive way so claim that ASAP. The rent and council tax won't affect your income support or child tax in anyway so yes you were right to leave them blank.