Why the F*** do i bother working?!

[secondchances]

Single parent in a private rented house that is far too much bloody rent per month! I work 24hrs a week not including the overtime I try & put in & the training that my employer sets up. All my sodding money goes to childcare! Why do I bother working? What do I see of that money? Nothing. The day my wages go in, my rent comes out leaving me with £100 to do the food shop then after that the child tax, working tax & child benefit goes either on bills or childcare fees. Makes me so bloody angry! I feel like im working for nothing in return. Having a bit of a meltdown at the moment & not enjoying 2014 so far at all. I was hoping by feb my luck would change. It hasn't. I would just like to cry. I feel better now I've got that off my chest though.

[StealthPolarBear]

I know it sounds obvious but could you move? Somewhere. Bit cheaper and/or closer to where you need to be?

[StealthPolarBear]

And it sounds as though your child are costs are. A big part of it. How old is your child?

[McPheezingMyButtOff]

Is there no way you can get any help with the rent?

Would you qualify for housing benefit.

It sounds really hard.

[secondchances]

I'd love to move but the only possibility of that is via estate agents & I cant afford to throw away £100 for a application to find out I haven't got the house :( DD is 7 but I work throughout the whole year so during the holidays is more expensive per day compared to 3 hours before school time. It feels like more hassle than what its actually worth to work eventhough I do love my job & I can get higher up in time its just right now is a massive struggle.

[secondchances]

I do qualify for the rent but its only £100pm which even then doesn't come in on the same day my rent gets paid so that usually goes to my council bill which somehow is £90month.

[Millipedewithherfeetup]

It will get easier, stick with it, when your chikdren are at school you will not be spending on child care, you will also have more experience in your job and hopefully be earning a bit more, moving might also be an option for the time being to keep your over heads a bit lower ?

[Millipedewithherfeetup]

Sorry finished my slow typing and did not see your replies to dd age etc.

[Millipedewithherfeetup]

It will get easier, stick with it, when your chikdren are at school you will not be spending on child care, you will also have more experience in your job and hopefully be earning a bit more, moving might also be an option for the time being to keep your over heads a bit lower ?

[McPheezingMyButtOff]

Oh my goodness, why so little HB?

[feathermucker]

Something is wrong somewhere!

Your circumstances are literally identical to mine.

What is your rent? Have you checked your HB award is correct?

Is your tax code correct? Are you claiming child tax credit?

Do you have a lot of debt?

Can you say a list of your outgoings and incomings as there's definitely something not right.

[mummyOF4darlings]

I agree with what others have said are you sure your getting everything your entitled to? I work 16-20 hours so a few less and get most my rent covered by hb although im constantly worrying they are going to tell me i owe them :/

[mummyOF4darlings]

And are you getting inancial support off the father?

[NoodleOodle]

Have you considered applying for HA house rather than private rental?

[Woodenheart]

That doesn't sound right at all, your council tax is also very high.

Also, I rang the housing benefit last week to ask why it was being reduced and the man said its because my tax credits is going up.

When I explained its going up to help towards childcare, he said ' oh we don't get told why, but I will send you a form from us, we can also help with childcare costs'

I didn't know it existed!

[secondchances]

NoodleOodle - I could apply for a HA house but the way the council see it, I have a house, I don't need more room than what I have, I pay the rent out of my wages so im not a priority. Im not likely to be kicked out of my home & I have no complaints about my home aside from the rent being high.

I don't get financial help from DD's dad eventhough CSA claim they're on the case, they try to ring him but he refuses to answer instead he writes to them which seems pointless to me since calling them would get things sorted quicker. I just wish I had a way of working things out right. My childcare varies from term time to holiday time. Holiday time costing £20 more a day. I now have to pay for childcare a week in advance which has completely thrown all my bills work out. It just feels like im working for nothing.

[Russianfudge]

Could you ask around for child care swaps at school? I save quite a bit in childcare doing that. At seven most mums agree that two is easier!

Or approach work about school hours?

Keep at it. I worked for years for no financial gain but am now reaping the rewards where mums who took five plus years out are back at square one. You're struggling now but building for your future. That's awesome. Keeping going

[BearPear]

Are you sure that your council know you are paying child care costs? Worth a call to check the assessment.

[bestsonever]

You are not alone, it's what a lot of people are doing during the recession. The point of working is to pay your bills, don't expect to have surplice for anything else . Life could be worse, you could work full time and then get no HB, no tax credit, no financial help from anywhere or anyone and still find you earn less than it costs to live. A reasonable standard of life without spiraling debt requires a dual income these days. I may do better by the time I retire - oh wait, my pension is worth a whole lot less too. Now and again it's all a worry in between you just carry on as it's all you can do. At least there is some pride in working and sends the right message to your children.

[whitedoorbell]

I found out that housing benefit do not disregard your childcare costs unless you send written proof of how much you pay.
I was livid because they can see how much childcare tax credits pay but want you to prove it.
I am getting 75 a week from tax credits for childcare but housing benefit count it as excess income.
I have 3 kids. earn less than 8000 per year through work and have to pay 114 per month council tax and only get 550 towards 950 rent.

have rejigged my child care now and told tax credits do they will pay less and hopefully housing benefit will go up.
Don't get me wrong I am grateful for any help but this is not the reality promised by job centre lone parent advisor!
roll on September when ds2 starts school full time

[qo]

I was penalised for having an odd pay cycle, the council refused to accept a 5 week payslip as anything other than my normal monthly wage (it wasn't) and that was despite a copy of my pay schedule from head office and a letter from my immediate boss outlining the situation.

After travel costs, I was actually £11 WORSE off than I had been when unemployed. I ended up in a lot of debt through that job.

They really don't like making things easy for you at times, I sympathise

[antimatter]

Even when I was married all my wages for many years went for childcare, I think for 6 years. I was working full time. Ex's salary was to cover the rest of our bills + holidays.
What I recoup now is the continuity of working, decent wage and career I enjoy. And that even though I am single parent I can afford lots of things.

Once your child will be 12 you will no longer pay your childcare costs, can up your hours to full time. I guess that's under 5 years away.

[secondchances]

RussianFudge - What is childcare swaps? A friend of mine has offered to have DD on the early shifts during some holidays & if need be school days but because of the longer walking distance DD would have to get up at 5am instead of 5:45am. I struggle with early shifts but it had to change to all early shifts because I had no childcare for later ones.

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

woodenheart

Do this asap,

Letter to HB confirming total childcare costs inc either a letter or receipts from the childcare provider with their registration number.

This means that 100% (up to either £175 pw for 1 child £300 pw for 2 or more) of your costs gets protected and deducted from your available income.

You don't need a form and they will only access it from the Monday after you inform (unless you have good reason to backdate a month but you have to ask them to do that).

In reality with the way the disregards and excluded income and premiums work you will be slightly better off in work

[NeedsAsockamnesty]

op if you want to pm me income details and childcare costs I'm happy to do a proper benefit check for you with out of work comparison as well

[Russianfudge]

Get chatting with other mums at school and see if you can swap days, so if you're off on Tues, and she's of Thursday, have each others kid on the day you're off. I've saved loads of money!