to think that too many people rely on the Tax Credits for their income.

[IdRatherBeInBed]

Bit of background first

My sister and her boyfriend has got back together after they split up last year. She was then claiming income support.

He has moved back in with her so her benefits have all stopped. she works 13.5 hours a week, he works over 30 hours. They earn £17k between them. Which lets be honest in this climate is not alot of money.

Shes just called Tax Credits to let them know hes moved back in and wanted to know what she would be entitled to WTC wise. Due to her HB/CTB stopping. Her rent is £500 per month, CT £100 per month. She is entitled to £4.90 per week.

I am sad for her because after all rent, ct, bills have gone out shes isnt left with anything. her food bill for the month has had to be cut to £200 per month. She has a car on finance (through my dad) which is shagging her tbh due to engine size (she got it when still with partner before splitting up and he had to get a 1.8 sport^^) her insurance with just her on it is £115p/m. - (she isnt 25 yet)

Anyway she called them last week to ask how much she could be entitled to, they told her £80 per week so she was like
"ooh we can afford this, we can afford that" so went out and spent £100 on clothes for her, him and nephew. I told her not to rely on what they have said because it could be wrong but she wouldn't listen and was saying 'it will be right'. Today she rings me bollocking me as to why she is only entitled to £4.90 per week.

FFS why bollock me - i dont work for them.

WIHBU to have said to her 'cancel your £24p/m gym membership, get rid of the car or change it if you can, stop getting things from catalogues that you cant pay for and get your arse of a boyfriend to stop spending money you don't have on shit like £5.50 magazines each week, stop getting shit for the garden you dont need, you don't need so many fucking flowery things to make a garden look nice.

Or what i come across as a complete and utter bitch.

She is one of these who says "oh i have no money" but yet has enough for new clothes or go out for a meal, or takeaway"

TheSecondComing- You can change your yearly income so its not based on the year before if you know it will be significantly different. DH and i income last year was much less than this year. We gave "estimate" for this year, not what it was based on last year otherwise we would end up paying f loads back to HMRC! Iykwim

Secondcoming ill tell her you called her a liar.

Anyway

Xstitch can you get some free legal advice? This doesnt sound right. If you can prove to the court why it is benefical for you to move and how it wll benefit your dc then Im sure there must be a way to get you out of this bind? I think you should fight this I really do.

CSA won't involve court I promise you. Its all done over phone and letters.

Xstitch I have also been thinking.

You have a medical background.

Would you at all consider retraining in the NHS? Perhaps as a nurse or occupational therapist? The NHS pays all your course fees (though sadly I think this has ended for midwifes) and you get a busary. If you go diploma level its about 6k

No i mean he will take me to court or report me to SS as punishment. He has form for it.

I have used up my legal aid entitlement the last time we were in court and for that I spent hours working on proving it was beneficial. However the ruling states that 'my needs cannot overrule a fathers right to be near his child and for said child's extended family to have ready no notice access' COmpletely ignoring the fact that the job was to pay for things for her :(. I have been told by more than one lawyer that I have no right of appeal. Only 12 more years to go. I guess I will be unemployable by then. :( I suspect from my constant failure I already am.

He can threaten all he wants. You havent done anything wrong. Dont let him bully you, get onto the CSA. This man is making my blood boil.

I cannot believe this can be right. But the court are allowing his child to live in poverty. This is sick. There must be a way to overrule this.Is there anyone on here with a family law background willing to help?

OK Coco, I'll play along and answer your question even though you won't answer mine. In the following post (T&C'd below) I found the 'may I ask...' part of your post to be very patronising, which is why I replied with my post of 13:55.

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Cocoflower Thu 19-May-11 13:47:09
Sigh...

So if you this year they turn around and tell you your only going to get £20 per month may I ask you what you would do?
----------

It all comes down to the tone of a conversation. I found your tone to be patronising and so therefore agreed with you that you may have come across as '"You shouldn't rely on them you loser and Im looking down my nose at you because you do and I don't".

Secondcoming's right - unless she's got a huge family there's no way she would be getting that much in CTC unless they've made a mistake or she's fiddled her figures.

Thesecondcoming is yet another example of the system and it weird ways is it not?

Already been through all that coco many lovely MNers have done what they can. He won't just threaten he will do. The truth has meant nothing to the courts in the past I see no reason to think anything will change. He has already reported me to SS there is a string of complaints against me. He managed to get me investigated by my professional body which would have meant I could no longer seek employment in that field ever.

TheSecondcoming- Im so sorry you had such an awful situation! It is a messed up system.

And i don't think much is going to change with this government..

something to put a smile on the people who can get a joke....

Skynews please stop attacking me because you are overly sensitive by imaging patronising tones . No offence but thats no really my problem if you find offence in, erm, nothing. Just relax.

I feel you are clutching at straws for some desire to make me a bad guy now.

I think its a far more valuable spend of your time to help xstitch now is it not?

Well Xstitch then if you cant move what can you do about where you live?

What do you think of my NHS retraining idea?

There is nothing in the town at all last direct gov threw up 5 jobs within a 20mile radius, 1 was for a qualified hairdresser, one for a gas safe gas engineer, one for a cleaner (didn't get it), one for a qualified mechanic and one for receptionist (didn't get it either). Have applied for 2 shop assistant positions but the closing date is not until tomorrow.

Not such a bad idea I could do nursing. Problem is it would count as a second degree so would have to pay myself which gets into a vicious circle. They are laying off nurses around here as well. I guess I could try for a care assistants post and see if I could get into training that way.

If you do nursing as a diploma I beleive the NHS pays. Its worth finding out about because its something you can enjoy and get some sort of income from.

Also lots of student nurses do bank work for NHS professionals around their courses and I think its about £9 p/h.

£9 an hour as for bank while still a student? wow really? I cringe when I remember my hourly rate when I was a student the first time round. Mind you there was no such thing a as a minimum wage then.

I did this for you (very roughly)

NHS Student Bursary Estimate Calculator
Thank You
Your estimated bursary is: £10,043.00
Bursary Calculation Breakdown
Basic Award £6,701.00 .Extra Weeks Allowance £0.00 .Dependants Allowance £2,238.00 .Parental Learning Allowance £1,104.00 Help about Parental Learning Allowance .Total Gross £10,043.00 .Contributions £0.00 .Total Net £10,043.00 .

So if you go for diploma it should work out fairly well?

I cant be sure its £9- I could be wrong. I did some bank work for NHS (unqualified) working with children in their homes. It was roughly about £10 p/h.

I also did some bank work as a teaching assistant and got £9 p/h.

However this is in Surrey so wages could be higher?

Helium
She'll get £58CTCp/w and £4.90WTCp/w but she thought she would be getting £58 CTC and £80 WTC per week.

How unutterably patronising this has all become.

Norman Tebbit eat your heart out.

idrather are you talking about your sister ?

So ,the outcome is better right ?

Oh ,my fault I read it wrong .

Hang on...someone gets £400 pm on £50k? That's an out an out lie.

I don't get much more than that and I earn a lot less than 50k (I get WTC which should give you some idea).

In 2005 I did a joint claim with XP, we had a joint salary around £50k and got something like £250 A YEAR. This was in the days when it was party central benefits-wise, apparently, so can't believe the super-thrifty ConDems would do something so profligate.

"I think that the recognition that people have a harder life than me, through no fault of their own, is just actually a HUMAN emotion as opposed to a party political one."

Well said Shirley.

I would not be able to work if i didnt get tax credits so i think its a good thing to rely on it
its better to rely on a top up of your earned wages to pay childcare etc
than to rely on income support to pay for everything surely?