to think i will have too much money on benefits.

[5toocoolforschool]

OK so dh and i have split up.He is staying with a friend and is finding somewhere else to live.We have 5 children.He is a relatively high earner and i have always been at home with the kids.

I have applied for everything i am entitled to (income support,child tax credits,child benefit,housing benefit, i will not have to pay any council tax- was not entitled to any of these before)

On top of this i will be receiving maintenance from Ex.

All in i will be receiving £3,300 per month!

That is only a couple of hundred less than dh gets paid.

I am porting this partly because i am sure i have missed something,should i not be getting maintenance from dh as well?Everywhere i have looked says i can.

Partly,i just think its bad.I mean i wont be claiming these forever,i have been accepted on a course (again which i wont have to pay for,which i will be given a grant for childcare)and after that i will be working again,so 3 years max.

But now i can see how easy it must be for someone to just see this as a lifestyle.

sash

yes

I dont,not at first anyway.

erm ok.

oh well.

yes and i have money to get by til then i am not living hand to mouth

like i have said at least twice on this thread landlord is fine,and even if she wasnt as far as i know they dont know anyway as the money goes directly to you.

sash

yes im on the tenancy and yes i declared savings,i have savings but not so much it affects anything.

Hooby it is ten for own room of opposite sex. 16 same sex.
Also as I said before the benefit cap ONLY APPLIES TO HOUSING BENEFIT. They cannot toych tax credits, jsa, income support, child benefit etc.

Like others have said, you're fortunate that you get maintenance payments, and also that your ex is a relatively high earner.

For the sake of clarity for those leaping into this thread to benefit bash, if the OP was not receiving any maintenance from her ex, then she would be getting £500pw in benefits (this does include child benefit, according to the government website). So, £2,167pm. Her rent is £1,200pm, leaving her with £967pm for everything else - bills, food, all the expenses that come with 5 children, etc. That's what your average single mum of 5 would be getting, as she wouldn't be getting maintenance from an ex. Does it seem too much now?

Social housing allows a room per couple , a room per over 16. Then two children per room both age under ten different sex or under 16 same sex. So five children of any sex /age would be three rooms plus one for parent/ parents = a four bed property.

OP not sure why you're getting such a lkicking here when what you're saying is basically factually true (except for the benefits cap). If my DH and I split up I would be financially better off as a single parent to four children than we are as a couple claiming no benefits barring child benefit. Generally speaking if you're on benefits it's actually more financially doable as a single non-working parent of a large family than of a small one particularly when the DC are young.

SoonToBeSix, this link states otherwise - www.gov.uk/benefit-cap

The only way for the OP to avoid the cap would be to get a job (working at least 16 hours), as if you are receiving working tax credit then the cap doesn't apply.

Matilda cap
Includes child benefit in the calculations however they can only reduce your income to the cap by removing HB. This will change under UC.

Soontobesix, just because that is what it says on paper does not mean that this will happen in practice. I have a friend in a minute three bedroom rabbit hutch. She has five children aged between 5 and 13, all male. They are like sardines in a can, it's sad.

Matilda the link shows the benefits they add up to reach a total benefit entitlement. However they can only reduces your Hb if that leaves you over the cap which it may if you have lots if children you can keep it.

Including your maintenance and calling it all benefits is wrong and inaccurate.

Your ex should be paying maintenence for his children whether you need it or not. This money if for your children not you. If you can afford to live without it, put it into savings for your dc, it will be handy when they are older and need money for college or to get started in life.

Ahh, thanks SoonToBeSix, you learn something new every day.

Just to clarify my post, I wasn't meaning to be harsh to the OP, and I don't think many people here are. She's in a good position in that she will be financially comfortable during a difficult period and will have some time to train for a new job as her youngest is still a baby. I think it's just the way the thread has been presented, and its title, that has riled people. It's good that the OP is going to have enough money, but the reason she's going to have enough is because she will be receiving maintenance, not because the government is being overly generous.

Including your maintenance and calling it all benefits is wrong and inaccurate.

What SnowyMouse said.

You're not painting a true picture of benefits at all, OP. Your situation is only a reflection of your personal circumstances due to your husband's well-paid job - yet you've alluded to it being down to having 5 kids upthread.

Shitty thread, really, designed to goad and bring out the benefit bashers. Thanks for that, OP, I really needed another kicking for being the scum of the earth again - haven't had one in, ooh, a week now?

And please please can you tell us about this wonderful course?

Matilda I agree with your post, op had a very misleading title.

Don't forget everyone has to pay some council tax now.

not so,depends on individual council's,i dont pay any

some on here sound jealous over maintanance,im sure some would rather the op was gonna end up on her arse

if she dosent recieve regular maintanance she will struggle big time,im sure it will make some happy if this happens

i havent had any maintanance for years for my three,pissed of YES,but i dont hold it against those that do

this is turnng into a very snipey thread

so your actual 'to live on' benefit is £1,200 for 6 people - food, clothes, gas, water, electric, car costs (if applicable) Sky/internet, toys, games, birthdays, treats, holidays etc

yep that sounds like a fucking kings ransom

YABU - you are not getting £3k+ in 'benefits' your landlord is getting 1/3 of that and 13 isn't benefits

hth :)

also income support will end eventually and you will need to work - which will change the set up - plus CTC, CB and maintenance is age related and wont last for ever

It does sound a lot but then I bet five children are quite expensive.

The rules for bedroom entitlements in social housing are different to the room entitlement in private rental.
I'm entitled to the 2 bed LHA rate for example as a LP with one DC. If I was entitled to social housing I would only be allowed to bid on a one bedroom property.

Op Ive pmd you.

Eric that's odd every council I know it would be a two bed.

Only if the child is over the age of ten.