To be scared of claiming benefits for the 1st time

[Piratepete1]

DH has just been made redundant. It has been a terrible shock and we are still in a bit of a state. I gave up work to look after our disabled DD 4 years ago so she gets middle rate DLA and I get carers. She turns 5 in January and will be reassessed. She has mad huge strides over the last few years I have been at home with her and I suspect that she will no longer need DLA thus that will go and so will my carers. We have never claimed any tax credits or anything as DH was on a decent income.

He is trying to negotiate a pay off between £24K and £30K. Obviously this will then count as savings. I have done a quick audit of our monthly spending and we spend £500 on nursery (I need 2 mornings a week to help care for my grandad), £600 on the mortgage and £1000 on all other direct debits (insurances, bills etc.) I haven't even added in petrol, shopping, the children's classes which probably come to £600 a month. I can't believe we spend so much a month - it's been an eye opener.

Are there any benefits we should claim while DH looks for a job? I'm worried he will have trouble finding one and the money will run out. I know we need to cut down our spending drastically

The private medical insurance is very important to me as it has served us well over the years in some very sticky situations when the NHS has failed us. I will desperately try to keep that but maybe shop around

First thing he needs to do is register with the job centre and they will guide you

£150 on phones?? Ours are £17 a month each and that includes more texts than I could possibly text, minutes and data.

An mot of finances would, I'm sure, cut your spending considerably.

You haven't mentioned a younger DC and if there isn't one you shouldn't be paying anything for nursery for two mornings a week. £150 on mobiles is more than double a standard EE contract with free everything.

The redundancy payout even at the lowest figure is enough for paying expenses for a good few months. Your nursery feess will significantly reduce in september, and could do earlier if your dh is off work as he could care for the kids. You will get a substantial amount in tax credits especially with the higher disability rate ( that really does make a big difference). Unless your dh is in an occupation where it will be really difficult to get another job I would not be too worried.

I mean unlimited, not free.

Your DH can claim contributory JSA for up to 6 months while he looks for another job. That's not means-tested so it won't be affect by the redundancy payment or other savings.

You (as a couple) will be able to claim Child Tax Credits, but you will need to request that the calculation is based on your current income and not the previous tax year. Savings won't directly affect your entitlement but any savings interest will be counted as income.

Your DD's DLA will not be affected because it's not means-tested.

I'm not sure about your carer's allowance. For clarification on that, and any other benefits you might be entitled to, you could contact CAB (phone helpline or drop in). They can also advise on budgeting too.

There's lots of useful info on their website - see this page for example:
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/work-comes-to-an-end/redundancy/your-situation-after-redundancy/

Btw, for cutting down on bills, I recommend MoneySavingExpert:
Cheap Health Insurance
Cheap Mobile Tips
...and there are lots more brilliant articles on most, if not all, of the things you spend money on.

Not sure if this has already been asked as I haven't read the whole thread, but why are you paying for nursery for your DD? She would be entitled to her free 15 hours surely? Also she'll be in school from Sept, thus saving you from nursery fees.

Nursery charges 'top up' to the free hours.

Can I suggest in between now and jan you keep a care diary.

Use it to make notes of all the additional care your daughter needs in comparison with a child of the same age without her disability.

You may find it incredibly helpful when it comes to filling out the forms and you may find you have just got yourself into the carer fog with your predictions, (everything becomes so normal you no longer think about it so it fogs your perception of need)

If your daughter has sen s he might be entitled to extra hours you would need to go through social services or early years

if it difficult for your DH to find work, can he go carers and you return to work? Your outgoings are huge. you can cut £££ from there. Or is work for you possible at least part time? Sounds as if your Dd is coping with Nursery.

Surely it would be easier for her DH to find a job (given that he has been working until now) than it would be for the OP.

If it's worked for them for her to be the main carer I don't see why that should have to change now.

I could maybe see if I could get some supply teaching work but I haven't worked for over 5 years. I left after suffering 3 miscarriages as I was in a very stressful job and then became pregnant with DD. I'm very nervous about going back to work if I'm honest.

Sorry about your miscarriages
FWIW I think you have enough on your plate with all your caring responsibilities, and when your DD starts school you might consider going back to work part time, but personally I wouldn't be worrying about it until then.

I'm sure your DH will find something and until he does, you will more than manage on his redundancy payments and benefits / tax credits. As long as you do a "health check" of your outgoings

We have done a 'first level cut' and got rid of things we wouldn't really miss. Just cuts from DH and I leisure things, nothing that affects the children and we have cut out £500 so it's a start. I have had a stiff drink

How you should deal with this depends on how quickly you expect dp to get back to work.

If quickly, cut some expenses, claim cbjsa and tax credits and use savings/credit.

If it's long term, cut nursery, look for work yourself, cut car, private health, phones, any unecessary bills and shop in aldi/lidl.

Why do you think it will take a while for your DH a while to get back into work?

Getting made redundant after a long time with the same employer it can feel like you arent employable. However that is not true.

The first thing is for him to get to the job centre and claim contributions based JSA. As part of that process he will need to be able to show evidence that he is actively looking for another job. TBH I found this useful. It made me be structured in my applications and follow up on any applications I made.

Does your DH get any sort of support from his employer. If they havent offered it yet then he should ask for it. The worst they can do is say no. He can use this support to get him help to structure his CV. Fashions change with CVs so if he has been in the same company for a while then his may need a refresh.

Is your DH on LinkedIn? If not he should be. I know that when I am recruiting I look there to see how people are presenting themselves in the professional world.

Once he has a CV then he should get it onto recruitment sites

• www.jobsite.co.uk
• www.monster.co.uk
• www.indeed.co.uk

Who are the recruitment agencies in his industry? He should also register with these.

Marking place as I don't have time to write now. (Ds's birthday party. )

We went through something similar 5 years ago. Will come back later and tell you what we did wrong. (And right!)