Benefits - tax credits etc

[Bellabutterfly2016]

So I've been made redundant and went to citizens advice this morning. I'd been on the "entitled too" website and thought we'd get something!!!!

We rent privately it's £800 per month

My partner earns £18k

We have one child and claim child benefit

Previously not eligible for any tax credits or benefits however me loosing my job (according to when I phoned them) is a "change of circumstances" and we'd be re-assessed although I'm confused as they apparently use last years figures?

So this morning I'm told I can only get job seekers allowance at £73.10 per week

No help with rent or council tax
No working tax credit

Potentially some child tax credit although it would be assessed initially on last years income as they do it in arrears and then I'd have to appeal which could take weeks.

I just can't believe after working and paying stamp & income tax for 20 years in my own right that This is how they treat people.

Has anyone else found themselves in this situation? Any advice would be gratefully received

You won't get more help because your partner earns 18k a year. You are getting 3700 a year from JSA. I don't know about tax credits. You just need to live on what you have. Your rent is half of your partners income. If you can why not find a cheaper place but I know that's easier said then done.

It just makes me mad when so many people obviously fiddle the system claiming their single, being self employed and hiding cash jobs etc etc - it's making my blood boil!

Our rent wouldn't be any cheaper within a 20 mile radius - that's about average plus it costs money to move aswell.

I'm just really disappointed that having worked my whole life I'm now let down and even the staff at citizens advice said that a lot of the benefits available like tax credits only really benefit people with more than 2/3 kids and single parents and people who are in a couple generally loose out!

I just feel it's unfair to honest people who just need to try to survive!

Paying tax or NI isn't so you can use it in the future, it's effectively your rent for living in this country.

The government don't want you relying on state welfare, they want us all to work, pay taxes and not get anything back in return. They want profits.

Actually people dont tend to fiddle the system, it is bloody hard to. Its just what you have found and that it is rubbish.

Okay so NI, is what you use if you need it but generally will always always use much more than you ever paid in.

What, so everyone else on benefits is dishonest except you?

yes they use last years figures but if you phone them they will update the details, unfortunatly thats the way it is ,its not about how many years you have worked and paid in its about wether your eligible or not .

You've been employed for years. You'll most likely have another job before contribution based Jsa kicks in.

Very few people woukd get anything with an income of 18k

People don’t fiddle the system...maybe they used to but those days are gone. Don’t believe what you hear/see in the media...as you will soon find,living on befinifits suck and is not a easy ride (just how it should be really)

single parents and people who are in a couple generally loose out! oh those pesky single parents.

However on 18k you will get tax credits (even as a couple) tax credits will just need to reassess you, which they will of your income has changed by 10k

And fwiw living om benefits i receive around the 21k mark with two small children (one of whom with sen and in receipt of dla) so its certainly liveable

I'm confused, you posted about your mortgage. Have you sold that property, or do you mean mortgage not rent?

Potentially some child tax credit although it would be assessed initially on last years income as they do it in arrears and then I'd have to appeal which could take weeks. Unless the rules have changed, if your household income has fallen by more than 15%, you can apply for child tax credit using the current years income.

Yup, all those benefit claimants living the life of Riley eh. Except, as you have just discovered, they don't.

This sounds weird that you don’t get anything. Or rent is £950 per month (me, OH and DS). OH earns £20k and we get about £300 per month in housing benefit and £150 in child tax credits as well as child benefit. We started claiming as I had to stop work and it did take over 6 months for us to actually start getting the money as it took them so long to calculate it all. Also because I had been on a high wage (and like you say they use last years income) we had to keep on at them to use our “estimate” for this year. I would just ring your local council and officially apply and see what happens.

Are you getting any redundancy at all?
For tax credits it works financial year to year so you have actually earned in this year already presumably so it wont be £18000 income this year but a fair bit higher (3 months of your wages)

I would put in claims for CTC and JSA, but be prepared that if you get a new job you will probably have to pay back some or all of the tax credits.

@TitsalinaBumsquat
I think I'm going to investigate further.

And for the record... I didn't for 1 minute assume or imply ALL people on benefits were fiddling or had an easy ride - this morning has been a right eye opener! My friend investigates benefit fraud and the team is huge and it's rife apparently!

Someone mentioned mortgages? We used to own our own property and had to sell it because after I went part-time after maternity leave and my partner lost his job and had to take a lower paid one we couldn't afford it. We tried but struggled.

We hadn't had it that long, spent a fair bit doing it up and ended up with about £900 profit after we'd paid all the loan we'd taken to renovate it and debts off! A tough lesson.

Are you married? I found I was entitled to sweet FA other than JSA, couldn't even access free training courses.

YABU to complain when you haven't looked into it properly. Tax credits will base it on your new income if your money has dropped that much. Then you'll have tax credits sorted too.

The Govt's own stats on benefit fraud is that it really isn't all that rife.

But ask them to do the calcs on this year's income, and just be really tight on keeping them updated on changes.