Page 3 | To ask what benefits I'm entitled to?

GlitterGoddess · 2018-08-30T18:49:23+00:00

Hi all, pregnant with first child, will soon be on mat leave, partner is a full time worker and we own our own home. I would like to stay on mat leave as long as possible (as quite frankly I don't earn enough to merit going back to work and paying for childcare) So, what benefits am I entitled to help us? I'm not glued up with it all as ive never claimed any kind of benefit before! Thanks [smile]

PerryPerryThePlatypus · 30/08/2018 21:44

Do not give up work if you are not married.

Seniorcitizen1 · 30/08/2018 21:45

Go to citizens advice or local council who will be able to tell you what your entitlement is. Some bitchy posts here - the key word is entitlement.

LeftRightCentre · 30/08/2018 21:54

I can't believe people actually look to the state to help them live more comfortably just because they've paid tax and decided to reproduce. Unbelievable! But what's even more shocking is the number of people, usually women, who give up work to be supported by an unmarried partner when a simple Google search can reveal that doing so is financially one of the worst things a person can do.

Emmageddon · 30/08/2018 22:33

I think the OP is naive rather than entitled.

What a lovely world we would live in, if we could all give up work on the birth of our first child, and have some help from the welfare state to make life more comfortable.

Alas, paying taxes isn't like paying into a savings account, to be drawn out when a little extra money would be useful.

MardyMavis · 30/08/2018 22:44

This is a joke surely? £50k and you want benefits too....benefits are there for people with fuck all.

Ninabean17 · 30/08/2018 23:21

I think your best option is to go the the gov website. It'll ask you for a tiny bit of info which should tell you what you'll be entitled to. Unfortunately tax isn't a savings account, you're being unreasonable to think you can dip into it because you've paid.

6triesbuttingout · 30/08/2018 23:37

Ffs, people like you are why this country is in such a state. Benefits are meant to help those in genuine need. They are not a right because you’ve paid tax.

SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning · 30/08/2018 23:43

Great at money management but unable to google benefit entitlement....? Does not compute. :( :( :(

recluse · 30/08/2018 23:44

Ffs people like you are why this country is in such a state.

Again, not true.

The tiny proportion of people who might be defrauding the system (and the OP was simply asking what she might be entitled to) is nothing, and there are concurrently millions of pounds in unclaimed benefits every year.

But that’s not even the point - the Tory / gutter press way is to pit us against each other, while the real culprits - corporate tax avoidance and offshore tax havens for example, carry on as usual.

fontofnoknowledge · 31/08/2018 00:22

Sometimes MN is so fucking bonkers it defies belief.

I'm was a benefit fraud investigator for 32 yrs until a recent change. I have lost count of the amount of threads on here where neighbours who suspect benefit fraud are told to mind there own business as they 'aren't stealing your money'. Yet when someone asks, quite reasonably what they MIGHT be entitled to, they are jumped on . AND told utter bollocks by people like sugarhunnyicedtea making it up as they go along.

Benefits aren't a moral issue ffs. You are either entitled or not. Every benefit is governed by conditions of entitlement.
Glittergoddess all you need to do is get on the Turn2us website and put accurate details in. As long as you tell the truth you are entitled if it says so. *
None of us can tell you as we don't know how much rent you pay. In my area £1400 is a 'normal' rent. (It's really not - it's fucking criminal , but it's the amount the council considers reasonable for a family that require a 3 bedroom house). On that basis and with minimal overtime you would be entitled to some universal credit or housing benefit depending which system is running where you live. We also don't know if anyone in your household has a disability or cares for anyone. All kinds of variables. It's worth checking every time. And for others to stop being so fucking pompous.*

After 3 decades prosecuting those who steal , I like to think that welfare goes to those who actually qualify. Good luck OP . Those who pay low mortgages or are lucky enough to live in an area of reasonable rent may thing 50k unimaginable wealth. All I say is have a look at Private rent costs, add trying to save a deposit and all other bills, and wind your necks in.

MrsTerryPratchett · 31/08/2018 00:27

They own their home, so rents are sort of irrelevant.

BlueSky198080 · 31/08/2018 01:22

‘To live a bit more comfortably’

And there’s many struggling to claim any benefits just so they can heat their home and feed their children, struggling for basic needs. Yet others want it to live more ‘comfortably’.........

Graphista · 31/08/2018 02:35

"the key word is entitlement" well you got one part right!

If op went to cab or council with this attitude she'd be lucky if they didn't laugh her out the place!

Fontof - what is the cut off for tax credits? By some playing around on the govts own tax credits calculator and entitled to based on op not paying rent it seems to be around £25000.

As someone living on £1000pcm and that includes disability benefits, who barely breaks even each month and who HAS been a private tenant on that income or less inc in the expensive south east of the country, and to whom an income of even 'just' £30k DOES seem like 'unimaginable wealth' I feel I am in a position to comment!

EmiliaAirheart · 31/08/2018 02:35

So how much will you be bringing home after paying for half of childcare (noting half is your partners responsibility)?

As long as it’s more than £20, it should be worthwhile for you to go back to work - as you said yourself, “every little helps”.

ThistleAmore · 31/08/2018 03:24

As a childfree higher-rate tax payer, who (quite happily) contributes to other people's health care, education etc through taxes, should I try to break a leg or something every couple of years just so that I can get what I'm 'entitled' to?

Jesus actual tap-dancing Christ. You live in a £50k+ household and you think you're 'entitled' to anything?

Imknackeredzzz · 31/08/2018 03:29

This has to be a wind up

SilverySurfer · 31/08/2018 03:33

When you choose to have a child it is your responsibility to pay for it. It's something you should have thought about before to having the child.

We've both paid enough tax the past 15 years to claim some back if it helps us live a bit more comfortably for a while

FFS - paying tax is not putting it into a savings account that you can dip into when you feel like it. If you can't afford to live on your partner's salary you will have to go back to work like millions of other mothers.

Benefits are for people who find themselves in financial difficulty who need it for heating and food, not for those who fancy giving up work for a few years and relying on other people to pay for them, via their taxes, to 'live comfortably'.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 31/08/2018 03:54

We've both paid enough tax the past 15 years to claim some back if it helps us live a bit more comfortably for a while

That’s not how it works, OP. You don’t just get to claim some back when you feel like you’ve worked hard enough or put enough in (you haven’t anyway). It’s not a pot there just for you to dip in to when you want to.

It’s a safety net for those in need, and you are not in need.

BarbaraofSevillle · 31/08/2018 06:34

Ignoring all the hysteria, obviously you will only be entitled to CB at £20 pw for the first child, be aware that if your DHs salary after pension costs goes above £50k, some of this will be repayable, but the best way to do this is claim it, and he pays some back, so you still get your NI credits.

You say it won't be worth you working, but you have to think of the long term impact of being out of the workplace. You might not be able to walk back into a well paid full time job after years of being a SAHM so in the early years working for 'nothing' can be a good investment in keeping your career on track and there are various schemes such as tax free childcare that will help with the cost of childcare.

Sugarhunnyicedtea · 31/08/2018 08:17

Sorry @fontofnoknowledge where did I spout utter bollocks?? She's a homeowner, rent is irrelevant and tax credits does have a 'cut off' although I think I was a bit generous with the figure.

LeftRightCentre · 31/08/2018 09:22

You say it won't be worth you working, but you have to think of the long term impact of being out of the workplace. You might not be able to walk back into a well paid full time job after years of being a SAHM so in the early years working for 'nothing' can be a good investment in keeping your career on track and there are various schemes such as tax free childcare that will help with the cost of childcare.

This, plus the fact that you are not married. You have precious few rights in the event of a split and yes, everyone thinks it will never happen to them, hence, it's never a good idea to stop working FT when you have a child with a partner for this reason unless you are independently wealthy.

GettingAwayWithIt · 31/08/2018 09:39

Congratulations on your pregnancy OP. As many have stated above you’ll get Child Benefit which is £20.70 a week. You’ll need to send off your baby’s birth certificate to claim this and there is a form to fill in.

Make sure before you make any decision to not go back to work that you really do want to be a SAHM. I’m on maternity leave now and will be going back to work for £16,000 a year (four days) We're putting our daughter in a nursery two days and have the huge benefit of our parents to look after her on the other two days, a day each. I didn’t really want to give up work as i really do love my job, which is a rarity in itself! I also wanted to continue contributing to my workplace pension, as although we are married, I want to make sure I can look after myself. I also don’t want the chew of looking for work after taking X number of years out to be a SAHM. Finally, having spent five months with my lovely little daughter I am looking forward to having something outside of being a Mam, as rewarding as it is.

MsHopey · 31/08/2018 09:47

I had SMP and wasn't entitled to anything other than child benefit. DH earns 12k.
Now SMP has ended and I'm at home with DS we get the child benefit and average £380 a month universal credit. I don't think you'll get much on nearly 50k a year tbh.

TotHappy · 31/08/2018 09:50

My partners on 33000 and I'm a sahm. F you're it planning on earning more than the tax threshold, you can make some of your personal tax allowance over to your husband, which will bring him another 200 a year or so in take home pay. Look up Married Tax Allowance.

BarbarianMum · 31/08/2018 10:01

Separate point

As you are not married you need to think really carefully before giving up work or damaging your work prospects. Dont set the cost of childcare against your salary. If you do all the childcare Mon-Fri then your dp should be paying for 2.5 days of childcare straight off. That gives you 2.5 days in which to work. Only after that do you start funding it.