To ask if anyone else is struggling on one low universal credit payment?

[Evasmummy2019]

I'm not working at the moment as I lost my job as a palliative care nurse while doing my 8th round of fertility treatment last March. I reacted pretty badly to the ivf drugs and overstimulated my ovaries making me really poorly. Thankfully I got pregnant. I then couldn't get a new job while pregnant as I had HG (constantly suck 30x a day) and then in and out of hospital for fluids etc then with diabetes, bleeds, too much fluid and at the end reduced movements. I had my daughter in December. My husband is self employed so took no paternity leave. He's only been self employed for just under a year and doesn't qualify for the 80% SE (self employed) benefit payment. We were living on £20 a week child benefit between March and April and have no savings as he only earns £1600 per month on average and it goes straight on bills. We've cancelled his van insurance, pet insurance for our dog and cat, reduced our energy bills, suspended our loan repayment and council tax break for 2 months . We get no benefits only child benefit for our daughter. We've been really really struggling. We applied for universal credit and was awarded £629 per month. That only got paid on the 6th of May so we've had to still pay all our utilities etc. And I hope our mortgage break continues as that money will be gone on the mortgage alone if it starts back up in June . Its been very hard indeed and our relationship has suffered. I also suffered a traumatic birth and pnd has crept in.

He can’t drive!

We've never been entitled to benefits or top ups. We've always struggled since going self employed. He's gaining clients and getting his reputation as a good tradesman. It isn't easy starting from scratch. I will apply for PIP for my daughter in the next few days. Wow some people are quite harsh on here. I'm sorry if I didn't explain myself correctly. I'm just struggling and really down at the moment. I was posting hoping to see I wasn't the only person struggling in this situation.

I'm pretty sure you are not entitled to a top up for one child on 1600 a month? Maybe 1600 gross, but not take home. You don't have to be earning much as a couple to not qualify for top ups.
As for people saying she should "get a job"..don't be cunts.
If any of this is true, then we are talking about a woman who has been very sick and has a poorly 4 month old baby. Yeah, MAT leave used to be 6 months (mine was) but according to MN on a normal day, a woman who has had a normal healthy pregnancy should be sat in bed for the first 3 months breastfeeding and bonding
Yeah, he could stack shelves maybe, but in the meantime, while he's looking they can't live on that.
OP, I also think you are missing an element and should check with UC. Try and get a referel to a food bank for now.

You are not the only one struggling but some people have been so indoctrinated by Chanel 5 "documentaries" they have lost all sense of human decency.

Channel 5 not Chanel 5. That's a perfume

x2boys he's getting zero salary as not working as cannot work from home

Why can't he go out to work? The advice is work from home IF YOU CAN, otherwise go to work as normal.

@Evasmummy2019, I'm quite surprised you weren't entitled to top ups on that wage. What reason was given?

Have you also had the advanced loan from UC?

You have my sympathy OP, it sounds like a difficult situation.

As the country is slowly beginning to open up, hopefully your DH will be back at work and earning very soon. Unfortunately, you not wanting him to work isn’t a good enough reason for him not to, the government can’t be expected to pay out for people’s mortgages when they are healthy enough to work. They don’t even pay people’s mortgages when they aren’t healthy enough to work. There are ways you can shield yourself within your own house if you’re worried about your DH bringing home the virus.

I don't think people are being harsh ,just thst your Op was not very clear,it's DA for children under 16 ,there are are various Facebook groups for child DLA, it goes off the need ,s of the child rather than diagnosis so you need to gather all your information and evidence before applying ,ie consultant,s letters etc .

We chose to go self employed and that's our problem apparently. We just don't qualify for tax credits unfortunately. We have a mortgage to pay and bills to cover so yes one of us does need to get a job but it's not as easy as that. My baby is only 4 months old and has complex needs. But not seemingly complex enough for any financial help from the government. The uc payment we get does include £258 for my child. The only thing I can think to do is appeal the amount. We were offered a loan but the repayment would be £79 per month out of our benefits so we borrowed from my father instead. And yes unfortunately all of this is true. I'm trying to be positive but in all honesty I feel awful. Anxiety is high. Arguments are rife and I just want to stay in bed x

Can your husband apply for a bounce back loan?
www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/05/small-business-boost-as-bounce-back-loans-launched/

Can he not go back to work? It sounds like he is in construction? Sites are now open.

He can get a job in a supermarket they still need people and it will help you for now. It shouldnt matter if he doesn't feel like it but money is money and this shud help you out a bit more. Also jobs going in supermarket distribution centres to.

For those people saying there are plenty of supermarket jobs around, not in my area, I have at least 3 massive supermarkets round me and a lot of smaller ones and none of them are hiring at the moment.

We chose to go self employed and that's our problem apparently

I'm going to have to be straight here, though you may well think I'm 'being harsh' again. Going self employed when you're partner can't work, and relying on someone else to even get you to jobs because you yourself can't drive just sounds like a non-starter to begin with. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it really sounds like your husband should have put off having his own business until your lifestyle could accommodate a lower wage, or it not working out at all.

Talking of not working out, do you think he will have jobs if and when he can continue his business? It may take months to build up work again, and other people may not want to spend what little money they have on employing him. Realistically, one of you needs to find a job. If you're really concerned about the virus, then the working person could just take a room to themselves in the house and be meticulous about disinfecting shared areas. There isn't an instant answer here, but at the moment your choices are a shit amount of UC or taking a risk and getting a steady wage (which would hopefully be topped up by UC and leave you better off in general).

Unfortunately a lot of people do struggle to get DLA for a young baby as their needs are high anyway ,but if you have,by applied yet than you don't know wether she would be entitled or not .

I'm sorry you're struggling. It's incredibly hard to rely on benefits. It really is the minimum to just survive.

It might be worth phoning the UC helpline to talk through your claim with an advisor. They can check you are getting everything you're entitled to. Unfortunately it's very difficult to get through on the phone.

I suspect the fact that you're homeowners counts against you. That would be seen as an asset. It's harsh but you could in theory sell your house, release that capital and rent while living on that money.
Of course I 'm not suggesting you do that but that's how the benefit system would see it.

There is something called a Bounce back loan for self employed businesses. If you need something to tide you over. SE can qualify for that even if they weren't eligible for the government support scheme for SE (SEISS)

Go to" GOV.UK apply for bounce back loan," enter NI number and UTR code to see if your dh is eligible. It's 2.5% interest, the first 12 months are interest free.

Equally importantly though is addressing your pnd. I'm not surprised you're struggling emotionally, this is an incredibly difficult time and you have a small baby with health problems. Can you talk to a health visitor or Gp? There is help available for you. Talking about it and admitting Hang on I'm not alright is the first step.

I hope things start to improve for you and congratulations on your daughter.

If things are very difficult then don't be ashamed to contact any independent food bank charities near you. The independent food banks do not require complicated referrals, they can also deliver to your home. Google independent food banks in my area.

If your dh is a tradesman as you've said, he surely must be able to drive, hence the van, otherwise how would he get himself and his tools to his customers?

It's not PIP for a child, OP, it's still DLA. It's very hard to get DLA for a baby, as all babies require round the clock care. If you have to give her medication or carry out any therapeutic stuff for her, make sure you mention it. Basically, you have to establish that she needs significantly more care than a baby of the same age without health problems. Submit as much medical evidence as you can, eg hospital letters, copies of prescriptions etc.

If you manage to get DLA for her, your UC will go up by £128 a month (disable child element), plus you will be entitled to have the carer's element (£160 pcm) added to your UC, which will help.

It may also be worth considering if you might be entitled to PIP because of your own health problems. If you have a decent advice centre or CAB in your area, give them a call and they should be able to advise you if an application is likely to be successful. (I should stress, this won't be quick: the DWP seem to be turning down every PIP applicant who's not actually in a coma atm, and we're having to take almost every case to appeal, which takes approx a year). Well worth doing though.

And please, please, take a look at your outgoings and see what you can do without, eg expensive phone contracts, Sky/Netflix, switch your utilities to cheaper providers. And see if you're entitled to a reduction in council tax.

He is also allowed to still be working; he doesn't have to stay at home. It's always been the case that if you can't work from home then you can go to work, so why has he not been working?

Which country are you in?

Scotland has a hardship scheme set up for people who don't qualify for the self employed grant. It's a one off payment of £2k.

Why did he stop working?

I don't understand why your DH stopped work though.

Construction in England never stopped. My DH is in the construction industry and has worked as usual throughout lockdown. He should be going to work!

OP can you get back to work ?
It’s a desperate time and your career is really in demand

That seems to most practical option right now

Either you work
Or he works
Burn construction and nursing need people
Right now