To ask you to help me work this out?

[Lulu2021]

My head is a mess as I'm going through some relationship difficulties with a young baby and I'm trying to make sense of my entitlement to financial help.

I've done a UC calculation a few times but it comes out with an amount that i think is an overestimate.

My details are;

• FT salary of £47,126, net monthly income £2,516 after deductions.
• 2 DC (ages 15 years and 6 months) - no childcare costs for eldest, costs of £700 pm for youngest when I go back to work from mat leave.
• child maintenance of £120 pm for the eldest child only.
• private rented property
• no other benefits claimed
• no significant savings

It's telling me I'd be entitled to in the region of £650 pm as a single parent. Does this sound right? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Op what did your local housing allowance come out at, I will calculate for you?

@RazzleTitz

Ignore the nasty posters, you prob pay more in tax than what some people earn. I speak from experience as my part time wage is less than what my husband pays in Tax... you’ve paid into the system until now so why not get a little help if you can, it seems everyone else does. Doubt it will be £600 but just ring them and find out. On £47k a year your paying approx £575 a month in tax so if you do get £180 you’re paying in more than you would be receiving anyway. X

Yes. I pay £513 in tax and £375 in NI each month.

You won’t be entitled to anything on that wage, as part of my job I help families claim benefits.

@pompey38

A lot of envious hyenas out tonight , sad really

I wonder if they are equally as envious of my PND, emotionally abusive partner, lack of family support, and severe anxiety as they are of my salary....? 🤔

OP, I;ve only read the first 3 pages, so apologies if someone else has suggested this. The high cost of childcare seems to be the biggest problem. If you're on UC, you can claim up to 85% of childcare costs, if you need the childcare to enable you to work. I emailed my UC contact when I needed to claim for hoilday care. I just had to upload the childcare provider's invoice (with their registered childcare number, dates the care was provided and cost) to my UC account and a proportion of the cost was paid back to me 2 months later. (If this is standard, it does mean you'll have to have a couple of months saved up, as you won't be reimbursed immediately.)

@HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend

You won’t be entitled to anything on that wage, as part of my job I help families claim benefits.

Well as others have calculated op will receive some UC, maybe you are wrong ?? My own calculation indicates she will get some UC, but I need to know her Local housing allowance to calculate accurately.

@Babyroobs

£700 childcare is also over the maximum amount for childcare that Uc will pay for one child. I'm assuming this childcare is all for the baby as your other child is a teenager. It is 85% of £646 for one child. Unless of course if you have 2 children but don't claim for one you still get the 2 child maximum but I would suspect not !

Yes the childcare fees are for the baby only, nothing for the teenager

@Babyroobs

A poster earlier on referred to my housing allowance - did you see that post?

OP £935 a month for outgoings over rent and childcare seems a lot. Could you sell your car and get something cheaper, downscale phones / internet etc. I say this as a mother of two young adults still at home and after mortgage (and even with the highest council tax in the U.K.) my outgoing are less than yours.

@whistleryukon

There are some appalling comments on this thread. The ire and outrage that a single mum should dare to earn 47k a year and assumptions that she's living a self-indulgent, luxurious rock star lifestyle as a result and stealing from the mouths of the less privileged.

I earn the same as you, OP, and I'm also a single parent who dares to get nominal/no financial from my DC's father (according to some posters, that also seems to be all your fault!) I would love some posters to walk a day in my shoes and catch a glimpse of the easy life they seem to assume a single parent has just because they're earning above the average wage.

What really pisses me off quite frequently is the lack of notice given to the fact that there are many households with two parents in bringing in two incomes that equal or exceed this, and that these households are more likely to be entitled to certain things that we are not.

I worked so hard and did so many hours one year and got child benefit taken off me. Would this happen if I earned less even if I had a lovely, and also rich partner who earned over the threshold? No, just single parents who are trying to do their best for their children.

The OP wasn't knocking anyone who earns less than here but because she's in a position which earns her a good wage she seems to be fair game for horrible comments.

I know plenty of people who bring in the equivalent of your wage after deductions in large part due to benefit income.

Well done for staying strong for your children, keep going.

Your last sentence brought a tear. Thank you

[quote Lulu2021]@Babyroobs

A poster earlier on referred to my housing allowance - did you see that post? [/quote]
I did scroll back quite a way but couldn't see it. Do you know what it was per week ?

@Stuckhere2021

OP £935 a month for outgoings over rent and childcare seems a lot. Could you sell your car and get something cheaper, downscale phones / internet etc. I say this as a mother of two young adults still at home and after mortgage (and even with the highest council tax in the U.K.) my outgoing are less than yours.

My car is financed I can't sell it as I don't own it. I can look into cheaper phones for dd and I, yes

@Babyroobs it’s not 85% of £646 it’s 85% of childcare costs up to a maximum of £646 for one child so if the ops costs are £700 a month she should get £595

I also did a full calculation for her a few pages back using the LHA for the area so PMd me.

Agree about the nasty comments. So many threads I've seen where a SAHM splits with her partner and finds herself struggling for money and is lambasted for not marrying or keeping a career/financial independence. Here we have an OP who has sensibly done just that and she is "told off" for daring to have a decent salary. A mother's place is in the wrong evidently!

Why can’t you pay off the debts for household items if you’ve got a household income of approx £75k at the moment?

Three degrees sounds expensive and d imagine not many jobs need three degrees. However those costs can’t be undone now.

I’d downsize, move closer to school to reduce travel costs, get a cheap runaround and ditch the other car and continue working. I’d never give up a job when I had two children to support.

I’m so sorry @Lulu2021, I haven’t got time to read the whole thread but I skimmed your posts and not sure if you know about tax free childcare?

[quote QuestionableDanceMoves]@Babyroobs it’s not 85% of £646 it’s 85% of childcare costs up to a maximum of £646 for one child so if the ops costs are £700 a month she should get £595

I also did a full calculation for her a few pages back using the LHA for the area so PMd me.[/quote]

@QuestionableDanceMoves

Would you mind re posting my housing allowance please and the calculation you did for me? Obviously without revealing the location I told you in pm. Thank you

I think people are surprised that she is entitled to have anything when she has a more than decent salary.

@honeylulu

Agree about the nasty comments. So many threads I've seen where a SAHM splits with her partner and finds herself struggling for money and is lambasted for not marrying or keeping a career/financial independence. Here we have an OP who has sensibly done just that and she is "told off" for daring to have a decent salary. A mother's place is in the wrong evidently!

God, how true this is and how bloody depressing!

Oops, I’ve just seen above that you do know about the tax free childcare. I worked a full year last year without knowing anything about it but making the most of it now.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

I got a student loan to fund my first degree.
My second degree (MSc) cost thousands and was funded partly by family at the time, and partly by myself paying it off each month.
My third and most recent degree (a PhD) is the one I needed to qualify me for my career and is the precise reason I earn the amount I do. Without it, I cannot work in my field at the level I do (without giving away my occupation). The PhD cost nothing - it was funded.

Hope that helps

Oh dear god, please ignore me! You can’t claim UC as well as tax free childcare. My heart is in the right place, I promise! 🙄💐❤️

I would be amazed if you are entitled to any UC on £47K per annum. Its considerably above the average salary. And the child maintenance won't be taken into consideration.

It's ok I've scrolled back to the previous calculation and agree it looks all correct now Questionable has explained the maximum childcare.

@Viviennemary

I would be amazed if you are entitled to any UC on £47K per annum. Its considerably above the average salary. And the child maintenance won't be taken into consideration.

But people have calculated she will get around £293 per month, so she clearly is entitled to the help?