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.

@Jangle33

That said - I more than share your anger that he wouldn't pay any maintenance- trust me!!

Everyone saying the OP should not be entitled on that salary.

Can you not see that it is better this way?

If she gets no help, she will have to give up her job, claim a lot more money and also pay no NI or Income tax. The public purse would be worse off.

Please think and engage critical thinking before posting bile.

You don't have to explain where the child of your father is it's non of anyone's business... bloody cheek.

I completely disagree. I don't think that it's unreasonable for people to ask what contribution the kids father's are making. And despite the fact that the youngest's father avoided paying out for the first one doesn't mean that he'll be able to avoid the second one. So it is entirely reasonable to expect the OP to lodge a claim for child support before turning to the tax payer and getting them to foot the bill for another man's child.

Fair enough OP, but he should be contributing as well. Why should he not provide for his kids and all the burden fall on you. Glad some more knowledgeable posters are helping with entitlement.

Fathers shouldn’t be able to get away with this regardless of what benefits entitlement are.

@MiddlesexGirl

To a PP - OP does have a housing element so the lower work allowance applies.

OP - I doubt that entitled to would get the LHA wrong. If you input the postcode and the ages and sexes of the children correctly then it's housing element figure should be accurate.
With entitled to you can usually click on the various elements of the calculation to get more information about that particular part.

Ok thank you.

I think where I have tied myself in knots and confused myself with the calculation is, it asked me what my postcode is, but this isn't the house I expect to be living in when we split because the rent is higher than I could comfortably pay alone. So I changed my rent amount to £600 🤦🏼‍♀️ I've basically made a hash of the online calculation 😂

Thank god there are some knowledgeable and helpful posters on here.

@Jangle33

Fair enough OP, but he should be contributing as well. Why should he not provide for his kids and all the burden fall on you. Glad some more knowledgeable posters are helping with entitlement.

Fathers shouldn’t be able to get away with this regardless of what benefits entitlement are.

I hear you. I really honestly do. I'll be doing what I can within my power to make sure he contributes something for my DD.

@Whatamesssss

Everyone saying the OP should not be entitled on that salary.

Can you not see that it is better this way?

If she gets no help, she will have to give up her job, claim a lot more money and also pay no NI or Income tax. The public purse would be worse off.

Please think and engage critical thinking before posting bile.

So true. Hadn't even thought of this when I was being criticised!

@QuestionableDanceMoves

Can everyone stop piling in saying OP earns too much, shouldn’t claim etc it isn’t helpful- she asked a question, she doesn’t need criticism. If you feel the system is wrong then take it up with your MP If she lived in my area she’d be entitled to around £588 per month UC Have you had any luck getting your lha rate *@Lulu2021*?

You have to be kidding!?

Why on Earth would someone almost £50k qualify for state help when many others in a low income do not?

@Lulu2021. Many single working parents have to cope on a lot less money, they have bills & rent too. You need to cut your cloth.

I'm astounded that anyone on your income is entitled to UC.

The bedroom thing is blowing my mind a bit

Hypothetically:
An allowance for a 2 bed is £100
An allowance for a 3 bed is £120

If you didn’t work you would be entitled to the full amount of the allowance depending on whether you need a 2 or a 3 bed.
As your ‘need’ is a 2 bed as your children can share you will only get the allowance for a 2 bed and not a 3 bed.
When your circumstances change you should be eligible for the 3 bed allowance.
3 beds are more expensive than 2 beds so you would get more money to cover the costs of the 3rd bedroom.

You can obviously still have a 3 bed now but UC will only pay a maximum £100 (or whatever the 2 bed entitlement is) so if you pay more rent than that you will have to cover the rest out of your earnings.

As you are working you won’t get the full allowance paid anyway and I’d be surprised if you get much help, if any towards your rent so you want to look for homes that you can afford without UC so then if you do get help towards your rent it will be a bonus.

FWBNC - Op will only receive help because of the childcare costs. Once 30 free hours kick in at age 3 she likely won't get anything. It is help for a few short years.

@toocold54

The bedroom thing is blowing my mind a bit

Hypothetically:
An allowance for a 2 bed is £100
An allowance for a 3 bed is £120

If you didn’t work you would be entitled to the full amount of the allowance depending on whether you need a 2 or a 3 bed.
As your ‘need’ is a 2 bed as your children can share you will only get the allowance for a 2 bed and not a 3 bed.
When your circumstances change you should be eligible for the 3 bed allowance.
3 beds are more expensive than 2 beds so you would get more money to cover the costs of the 3rd bedroom.

You can obviously still have a 3 bed now but UC will only pay a maximum £100 (or whatever the 2 bed entitlement is) so if you pay more rent than that you will have to cover the rest out of your earnings.

As you are working you won’t get the full allowance paid anyway and I’d be surprised if you get much help, if any towards your rent so you want to look for homes that you can afford without UC so then if you do get help towards your rent it will be a bonus.

Everyone on UC gets a rent element if they rent ! But earnings reduce the whole award. It is not a case of op not getting help with her rent.

So true. Hadn't even thought of this when I was being criticised

It's hard to think when you are being attacked left, right and centre.

People should be praising you for being the responsible one, staying and raising the kids, working full time and running the household. You have not fucked off and left your partner destitute and 2 kids to raise.

The sooner society starts placing blame where it belongs the better.

@Whatamesssss

Everyone saying the OP should not be entitled on that salary.

Can you not see that it is better this way?

If she gets no help, she will have to give up her job, claim a lot more money and also pay no NI or Income tax. The public purse would be worse off.

Please think and engage critical thinking before posting bile.

Presumably UC is only required due to the extortionate costs of childcare - and won't be needed once child starts school. If you have read other posts etc childcare costs are a killer and why many women choose to stay at home when kids are young. It's literally this ONE major expense!

Which wouldn't be an issue if the U.K had affordable government subsidised early childhood care in the first place.

@TractorAndHeadphones

Yes that's correct. It's only the £700 pm childcare that's going to cripple me without any help.

When you're a bit more awake do the entitled to again. Put in the correct ages for your DC. Put in the postcode you want to move to and a higher than you expect to pay rent. It will bring it down to the LHA if it's too high. When you get the result have a look at the breakdown of the figures. That will tell you how much rent it is allowing you in the calculation.
Then do it again but put in a birthday for your oldest DC that makes her 16 already.
That will give you how much rent they will allow you when your DD turns 16 and they allow you 3 bedrooms.

@Whatamesssss

So true. Hadn't even thought of this when I was being criticised

It's hard to think when you are being attacked left, right and centre.

People should be praising you for being the responsible one, staying and raising the kids, working full time and running the household. You have not fucked off and left your partner destitute and 2 kids to raise.

The sooner society starts placing blame where it belongs the better.

Thank you

@MiddlesexGirl

That's very helpful- thank you. x

Rather than be shocked that someone on a salary of £47k is entitled to a small amount of financial assistance
I am more shocked by how low take home pay is relative to the salary

I get it we all need to pay in but that’s a huge amounts in deductions

I earn just under £20k less yet the difference is take home pay is is not a huge as the £20k salary difference might suggest

Will think on that before taking on higher paid much higher stress/workload positions for not much more money 😯

@toocold54

The bedroom thing is blowing my mind a bit

Hypothetically:
An allowance for a 2 bed is £100
An allowance for a 3 bed is £120

If you didn’t work you would be entitled to the full amount of the allowance depending on whether you need a 2 or a 3 bed.
As your ‘need’ is a 2 bed as your children can share you will only get the allowance for a 2 bed and not a 3 bed.
When your circumstances change you should be eligible for the 3 bed allowance.
3 beds are more expensive than 2 beds so you would get more money to cover the costs of the 3rd bedroom.

You can obviously still have a 3 bed now but UC will only pay a maximum £100 (or whatever the 2 bed entitlement is) so if you pay more rent than that you will have to cover the rest out of your earnings.

As you are working you won’t get the full allowance paid anyway and I’d be surprised if you get much help, if any towards your rent so you want to look for homes that you can afford without UC so then if you do get help towards your rent it will be a bonus.

Much clearer now. Thank you

@Angiedx

Rather than be shocked that someone on a salary of £47k is entitled to a small amount of financial assistance I am more shocked by how low take home pay is relative to the salary

I get it we all need to pay in but that’s a huge amounts in deductions

I earn just under £20k less yet the difference is take home pay is is not a huge as the £20k salary difference might suggest

Will think on that before taking on higher paid much higher stress/workload positions for not much more money 😯

Op is paying student loan back, but yes I agree it's huge deductions.

@Angiedx

Rather than be shocked that someone on a salary of £47k is entitled to a small amount of financial assistance I am more shocked by how low take home pay is relative to the salary

I get it we all need to pay in but that’s a huge amounts in deductions

I earn just under £20k less yet the difference is take home pay is is not a huge as the £20k salary difference might suggest

Will think on that before taking on higher paid much higher stress/workload positions for not much more money 😯

I pay student loan as well though so technically I should be taking home 2,700 and I will be when the loan is paid off in just over a years time. I contribute 9.3% to a pension, too.

@Nocutenamesleft

Thanks for "hoping" it's wrong. As a single mum I'd have to give up my career that I've worked my arse off for over a decade if I'm entitled to no help as I simply can't afford £700 a month in childcare.

@Lulu2021
The problem is. A HELL of a lot of mothers single or otherwise. Have given up their careers. I gave up my 6 figure. 20 year job. Because I knew I’d have to when I had children

47,000. Is one hell of a salary!!!

And what is a better result, for us as a society or us as taxpayers - that we stump up £600 a month for a few years to support a woman who is ready to go back to work full time as a single mother of a 6 month old, or to make it unaffordable to do anything but drop out of that well paying job and move out of the area where her 15 year old is at school and established?

I'm a single mother in a 6 figure job and can only make it work full time because a stupid amount of my after tax earnings go on a nanny. If I'd done as you did and quit when I'd had kids, or was on the same salary as OP and therefore had to quit, I'd be paying a lot less tax right now. People need to take the long term view to support keeping mothers in the work force - or supporting them properly to stay home. Not enforcing poverty on any single mothers who aren't fortunate enough to have an involved ex, or family, or sky high earnings.

@FWBNC benefits are not just free money. They depend on specific elements like rent, childcare etc.
If a low income family has a part-time/stay at home parent then that is a big chunk not needed already.
Also bear in mind that 2 people earning 20K each take home more than ONE person earning a high amount because of the personal allowance.

@Lulu2021 something many posters fail to consider.

Post tax income for 2 people on 25K each : 1,665.18*2 = 3330.36
Without deductions (for illustration purposes) OP's take home would be £ 2,975.66.
That's 354.7 a month.
With OP's lowered income due to further education that's a whopping 814.36 a MONTH!

A lone high earner will always be worse off than two people earning half the income. Added to the fact that with two people you can cover some childcare by sharing burden of e.g. drop-off/pick-up instead of paying for emergency childcare etc.

HTH.

**people on 24K each

Best wishes OP. I hope that your ex does the right thing and contributes towards your DD. If he does, in your shoes I would put all that money on the credit payments (if possible) and get rid of them so that you don’t have to worry about your credit rating.

Good luck with CAB and please look into free bus transport for your other DD