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.

You say no other benefits claimed, are you not claiming child benefit for both children? That would be over £140 a month.

You’re right that you can’t use UC and tax free childcare, so you would need to determine which is financially better for you, which if the calculator is correct. I don’t know much about it but I know we don’t qualify with DHs net pay of £2300 a month, although I looked when we used to rent and I think we would have gotten a small amount if we had both rent and childcare costs. Put in a claim for UC anyway, and then if that turns out to be wrong you can use tax free childcare instead.

If you did use tax free childcare you’d be paying £140 a month less, plus around the same in child benefit so that’d be a decent amount to cover food and fuel.

@Pea22ches

Obviously my comment hit a nerve with you . How dare I suggest the PARENTS of a child pay for their child themselves not UC

We all have different values and are raised differently you have your opinion ion and I have mine

The UC online calculators are dreadful, they always overestimate how much you're entitled to.
OP on your wage you won't be entitled to anything, for context I earn minimum wage and get £500 per month.

[quote Strangevipers]@Pea22ches

Obviously my comment hit a nerve with you . How dare I suggest the PARENTS of a child pay for their child themselves not UC

We all have different values and are raised differently you have your opinion ion and I have mine

[/quote]
Isn't a wider debate about child support though is it.

Hi OP,

Sounds about right. You usually get a certain amount due to being a single parent regardless of your salary (to an extent) then an amount due to each child.
There's also a contribution due to childcare costs too.
Use 'Entitled to' to check your UC amount as it's really accurate and will give you a figure so you can double check

Have you checked your tax code? Even with 200 student loan that seems low.

@BeMoreQueer

Op got shitty tones for assuming other people struggle because they didn’t work hard enough

That sort of thing gets peoples backs up

The poorest people work a lot harder for their money than the richest.

Im sorry your scared op it’s a lot feeling alone with your kid.

With that much salary you’re doing better than most of the population so I reckon you might need to cut your outgoings down like everyone else who is struggling

Oh give over. OP didn't start off insulting anybody. People were having a go and OP said that comment in her defense Rightly so. I don't know why people are stating the obvious that £650 may be a far too high... NO need to be shitry about it though. OP hardly seems like a scrounger on her salary... too many sour 🍇 here!

Just apply OP? You’ll find out soon enough

Or are you planning for future and need to know?

If latter, Citizens advice will do the calculation for you. Get off mumsnet thread though. Won’t help.

@BeMoreQueer - other posters were being shitty to the OP before she retaliated and stood up for herself. It wasn't her attitude that was off.

*Op got shitty tones for assuming other people struggle because they didn’t work hard enough
*
Bollocks.

Read first what that particular poster said to me, before you make an incorrect statement. It was a "most families don't get that so why should you" type comment. I earn what I earn because I busted my arse for over a decade. I've never relied on benefits not once in my life! And now I find myself up shit creek and not able to fork out £700 a month for childcare unexpectedly. I don't deserve to be criticised or berated for that, or told I don't "deserve" help etc.

I would look at getting help to consolidate your debts - buying stuff on finance is never really a great option. I'm a little surprised you went for credit options as a good earner. Surely it would be easier and simpler to buy outright?

@KidneyNewName

God what a horrible lot of posters on here

OP my sister is recently single in the south west, left with debt taken out in her name by her ex and two children nursery age.

She earns similar to you and was also surprised to find she qualified for some assistance. She actually found them quite helpful with supporting her application and taking her through the process

Good luck. I'm sure no one plans or wishes to end up single and supporting two children so looking for support where it is available is absolutely the right thing to do 💐

Thank you

Op, ramp up your pension contributions
They disregard that

@Burnerphone21

Still falls into the category of EVERYONE is entitled to their own opinion

Thank you to all those who have offered help / support (rather than just wish I'd struggle more because I have the audacity to earn above average) - I need to feed my baby but I will come back later to answer your questions.

Also, people on this thread stating that the OP earns enough and shouldn't be claiming are actually horrible. You don't know what people are going through, if they have no financial support and what their many outgoings may be.

It's difficult enough being a single parent without having people add their unwanted opinions. Keep the judgment to yourself

@Strangevipers no you didn't hit a nerve. But people like you need to be mind your own God dam business and stay in your place. You obviously lack skills to be mindful and kind.... didn't YOUR own mother teach you? Evidently not.

Have you got any useful advise for OP or have you just come along to glowt??

@Reallyimeanreally2022

Just apply OP? You’ll find out soon enough

Or are you planning for future and need to know?

If latter, Citizens advice will do the calculation for you. Get off mumsnet thread though. Won’t help.

The latter! I will try CAB tomorrow- thank you

[quote WeAreTheHeroes]@BeMoreQueer - other posters were being shitty to the OP before she retaliated and stood up for herself. It wasn't her attitude that was off.[/quote]
Thank you

Likely closed

@inappropriateraspberry

I would look at getting help to consolidate your debts - buying stuff on finance is never really a great option. I'm a little surprised you went for credit options as a good earner. Surely it would be easier and simpler to buy outright?

We prioritised accumulating some savings to see us through my mat leave as mat leave took our net monthly income down by £800. So we saved like mad when I was pregnant to cover mat leave (which I'm coming to end of now). That's why we got stuff we needed for baby on credit - to enable those savings

@Reallyimeanreally2022

Op, ramp up your pension contributions They disregard that

What do you mean?

I can advise anything for your claim as I'm not familiar with the system. But echoing a previous comment, I'd suggest going through all of your outgoings in detail and seeing where you can make changes. Phones for example, I'm with Virgin for £6.50 per month. Do you have a close neighbour who you could share internet with? Look for good switch options for all of your bills. Does your older child's school offer any bursary for travel/food costs for people in difficulty, if only for a short time?
You might have already thought of this but would you be financially better off not working full time so that you can save on childcare costs?
Your ex sounds like a total arse leaving you with debt. I'm sorry you're having a hard time.

@Reallyimeanreally2022

Likely closed

Sorry meant Monday 🙈 head is such a mess with all this I don't know what's day it is anymore

Holy fuck - I've been a single parent for 6 years, earn just over half what the OP earns, and always assumed i wouldn't get any help because my income was too high! I am amazed at this.