Good salary- no money - struggling to afford everything!

[Boxingshibes]

This is mainly a vent- so please be gentle
I work ft in a full on role.
I have to travel for work at short notice so would find it difficult to get a 2nd job.
I make £62k which sounds loads
But this is to support 4 people. Myself
Dh is disabled and unable to work.
2 teenagers. Dd1 is looking for any work but not found anything.
Dd2 is autistic and agoraphobic.
We also have 2 dogs and 2 cats.
We rent in the SE. Our rent is going up by £100 to £1800 next month.
Next years council tax is almost £3k.
Gas and electricity is about £250
Food is about £150 a week.
Everything just keeps going up.

We may have to pay for dd1s college next year then there will be uni which we can't afford.

Dh will progressively get worse. Dd2 will possibly not be able to leave home. My df is in and out of hospital at the moment and dm is showing signs of dementia.

I just want to run away.

If your dh was working until a couple of years ago it may be worth checking dates to see if he could still claim contributions based ESA ? Did he not claim that when his ssp ended?

Are they not doing away with esa as it will be all under UC?

They are doing away with income based ESA but not contributions based ESA which he would have been eligible to claim assuming he has paid sufficient NI contributions.

Thanks for clarifying. I wasn’t sure of the details.

Could DC1 claim Carers Allowance?

It is amazing how in basically a generation, it has become impossible to support a family on one wage.

Even earning the top ~15% of earners,

Monumental government failure.

Definitely seems like DD2 would be eligible for DLA or PIP. A diagnosis is not needed it's based on needs so get some advice and plough through the application form.
My DSIS is a single parent to one disabled child and she earns similar and is able to claim UC which pays towards rent and childcare. I don't think the salary should automatically rule you out.

Did you try got an EHCP OP? If your DD2 can’t attend any educational setting then the LA ought to pay for the online schooling as an Education Other Than At School Package

https://www.ipsea.org.uk/faqs/education-otherwise-than-at-in-a-school-eotas www.ipsea.org.uk/faqs/education-otherwise-than-at-in-a-school-eotas]]]]

IPSEA do telephone appointments, contact them for advice.

You’ll need to fight the LA for it and it won’t bring instant help as it will take at least 20 weeks.

I hear you. That salary supporting 4 people in the SE with that rent would be incredibly hard

You should also be able to apply for PIP for DS2 (my asd/adhd teen got it as an older teenager)?

Gosh,that sounds hard OP. That rent is horrific! How have we come to this when private renting is so extortionate?
Dd1 is about to move into her first flat here. I was shocked that the rent on a 2 bed flat will be £800 but I think I'm being g naive! I hope things improve for you OP.

Surely your husband should be able to claim disability benefit if he can not work? otherwise its unsustainable.

I would suggest doing some research into UC. There is no set salary threshold. It all depends on individual circumstances and with the OP having such high rent, a husband with a disability, 2 children including one who could potentially also claim the disabled child element etc then there could very well be a possibility of receiving a substantial UC award.

Does Dd2 have an EHCP? Is she on roll at a school? If on roll, what are they doing? Has a medical professional signed her off school as unable to attend due to medical reasons? Has school referred to CAMHS, or medical needs team in the local.authority?

It is so tough right now! I just want to say that i think you’re doing well on £150 pw food for 4 of you. Someone will come along to tell me they do it for £15.97 for 6 people and 5 dogs I’m sure. But I think you’re doing well

It’s hard for me to get past the pets. They cost money but are not essential.

No need to be rude, if you read my follow up post I apologized and said that I had not remembered about the rent. i don't need to research UC I fully know how it works thanks.

Your daughter can also claim disability due to agoraphobia.

Your eldest can claim carer's allowance for your dh until they start work.

Just saw you also posted this. Even without rent or any disabled child element, the total UC award is over £1800 for a couple with 2 children, one adult with LCWRA and the carers element (not the same as carers allowance which the OP wouldn't be eligible for and isn't part of UC). Obviously there would be a wage deduction which on a salary of 62k, not taking into account any pension contributions, would be around £1900. However, there's also rent still to be added onto the award which wouldn't necessarily be the full £1800 the OP pays because it depends on the LHA amount assuming it's a private rental but it would still be a fair amount. Even if half of it was paid so that's £900, that would still result in a UC award of around £800.

Do you definitely need sm office for WFH? I just have a small desk in the corner oofmy bedroom, lots of people manage like that. A 3 bed would presumably be much cheaper?

We saw CAHMS a few times a couple of years ago and they were going to refer for autism and dyslexia. But suggested that we went private so nothing official.
Dd2 was encouraged to leave their previous school (off rolled- whole other story) last Easter. Now due to the bullying and assaults at the school they won't leave the house.
I can look at pip for them.

I'm an IT trainer so teach from 9-5 on camera at all times. Dh often needs a nap during the day or is in the living room so I couldn't work from there. Or move as I have 3 monitors.

can you take a salary sacrifice, add more to your pension

If your dh was working until recently he may be entitled to contributions based (sometimes called new style) esa.

this is not dependent on income or assets you just need to have paid nationsl
insurance contributions in the last two or three years.

i recently stopped work due to disability and have successfully claimed it