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Cost of living

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Original poster

Can I get any financial help?

63 replies

karrliz · 07/07/2023 19:12

Hi,

I currently have a 1 year old with baby no 2 on the way. When I was pregnant with DD I was made redundant, so got a redundancy pay and still got my mat pay.

So I currently don't have a job (stay at home Mummy) which has so far really worked for us.

However with the cost of living going up and the fact we have to remortgage this summer, we could do with some help.

I could get a job, but seems pointless by the time we subtract nursery fees and also I wouldn't apply for mat pay as you have to work somewhere for a year to get that.

I have looked online to see what help we can get but it's all so confusing! My husband earns a good salary, so when I have applied for some of the benefits it says we don't apply. It's really frustrating as he is on a good salary, however it just about covers our outgoings.

I don't know what options we have for help and really worried about remortgaging as it says payments could go up £500 per month!!!

Any advice welcome!

OP posts:

CeciliaMars · 25/07/2023 16:26

@Hagpie not having a go at you but I'm incredulous with that joint salary that you're entitled to anything at all on UC?!

ivykaty44 · 26/07/2023 20:51

Thanks for having second child, as they will pay my pension. Seriously people have 2 children and its not that much more expensive than one child for many things

It might be very tight for a while but it will get easier and you can go back to work but it will seem harder right now

Buying second hand stuff, selling baby stuff as you go along to pay for more clothing second hand for your babies etc is the way to go. Tighten your belts and you'll get through it. Cut back k on a lot of stuff, go though your bank statements and see where your spending is high? Changed my mobile and internet and saved myself £20 a month on the new package. Utilise any savings in high interest accounts.

TomatoSandwiches · 26/07/2023 21:02

I am a SAHM to 3 children but only because our youngest is extremley disabled and there is no such before or after school childcare and has many days off for illness and appointments.
My husband earns too much for us to receive any benefits, we do claim carers and DLA as my son is entitled to it, however the only other option we had was to transfer my tax allowence to him which is something you could do if not working.
Other options may be evening and night work, weekend work or tutoring depending on your level of education and skills.
Become a childminder or do school drop offs and pick ups if you are near local schools.
Main ones you should already consider are budget planning and reducing your outgoings.

Rwenearlytheteyet · 26/07/2023 21:31

I’m genuinely confused. How can someone on £4400( annual income of around £52000) be entitled to UC- That can’t be right surely? Our joint income is around 3500 and we’re not entitled to any benefit, except child benefit.
We were entitled to the 30 hrs free childcare, but nothing else since. Am I missing something?

Blondeshavemorefun · 26/07/2023 21:49

Rwenearlytheteyet · 26/07/2023 21:31

I agree I don't understand how some get so much uc yet earn a lot

Luxell934 · 06/08/2023 12:26

Hagpie · 10/07/2023 23:52

I’m a second vote for entitledto.co.uk . You may not be eligible now but play around with it and see if you would be when you account for the average cost of childcare in your area. You might be surprised!

I claimed UC during maternity leave and it turns out I’ll still be eligible when I go back.

For context I will get £2520 working 2 jobs, my partner £1900 and we will get £240 child benefit and £1150 UC of which £1000 will pay the childcare. It’s a very unfair system, when we earned £1200 total as a carer and lived with parents, I was over the threshold.

If I stuck with one job I would get £1800, partner £1900, £240 child benefit and £1400 UC with no childcare to pay for but I need NHS experience if I want to study medicine. (See what I mean about it making no sense?)

If your partner is just over, play around with pension contributions as they only look at “take home pay.” Aka if I was to up my pension contributions, then I would get more UC and maybe you could work it just enough to make you eligible for the next two £300 COL payments. Commenters here are just bitter…. play the game, upskill and have a better life.

How on earth can you be entitled to UC if earning 50k ++ jointly?

Badbudgeter · 06/08/2023 12:29

Have you tried putting in childcare costs into a benefits calculator? If you were earning you may be able to claim some of these back so you could end up better off overall.

Badbudgeter · 06/08/2023 12:42

Luxell934 · 06/08/2023 12:26

How on earth can you be entitled to UC if earning 50k ++ jointly?

Show quote history

Childcare costs / rent element. If your entitlement to Uc is high. Then you need to earn quite a lot of money to reduce it down to zero.

Roughly you’d need to take home £1800 plus any work allowance for every £1000 you are entitled to.

2 adults plus 2 dc plus 1k in rent plus 1k in childcare costs you could easily be entitled to 3k. So you’d need to take home £5.4k a month (65k a year) to taper that down to zero.

It’s a convoluted system most western countries give extra tax allowances to parents which would seem more straightforward. I get UC but pay more in tax /ni than I receive in benefits.

Badbudgeter · 06/08/2023 12:46

Badbudgeter · 06/08/2023 12:42

Childcare costs / rent element. If your entitlement to Uc is high. Then you need to earn quite a lot of money to reduce it down to zero.

Roughly you’d need to take home £1800 plus any work allowance for every £1000 you are entitled to.

2 adults plus 2 dc plus 1k in rent plus 1k in childcare costs you could easily be entitled to 3k. So you’d need to take home £5.4k a month (65k a year) to taper that down to zero.

It’s a convoluted system most western countries give extra tax allowances to parents which would seem more straightforward. I get UC but pay more in tax /ni than I receive in benefits.

Show quote history

Forgot work allowance so closer to £5.8k a month (£69.6k a year)

AlwaysGinPlease · 06/08/2023 13:06

LegendsBeyond · 08/07/2023 21:13

Why should you be funded to be a “stay at home mummy?” Get a job like most of us do.

^ 100% this

dzara · 06/08/2023 16:43

@ivykaty44 Good wise advice there! Thanks.

Some harsh comments in this thread, no compassion. It's a shame, coming from other women too!
All the best @karrliz , you made the right choice being a SAHM and after all your husband pays tax too!
I don't know why people here think the taxes they pay go to supporting SAHM and even if they did, what is the problem? As someone else rightly pointed out, these children are the ones whose taxes will support you in old age. SAHM are doing society a great service raising good, responsible citizens.
What goes round comes round.

Runaround50 · 06/08/2023 21:08

@Hagpie bloody hell.. HOW an earth are you still entitled to UC, with that monthly income??

I mean, are you sure DWP haven't made a mistake and you will end up having to pay it all back??

Runaround50 · 06/08/2023 21:58

@Luxell934 How on earth can you be entitled to UC if earning 50k ++ jointly?

That's my question exactly! Very odd.

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