What would I be entitled to in England?

[Itgetsharder]

Out of interest? This is all in euros as I’m in Ireland but I’m just intrigued as to what I would be entitled to in England
Income - 42k (full time job)
savings - 23k
2 dc - 50/50 custody
no maintenance
Renting until the divorce is finalised- 1.4k pm

I suppose those figures would all need to be converted to pounds to make it completely relevant but it would be interesting to compare the system to ours.

Not everyone gets child benefit.

OP would though, although I understand it's higher in Ireland

My apologies of my mistake, I forgot that high earners don't get child benefit. Thank you for pointing it out.

I’m pretty sure child benefit isn’t means tested in Ireland. It is only the UK that excludes higher earners from receiving it.

I would assume you wouldn’t be entitled to anything at all though, as you are coming from abroad? Until you have been here a while

The difference is in UK you don't pay for school books and GP visits are free.

I hate the phrase 'entitled to' with a passion, it doesn't help the govt own calculator is called that, why is it not 'eligible for' instead?

Anyway, how much tax you pay doesn't change in England, you do get a 25% reduction non Council tax though if you are the only adult in your house

If any of your children had disabilities that affected them substantially you might be eligible for something there. Otherwise just child benefit which you'd have to work out the split with your ex or you could both use it to cover the childcare costs.

Yes I think so, I’m still waiting on my assessment to come through but I think it’s somewhere between 40-100 per week that I’ll receive. It will be a MASSIVE help, the difference in help between Ireland and England is a lot isn’t it!?

We don’t pay for those any more either

No more school book charges here and I have a GP visit card due to earnings vs outgoings so GP is free but I also have health insurance through my employer so if I go private it is free or subsidised

That's why I asked if they were Irish. UK and Ireland have a Common Travel Area which long predates EU and free movement.

Right to Reside, work etc is interchangeable.

Yeah I’m not planning on moving, just asking out of interest. But yes there is a reciprocal agreement between the uk and Ireland.

Yeah I agree on the wording “entitled” is not quite the right word.

I think it's quite an interesting question to know how different nations, even those as physically close as England and Ireland differ in their welfare support.

Tax credits stopped taking new claimants years ago. They’re replaced by Universal Credit, but you already have too much savings for that. I say ‘already’ because I presume you’ll be selling the house? If so, your share of that will increase your savings too.

So, you’d just be able to get Child Benefit, which is Eldest or only child
£25.60, Other children £16.95 per week.

it is isn’t it, like you say even though they are very close, the situations are very different

Just worked out that I’d get £257.83 child benefit for my children per month in UK. I get the equivalent of £348.35 per month in Ireland. So roughly £90 a month more. Over 18 years that’s 19.5 k.

But I don’t have a GP visit card as my children are over 8, and we don’t qualify on family income. GP visit cards don’t cover prescriptions anyway and ours are €80 per month as a family (the cut off, subsidised after this). Family of asthmatics. So we’d be a lot better off if we were healthier!

The UK does better on health I think. We have spent a fortune here. The GP visit card for small children is relatively new. Mine are teens and it wasn’t there when they were younger unfortunately.

You’d pay for your prescriptions in England as well though. I think they have a prepayment card but you’d still be spending around the same I think.
I’m in Scotland so we don’t pay for prescriptions.

It would be worth applying for gp visit cards @Redtwentyfive it’s really no harm I told a friend of mine who earns 68k and with outgoings taken into consideration they got one! People are more eligible than they think!

Have you ever applied for medical cards on the paper form rather than online? Although the GP/medical card is based on income there is, a discretionary element too, it's not as black and white as other benefits in that outgoings are taken into account which can include predication. I include the cost of all my medication with my application and qualify, simply because without it I would have to stop everything bar my ventolin and the v expensive injection that I can't just stop. That obviously would have an effect on my health, ability to work etc

I also think it’s interesting to see how different countries operate when it comes to state assistance, welfare etc. I have friends from various parts of southern Europe who are dumbstruck at the level of financial support here compared to their home countries where it is minuscule and others who think it’s really paltry here.

Interesting that the OP had to repeat a few times she has no intention of moving as a few people were already getting up in arms about someone coming here to claim anything. The word benefits is like a red rag to a bull to so many on MN😂

You savings would put you over the threshold for means tested benefits (eg. Universal credit), but you would get child benefit and tax free childcare (20% off afterschool care costs). The kids would also get free prescriptions, eye tests, basic glasses and dental work (if you can find a dentist accepting new NHS patients).

If the savings were split as part of divorce or spent (on something nessasery) then you would become eligible for some Universal credit help towards rent and childcare, though how much would depend what your costs are.

Yeah I think I get quite a good deal here to be honest, I have no need to move.
I get an extra 160 per month in my pay due to an increase in my tax credits.
Child benefit (not means tested here) of 280 per month
And Working family payments soon of around 60 per week so on average 240 a month

The latter two payments are 520 per month on top of my full time wage of 2900 which includes the extra Tax credits. I’m very grateful. I do overtime when and where I can which tops up my income with no effect on those payments.

Yes your savings are the main barrier to financial help over and above child benefit

the uk government expect you to fund your life from your savings before they’ll step in and support it.

not comfortable for people who have done so well to save so much, but it is logical

It is interesting but the 2 countries are very very different socially and economically, and that heavily influences the politics around financial support from the government. When you look at Irelands even recent history it’s obvious that it will breed “big society”

its a real shame that Ireland now being a rich country attracting immigrants has turned almost as racist and anti migration as the uk. Just goes to show the influence money has

I think that’s just human nature more than it is money…most countries have the proportions of their population who are anti migration/racist in my opinion.