benefits help please

[cheeryface]

dp and i have been together 18 years. we have 2 kids. he works , i am out of work.
He bought the house just before we met and my name isnt on the mortgage.

so, i have nothing. if we seperated could i gain enough benefits to live on , i mean could i rent privately or am i in cuckoo land ?

i have just tried the benefits advisor question thing and it seems i would only be entitled to housing benefit if i worked . is this thing accurate ?

i have seen a house for rent nearby but its 625pcm...no chance , right?

please someone advise me, dp is spouting off that i will be up shit creek. it is him who is causing the problems. but thats another thread.

How old are your children?

I left my dp in December and have struggled with the benefit system.

I get maternity allowance, child benefit & child tax credits. I will be entitled to income support when my maternity allowance ends. I'm aure you would receive all these things.

In addition to this I will be receiving houaing benefit when I move into my rental property this week. If you look on your individual council's website they have more info about what you will be entitled to in their area. £675pcm might not be too far out of the question.

Good luck. I know how complicated it is!

Well, if your children are over 7, you would get Job Seekers Benefit with view to you getting a job, if they are under 7 then you would get Income Support which is about £65 a week. You would also get Child Tax Credits for two children,your Child Benefit and alsoa discount on your Council Tax. You would get Housing Benefit, there is specific terminology for this that I don't know as I have a mortgage but basically your Local Authority will have an amount that they are prepared to pay based on your family unit so you can claim up to that but if you choose somewhere over and above that then you have to stump up the rest. Also, Child Maintainance Options can tell you what child support your husband has to pay and that is no longer deducted from your benefits.

I am not sure exactly what you would get re the house but I am pretty sure you would be entitled to something, regardless of whether you are on the mortgage.

It is worth making an appointment with your Lone Parents Advisor at your Job Centre, the CAB and a Solicitor (can you tell I have done this!).

thankyou my children are 12 and 15

Well then as Saggy says you can claim JSA with a view to finding a job, you can also claim child tax credits. If you find a job for 16+ hours pw you should be able to claim working tax credit as well. You should also be able to claim council tax and housing benefits. If the house is private rent then, iirc, housing benefit will be affected by how big an house you will be considered to need. By this I mean if your two children are both the same sex then you may only get housing benefit to cover (or partially cover) the rent on a two bedroomed house, if they are one of each then you should be able to rent a three bedroomed house. However, check this with your LA, their rules may be different.

I realise I'm really only reiterating what Saggy has said but I didn't want you to think I'd wandered off and forgotten about you :)

cheeryface, I noticed you posted about your DS elsewhere who is being assessed with Asperger's.

You can apply for DLA for this, it's not automatically awarded but it sounds like he does have extra care needs (you don't need to wait until you have a diagnosis to apply). If he gets it awarded at middle or higher rate, you can apply for Carer's Allowance which would mean you can claim Income Support as a Carer rather than JSA. It would be a higher rate than JSA and it would mean that you wouldn't have to show you're looking for a job.

You would also get additional child tax credits and possibly an additional allowance on your housing benefit.

if you were on the basic job seekers ben or income support you would get all your council tax paid.

Hi

My sister recently separated from her husband. She found the help offered by the local Citizen's Advice Bureau invaluable, mainly because they are impartial and were able to give her benefit and rent calculations. She was also panicking.
My sister is now staying in a privately let flat (rent £500) and seems to be a lot happier. She also managed to furnish it for only a couple of hundred pounds. She found IKEA, the homeware sections in local supermarkets and Gumtree invaluable for picking up good quality second hand goods and furniture.
Be aware though, that the paperwork - especially for benefits - can take some time and will not be without a few hiccups along the way.
Best of luck with whatever happens.

Thankyou all.
Not sure i understand about the carers allowance , would that apply now hes back in school ?

Hi, me and ex bought a house and then he got made redundant. I was left in a house which wasnt mine with a repossession order as we split up. I got rehoused eventually off the council. You can claim housing and council tax benefit up to a certain amount. You get your child benefit, income support approx £62 and child tax credit. You need to ring the housing benefits section who will tell you the max amount of housing benefit you can claim then you know what to look for privately. Not sure about dla etc. When you speak to the benefits section ask where the nearest place a benefits adviosor is located (mines in local housing office). If you take your forms they will help you fill them in and tell you what paperwork you need to include. Good Luck

thanx fifi

If you claim for and are awarded DLA you will be able to claim carers allowance. Your dc being at school won't make any difference.