Advice on benefits

[ocpwr]

Hi.
I'm not sure I'm posting on the right board but my head is in a mess right now.
I have 5 kids eldest being 10 and youngest being 2.
My husband of 10 years has decided he doesn't want to be with me anymore. He is sleeping in a separate room until he can get enough money together to move out.
I have always been a stay at home mum and have never had to claim benefits so I have no idea where to start.
I really could do with some advice on where to go from here.

Hi ocp, there is a website called Turn2us which will help you find out what benefits you can claim when your DH moves out. I love how men can just walk away but as mothers we can't.

He also needs to make provision in maintainance for his children which doesn't get counted for benefits (simply because there are men who mess about with payments).

Gingerbread is good for advice about all this as they go through the finance issues of a relationship breakdown.

Has he got someone else or is this simply a case of he has had enough of marriage?

Citizens advice are fab.

I think really it all depends if you are home owners or council/private rent as to how much help you get. As a lone parent & a child as young as 2 you will be entitled to income support.

I think he just wants to live the single life again. He is a gamer and prefers to sit on his PC instead of interacting with the kids and I.

We rent private. My family live 4 hours drive away and I don't have any close friends so don't have anyone to support me.

When I was in inc support with 5 dependant dc I got £269 ctc weekly. £80 cb weekly,£140 inc supp fortnightly and rent/ct paid. You'll be ok!

Sorry to hear about your situation :(

My exh walked out 8 weeks ago now.

We have 3 kids but the child maintenance is the same for 3 as for 5 kids. He'll have to pay you 25% of his salary for cm.

As for benefits, I receive Income Support, Child Tax Credits, child benefit, healthy start vouchers for children aged under 4 it's £3.10 a week, nhs exemption card, single occupancy council tax 25% reduction. I've also applied for a reduction in council tax from their website and am waiting to hear. £135 back from electricity/gas providers over winter - Warm Home Discount Scheme. I have a mortgage so am not sure about housing benefit.

hi, I am sure your dh needs to move out before you can apply for yourself.

You need to ring child tax credits, and tell them you are now on your own, to get your claim looked at as a single mum.

Ring housing benefit, if you rent and tell them the same thing, so you can start your claim for rent help. If you are not working you will get it paid.

Ring Council Tax and say the same thing. you will get full help with that if you are not employed. You also qualify for a 25% discount.

Go to the jobcentre, or ring them to start a claim. You will be eligible for about £70, a week as long as you are not living with your dh. You won't have to start looking for work until your youngest is 5 yrs old, and only then you can limit it to school hours, or something that firs in.

If he is working, then he needs to pay child support, which you can calculate on the csa website.
This money can be arranged in a private arrangement, or you can apply to get it out of his wages.
New rule a couple yrs ago means that you can keep all your child support, it used to be you were allowed a tenner.

hth

Thanks for all your responses.i'm hoping he moves out pretty soon so I can get the ball rolling. It just feels so daunting right now.
We had a argument at the weekend so he is giving me the silent treatment, which can last for days.