financial advice needed for soon-to-be-single parent

[souvenir]

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look at entitledto website, you will probably qualify for some housing ben & poss council tax ben (but you get 25% off for sole occupancy) plus your CTC may well go up.

Plus you should get maintenance from your dp? Other than that packed lunches are much cheaper.

www.entitledto.co.uk/

I suspect your personal loan will be your responsibility if you are in receipt of benefits. Worth calling them straight away, advising them of your impending circumstances and asking about payment holiday - extention of loan period or any other help they can offer you.

If your work is less than 16 hours per week (which I assume it is at 2 days) then you may well also be entitled to Income Support, housing benefit and council tax benefit but as has been said, entitledto website will give you all the details.
And take up free school meals!

All the best with it, scary but doable. x

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You will be entitled to more tax credits, I should think. There is a lone parent element to CTC and WTC so do speak to them and find out.

Also check entitledto.co.uk as others have suggested. It's a very helpful site.

Hopefully you'll get free school meals - they're so expensive!

Also your phone bill is big!!! Check out moneysavingexpert.com for the best deals on fuel & phone etc.

If you can increase your working to 16 hours you may well be better off as maintenance doesn't affect your tax credits but does income support, and if you're on income support they will use the CSA to obtain maintenance.

Also you can get help for childcare should you wish to continue working.

Much sympathy, it's tough having to sort all of this out and deal with a break up too.

ermm why won't you you get maintanence from him???

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Completely understandable!!!! The CSA may pursue him though but that's their look out I guess.

To work 16 hours you can do something little like Avon, on a paper delivery, or ironing just to do enough hours to be working 16. Fiddle about with the difference on entitledto and see if it's worth doing.

I think someone posted if you quite you may not be entitled to anything so I wouldn't do that.

You may feel loads better once he's out of the flat & your life. Have you got RL support, can your GP sign you off for a couple of weeks whilst you get sorted?

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When you claim CTC 16 hours counts for me. Yes your knackered but you will be much better off financially if you work. If you paid for childcare (in the school hols) then you would be able to claim for help with them if you are doing 16 or more hours per week.

Would you be better doing 3 shorter days, would that be an option?

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Well if you stop working you will be very restricted with ever moving areas.

Working give you a lifeline to other adults. I think you are probably knackered because you are very stressed and living in a horrid situation. Have you spoken to your GP?

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Look at it on entitledto, you can plug in the figures and it will give you a pretty accurate guideline.

While it's entirely down to you souvenir I would gently suggest that you keep working.

Purely because it's something to give you focus, boost your self esteem and get you out of the house when you might otherwise feel inclined to not bother (which is entirly understandable).

Just speaking from personal experience of course.

Please don't feel ashamed either, you have done nothing wrong. And don't feel bad about relying on friends and family for support.

Your DD will not be taken away from you - you're obviously a loving mum doing her best to keep things together. Don't feel bad about asking for help.

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