DS and I need to survive on £64.30 a week for the foreseable future... Can anybody explain to me how to do it before I shut myself?

[Biobytes]

Yes, just that. I can not imagine how I can pay the mortgage, services, let alone food in that money.

Any hints? after looking for a job without success for 10 months, I'm feeling like other than turn myself to casual prostitution I have no idea how to survive.

(Obviously, I'm not serious about starting working nights, but I'm very very desperate!)

Can you claim any benefits? Try phoning mortgage company for a payment break? Ebay stuff?

I have recently done all these things as I'm a student just to get a bit of breathing space!

How old is DS

Will you not get Child Benefit (£20 a week) or Child Tax Credit (£50 ish a week)

Just got the reply from the benefits office hence the question that names the thread. TBH it seems as they have not considered I'm a single mum who is the main carer to her child.

I'm receiving £20 of Child benefit, and £50 of child tax credits, they say I'm supposed to live on 64.30 a week.

Things with ex are a MISERY, I can't count on his maintenance payments at this time

You need to claim for housing benefit to pay the interest on the mortgage - and I would fill in an Income Support form if I were you, and a council tax benefit form.

The £65 will be income support? Do you get any maintenance? If not, get the ball rolling as it can take them bloody ages. You are allowed to keep £20 a week of any maintenance you recieve. That, plus child benefit and tax credit should take you to a decent amount. And yes, contact the council re housing benefit, and council tax benefit as you will now not have to pay that.

Well I'm a single mum on benefits and that is exactly what I get - CB @ £20 a week, CTC @ £52, and IS @ £64.50. Or at least the IS would be £64.50 if I wasn't paying back a loan at £11 a week.

Its hardly the life of riley that people make out.

Just to add about not being able to count on the maintenance, do not have an arrangement between yourselves if that is the case. Go entirely through the CSA.

Laurie - the £64.50 is Income Support.

Mortgage interest relief is available under some circumstances so try to claim that.

Yes Queen, you get £135 a week. OP you need to claim the extra £64.50 of Income Support that Queen is getting.

OP states "I'm receiving £20 of Child benefit, and £50 of child tax credits, they say I'm supposed to live on 64.30 a week".

If she's only getting Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits she needs to also apply for Income Support too, yes?

Yes, but I'm assuming the £64.30 she refers to is the IS as that is this years rate. Unless she means the CB and CTC will stop for some reason?

I think there;s some confusion. They have told her she can claim the income support as well as the £70 she is already getting as I understand it. £50 + £20 does not equal 64

Oh I dunno. OP please clarify! Do you mean £64.30 plus CB and CTC?

housing benefit doesn't cover the mortgage interest, you need to go back to DWP for that

but you should claim council tax benefit and wwill all be paid for you

assuming you are getting the income support?

Yes, I too think that they have said that she has to claim for Income Support on top of what she is currently getting.

They don't mean she will only have £64 a week in total.

A lot of people don't know that they have to claim separately for Income Support

i think she means the £64 is income support (which is for her...the adult)

and then the £20 child beneft (for ds) and the £50 tax credit (for her ds also)

so question was ....how do i live on this??

THis can't be right, I have read the papers and know that you single parents are loaded!

In short you can't live on £64 a week, that would be just enough for food and bus travel for your ds.

Ok, I'm back from the school run.
Sorry for the confusion, below is better explained:

My ex is supposed to pay £70 a week on maintenance according to the CSA calculator.

I get £50 from tax credits, £20 from child benefit and have just been told I don't qualify for Income Support as "the law says you need to live on: £64.30." So as my ex is supposed to be paying £70 a week, I don't qualify for Income Support.

I have also received a letter from the council saying that as I don't qualify for IS, therefore I don't qualify for Council Tax Benefit.

So my question is, how on Earth does the "law" concludes that a single mum who has been looking for a job for months can provide for her and her child with £64.30? (which I'm not going to get anyway, but I can not imagine how someone could pay services, acomodation or even food with only £64.30 a week)

If there is the possibility of some mistake here please let me know. It will take me out of this misery.

Thjat simply cannot be right. Not at all. But all my dealings with our council re housing benefit have been a shambles tbh so I would get down there first thing tomorrow, take all your paperwork, and get your claim in. I would also look into what happens if your ex gives you £70 a week. In theory you are allowed to keep £20 of that without it affecting the amount of income support you recieve, which would mean that parents with maintenance actually get £84 a week ish.

I am sure there is a mistake.
If you are a lone parent to a child under 11 and are not working you can claim income support at £64.30 a week. (This is co-incidentally the same amount as Jobseeker's Allowance)

If you get income support you are automatically entitled to full council tax benefit - you don't pay any Council Tax. You are also entitled to help with housing costs but this depends on if you are renting (if so you get housing benefit which should cover most of your rent) OR if you have a mortgage you can get the interest on your mortgage paid.

You are entitled to child tax credit and child benefit. If you or your child are disabled there are further elements.

Please check out www.entitledto.com as I think someone has given you the wrong end of the stick regarding the Income Support. I agree that the letter the DWP sends is ridiculously phrased. It DOES say the law says you need £64.30 to live on but I think you might find that the letter is telling you that you DO qualify for IS.

Have you seen the lone parent advisor at the job centre? I really think they need to explain all of this better to you. They will also help with your application to the council

I have an appointment with the job centre on Monday, will get all my paperwork. It is supposed to "help me get started on looking for a job" but I hope that considering I have been applying and been rejected fro jobs for this many months we may move the topic of conversation onto more financially orientated topics.

The entitledto calculator says I should be getting £227 a week (this is the sum of tax credits, child benefit, council tax benefit and IS)

Argh!!!

Don't count council tax benefit though, as you will not actually see that money iyswim. Deffo get an appointment with the lone parent advisor, that is who you should be dealign with at the job centre.

You wont get help with the mortgage interest until you've been claiming IS for 6 months though. You need to get some rl advice. I actually found the Job Centre+ quite helpful really and if you live in London, you can get half price travel on your Oyster card.