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Original poster

benefits help - any ideas?

22 replies

dontneedfluontopofthis · 15/12/2010 10:52

Possibilty I will be out of work soon - I am the main wage earner on just under £30,000 a year whereas dh is only working part time earning £9000. We are buying our home with a fairly hefty mortgage - I am ill worrying about it! Will we survive? Or will we have to sell the house? I've been trying to work it out on directgov etc but it seems really really hard (having 'the bug' isn'thelping either )Any advice would be great

OP posts:

WestVirginia · 15/12/2010 11:00

Why will you be out of work, the reason can make a big difference to what benefits you may get.

Original poster

dontneedfluontopofthis · 15/12/2010 11:04

Without wanting to go into detail, I will be resigning. It's not a simple situation and I will very probably be seeking legal recourse but for now, it's an intolerable situation and having spent a long tme thinking it through, there seems no other way out.

OP posts:

Bramshott · 15/12/2010 11:07

Sounds like it would be sensible to put the house move on hold if you can, until your work situation is sorted out.

PolkaDotRudolf · 15/12/2010 12:47

How many children do you have?

To be honest I wouldn't have thought you'd get much as your DH is still earning... You might get contribution based JSA.

You need to look on www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx and put in your hypothetical circumstances.

It may affect your position that you are voluntarilty giving up your job IYSWIM.

Have you got any savings?

Original poster

dontneedfluontopofthis · 15/12/2010 12:51

We have a bit saved - under 10,000 now I think. We have two children both at school. Surely though, if we were renting we'd get HB, Iknow we shouldn't 'expect' mortgage help but that is the main thing that is concerning me - our mortgage is his wage pretty much

OP posts:

Original poster

dontneedfluontopofthis · 15/12/2010 12:58

I don;t get that calculator - i know tax credits are based on the previous years payments but how does that help when our income is suddenly reduced by two thirds?

OP posts:

PolkaDotRudolf · 15/12/2010 13:06

Re: mortgage interest help - I don't think you would qualify for this to be honest as you need to be on either:
?Income Support
?income-based Jobseeker?s Allowance
?income-related Employment and Support Allowance
?Pension Credit

I doubt you would qualify for any of these benefits due to your DH's income.

Why don't you put your figures into entitledto.com to check if you would get housing benefit? I doubt you'd get much to be honest... Also check council tax benefit as this might help you...

Re: tax credits - yes it is based on the previous year's income so you will get more next year but that won't help you now. I think you can ring them with a revised income for this year but beware of being overpaid as that's the last thing you need!

HappyMummyOfOne · 15/12/2010 17:17

If you resign benefits are usually sanctionned anyway. Your DH's income will mean you wont qualify for IS but you may get contributions based JSA after your sanction is over if there is any time left (it only runs for 6 months).

You wont qualify for mortgage help from what I can see as you have to be on a qualifying benefit. You'll get CB and some tax credits and will have your savings to meet the mortgage payments with until you find alternative work.

I'd try and carry on and only quit when you have another job or your DH gains FT or another PT one.

gregssausageroll · 15/12/2010 17:19

My understanding is that you don't get housing benefit at all when you own your own home#/have a morrtgage.

PolkaDotRudolf · 15/12/2010 17:30

No she won't gregs but I was just suggesting she look to see how much better off she would be (not much I suspect!).

The key here is that you are making yourself unemployed and although you may have good reasons they wont help you!

gregssausageroll · 15/12/2010 18:22

Agreed Polka.

purpleturtle · 15/12/2010 18:28

You might be able to explore the possibility of making your mortgage interest-only for a while, assuming you'll be looking for another job.

Original poster

dontneedfluontopofthis · 16/12/2010 15:21

Thank you! It's come to a point where I really really need to look at whether my mental health is more important than being in a job which is making me so unhappy - well not the job but someone there. It's a long story, but sadly, I have to think of money! There is no way we would be able to even exist if we get no, or very little help from the govt on dh salary - and that is NOT what I want, but what is the solution? I am looking for another job but it isn't easy.

OP posts:

poltesco · 16/12/2010 20:47

we own our own home (1/2 ours the rest the banks) when my husband was laid off we went onto jsa and didn't get help with our mortgage for the 1st 13 weeks then we got housing benifit 2/3 of the mortgage! huge struggle thank god we always saved some for a rainy day, but none left now. its taken my husband just over a year to find a new job, he kept being told he was either over qualified or under qualified and he had to find something that was permenat as we couldn't pay the mortgage for 13 weeks again!!!
the citizen advise burea were really helpful i would really recommend seeing them as they are able to tell you all that you would be entitled to!
hope your situation improves!

mumblechum · 16/12/2010 20:51

I think you should certainly be transferring your mortgage onto interest only, that should reduce it by quite a bit.

If you're not going to be working, can your dh work full time? Or maybe both of you could do little jobs eg shelfstacking/pub work int he evenings so no child care costs (work around each other inother words)

PolkaDotRudolf · 17/12/2010 07:04

poltesco you cannot get housing benefit to pay a mortgage - I think you are referring to the Support For Mortgage Interest (SMI) scheme which the OP would not be eligible for.

itsawonderfuldarleneconnorlife · 27/12/2010 22:32

Could you get signed off sick rather than quit? Then you will get SSP at least.

How long will your savings pay your mortgage for?

Can you switch to interest-only? Dont tell the bank you want to because you are going to be out of work, though.

TheSecondComing · 27/12/2010 22:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lunafire · 27/12/2010 22:39

Be awar as well that having savings may affect how much council tax, housing benefit and JSA you get. Might be worth a call to the job centre or your local council to find out what the upper limit is.

WelshCerys · 28/12/2010 12:05

[www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/RedundancyAndLeavingYourJob/Dismissal/DG_10026696]]

A case for constructive dismissal? Before that point, you would be offered a way to a mediated resolution which might be of some help.

If you're seen as having tried all avenues to a reasonable solution at work (and some might even do the trick), you're more likely, I guess, to succeed in any job seeker related benefit applications.

You could try ACAS - I've found their helpline quite useful in the past. You could discuss the issues with them and be given a useful steer or two.

WelshCerys · 28/12/2010 12:07

[[www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Redundancy
AndLeavingYourJob/Dismissal/DG_10026696]]

that should make the link easier ...

KezandBaba · 14/01/2011 19:35

I definitely agree with the going to the doctors option. I know someone who was genuinely signed off for a month, stating "stress" to work but it was for depression (and that was only relating to a sort of break-up).
Another friend of mine also suffered a lot from her job, it being a very big change for her, and was signed off for quite a while!
I also know of someone who claims depression who is probably feeling low, but is a little less eager to be in work if you know what I mean.
Basically what I'm getting at is you won't be laughed out of the doctors surgery, especially with genuine feelings of stress and sadness that it sounds like you're experiencing.

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