Help! 2nd year student 14 weeks pregnant with very difficult money situation.

[Curlz22]

Ok, first post... here we go...

Well, I'm happily 14 weeks pregnant and living in Manchester with my partner in a shared house for the time being. He starts a new job next week and I'm pretty much finished this year at uni and I'll be deferring for a year.

We're trying to work out where we'll be getting an income from (apart from himself's and that's not much above minimum wage) after the summer as I'm due in November. We own a house elsewhere with a mortgage and rent it out but don't earn more than £50 profit a month. I'm having real difficulty filling out any online benefits checkers as I'm not sure how to distinguish between when I'm a student and when I'm unemployed and what counts as income (loans, grants, bursaries etc).

We're really worried that we won't be able to get any help and we're needing to move out of our current shared house but can't move back to the house we own as its nearly 3 hours away - not practical when he's working here and I hadn't planned to move back there.

Anyone have any clue where we should turn? Any help greatly appreciated.

Your local Student Union might be more appropriate for someone in your situation. They are usually very good at pointing students towards extra income sources and helping out with applications.

Have you been working at all while a student? You might be able to claim maternity allowance from 29 weeks pregnant.
www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018869

As you are finished for the year have you tried looking for a temp job? Does the uni offer any jobs over the summer?

You will be able to get child benefit (£20 a week) and child tax credits, if you and/or your partner will be working you should be able to get working tax credits as well. If your income is low you may be able to get housing and council tax benefit also - though i'm not sure that would work if you own a house.

When filling out things for your income last year.... try doing it with and without your student income (your maintanance loan, grant and bursary from college but not tuition fee loan). This will give you an idea either way.

As VJ32 said, if you've worked at all whilst studying then you could might be able to claim maternity allowance, even if you cant get that theres another benefit you might be able to get in its place - i think its something to do with employment support/sickness. But you need to have worked to get those.

You could make an appointment to speak to someone at the citizens advice bureau, or the job centre.

good luck.

You need to get some specialised advice - perhaps student support (or CAB as suggested already) could give you specific help. I think deferring your degree can sometimes impact on benefits if you tell the DSS this is what you intend to do.

Wow, thanks for the speedy replies!

I'll get onto the students union first, and then CAB I think.

Vj32 - I have worked a little over last summer, but made the decision not to work while studying. I only have one more assignment to finish for the year and then I'm planning on temping over the summer to earn some cash.

I'll crack on with the advice seeking and hopefully be able to share what I find out!