Just looking for some support!

[sprite25]

I know no one will be able to offer the perfect answer but I'm getting seriously stressed out! So here's the situation, me and my husband were out of work and had to come stay with my parents. We are both working now but only part time on a basic wage and we're expecting our 1st baby in December. We have saved around £600 so far for a deposit so we can rent privately and move in to our own place. I don't expect to live off benefits and get everything handed to us on a plate (if I did neither of us would be working at all) but am stressed and confused about whether or not we would get any help with bills etc. once we move out and have the baby. I've searched on the Direct Gov website and alot of it says you dont get anything unless your already receiving benefits, which we dont. I went to the local Citizens Advice for some help but all she did was give me a list of local letting agents and the name of a website which tells you what, if any, benefits your entitled to (I had already been on this site a while ago and it says we're not entitled to anything). Hopefully my husband can get more hours at work but he only started in May so its not likely they will up his hours drastically any time soon. The only thing I can think of is to just apply for everything and anything and hope for the best but at the same time dont want to get into any trouble for claiming too much or anything, I just cant stand the thought of having a baby and still living with my parents (its embarrassing for one) and they smoke, argue, arnt the most tidy/hygienic people I would want around my child 24/7. If anyone can offer advice/support/words of wisdom it would make me feel much better :)

What are your salaries, how long are you planning to take off work for mat leave, how many hours do you both work? Will you have childcare costs when you return to work?

We're both only on £6.19 an hour, I work 21.5 hours and husband is only on 15 hours at the moment. I plan to take the full 52 weeks of maternity leave but want to return to doing the same amount of hours after this although at only 14+3 weeks we havent gone as far as discussing what to do about childcare when this happens.

You would be entitled to working tax and child tax credits,there is an online calculator that will give you some estimates.

Your husband will need to be working more than 15 hours per week for you to be entitled to various benefits.

I dont understand how to be entitled to benefits you have to be working more? its silly :S I checked on the internet and like you say heronsfly we should be entitled to working and/or child tax credit

I should have made it clearer, if you are not working and your dh is only working 15 hours per week and not 16 (I think it's either 16 or 18 is the magic number) then it may affect how much you get whilst you are unpaid maternity leave.

it says you can still get tax credits for a certain amount of time while on maternity leave but its all so confusing :S

I know, its very strange the way they calculate working hours, I was working 21 hours and receiving both tax credits, they have recently upped the hours you need to work to 24.Luckily i do get overtime so at the end of the year I should just scrape through.no idea how we would survive without it.

I would go the CAB and get the latest up to date information from them but it would really worth both of you trying to increase your hours if you are able to.

You will get child benefit and child tax credit but as u are under the 24 hour a week limit you wont get working tax credit.

I am pretty sure housing benefit and council tax benefit (or whatever it is called now) is based on income so i would apply for them both. There is no harm in applying however you will probably find it harder to find a private let that accepts housing benefit.

This site is pretty helpful www.entitledto.co.uk/

I work 25 hours a week and dh is currently not working and we get working tax credits. With couples they work it out as joint hours as long as one or either of you work 24 hours (or over) combined you will get working tax credits. You won't get the childcare element of working tax credits as you both need to work 16 hours or over to get it. Go to the online calculator and it will tell you how much you will get.

Sorry typing on phone. Think I could have worded it better

You work over 24 hours as a couple so will receive both child and working tax credits.

You would be entitled to working tax credits, however if you take more than 39 weeks maternity leave these would stop. SMP will only be around 10% lower than your salary so up to 39 weeks you should be fine, it would be a massive difference if you lost the WTC and SMP from weeks 39-52.

You will also get some housing benefit although it won't cover your full rent. Go on entitledto.co.uk and have a play with different figures to see what help you can get.

Thanks for the advice all, I will check out the website. I already went to Citizens Advice for guidance, explained the situation and the lady just gave me a list of local estate agents and a web address for info about crisis loans :S