Pregnant & panicking! Please help... :(

[trolleydollyjo]

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering whether anybody has been in a similar situation or has any advice for us.
I'm currently 10 weeks pregnant & my boyfriend and I are so so happy and excited for the baby to arrive. But it seems like ever since we found out that we were expecting everything just seems to be going wrong for us financially.
My boyfriend is self employed and does a lot of work for the same company but at the moment his work has dried up completely, he is looking for other work to top up his non existent income and applying for jobs everyday but never seems to get responses or even considered. He is a general labourer but doesn't have a cscs card so finding new companies to take him on is proving difficult & the government has changed the cscs card scheme so it's now near on impossible to get a card unless you are in full time employment or studying. He's literally applying for any and every job at the moment and getting no where and I don't know what we are going to do?

I feel like I spend everyday crying and worrying about how we are going to pay the bills and keep a roof over our heads when the baby comes.
I do work as well, as an air hostess but am unable to "fly" when pregnant so currently grounded on my basic wage which we can't survive on solely.

We've never applied for benefits or anything like that before so I don't have a clue where to start but all the calculators online say we're not entitled to any help even though I'm sure we must be. My basic salary is around £950pm and there is no way we can live on this, it doesn't even cover our bills!

Any help or advice would be so so appreciated. I'm totally at my wits end worrying constantly

xx

It may be better for your DP to claim JSA. The job centre can then advise what other benefits your entitled to.

Your DP could try to get his CSCS card through a local college. I just did mine for 30 quid for the test and then about the same or less for the card. Mine arrived today and i took the test exactly a week ago. I can post the revision book to you for free if you pm me your address. He might get a college course doing the revision for free if he is on benefits. Or if not you can help him to learn the answers if he is not too academic. My test questions were pretty much all straight from the revision book.

Can you reduce any of your bills?

You will qualify for child benefit, which is an extra £20 a week. And you should be eligible for child tax credits and working tax credits, too. You have to wait for the baby to be born before applying, though! But it is then backdated to when they were born.

If it's any consolation, we live off my husband's wage which is a lot less than yours and we get by fine. So it is do-able! I would just sit down and have a look at how much money you definitely have coming in and what goes out and see where you can lower your bills.

It might be worth talking to the job centre as a PP said. It can be helpful for things like courses etc or for having a bit of money coming in whilst your boyfriend finds something more permanent work-wise. There is a sure start maternity grant of £500 available for first time parents on certain benefits, too, like jobseeker's allowance.

See if you can talk to someone. Your midwife. A benefits advisor. CAB. They should all be able to help you know exactly what you can be entitled to and help put your mind at rest. So try not to worry too much! And congratulations!

I agree with other posts here (I worked as a Careers Adviser in Schools & Colleges for 12 years) - partner should speak to Job Centre / benefits advisor and see what entiled to in form of JSA and you should too in terms of working & tax credits. Once he is on JSA, he can evidence to a college that CSCS card test etc. should be free I think and can demo to job centre how having CSCS card could improve his employment prospects so they will be happy to "fund" his course so its free. Unsure where you are based, but if you happen to be in right area of Bucks, Am Wyc College was doing the CSCS card course / test at Flackwell campus near High Wycombe when I was working there in 2010-2013.

He really needs to get his cssc card sorted out for his long term employability, particularly with a baby on the way. So many building contractors require them now. I work for a Client organisation, and we only use Cscs qualified contractors.

The previous posters have explained how to get a Cscs card.

Also I should say, am worried about paying the bills too as during Mat Leave I will reduce from approx £1540 per month to approx £560 after 4.5 months which isn't alot. Hubby takes home about £1400 at mo too as he started working as primary teacher in Sept, before that earned about £850/900 per month take home or less as a teaching assistant for 13 years, so I was breadwinner. The recession played havoc with our finances & future plans as I faced redundancy twice in 3 years due to the cuts to careers services. Our rent alone is nearly £1'000 per month, so we will have to really tighten belts to just afford our bills until I go back p/t in Jan 2016. No way I can afford the childcare to work full-time in beginning!

I was lucky tho, managed to get a job again both times due to sheer hard work and strength of will while my hubby was TA and p/t student getting his teaching degree for 4 years, once within about 5 to 6 weeks, once two job offers within 3 weeks. All about knowing your skills / strengths & targeted job applications.

And being prepared to travel - I commuted 4 hours a day for 3.5 years from Sept 2010 to early 2014 for work. It wasn't easy, I was always knackered and travelling during snowy winters, floods & tube strikes, but it was worth it to keep roof over our heads - will just have to be as determined about tightening belts when our little boy turns up in April.

Housing benefit
child tax credits and Working tax credits.

He needs to get his CSCS card. Signing on for JSA contribution during periods of no work may be helpful as he will protect future pensions and get access to training.

Entitled to is a good website.

If things don't improve and when you go on maternity leave claim income support from first day. You will get IS and housing benefit... When SMP they will then take this into account. You may be entitled to a small amount still.

And get the child benefit claim in dp's name so his NI contribution is always paid, whether he has work or not. Assuming that you plan to keep in work and therefore have your NI paid that way.

Oh, and well done for making the baby. How lovely for you both. Don't lrt the panic spoil your pregnancy- it is a lovely time.