Please help me understand my benefits entitlement

[BeauMirchoff]

I'm finally going to split up with my husband. I've done a quick calculation online of what help I would be entitled to and by the looks of it, I would be left with about £1065 after rent (£1250) and childcare (£1400). With that £1065 I'd have to pay for food, transport and all other bills/debts. Council tax would be about £100, phone £50, tv and internet £65, repayment of tax credits £40, cc repayment £30, water bill arrears £50, energy bill arrears £45, other debts approx £50. So that's £430 if my calculation is right...that leaves me with £630 for food, clothes and transport. Can it be done? this is making me so anxious but I just can't live with that man anymore. I'm so unhappy and he treats me like shit and the reason why I even have arrears is because he can't hold down a job for longer than a month. I want to start afresh on my own but that may mean I will really struggle...

Are you sure those sims are right?

Your left over total is more than what some people get in total.

Sorry, forgot to add these

I mean your starting total is 3,715? I don’t think you’ll be entitled to any benefits on those figures.

Will he be paying towards child care or rent , I'd shop around for cheaper tv and internet, that's a lot to pay each month. Are you bringing home nearly 4k a month, that's a really good wage, your outgoings are very high, could you rent a bit cheaper.

Sorry - my income is £1800. My rent is £1250 and childminder £1400.

I’m assuming you have more than one child?

Also CM is not means tested, have you added that in?

My calculations already include the benefit entitlement.

Does it include Child maintenance?

I can't really count on CM because he can't hold down a job for longer than a month 😐

Yep, two children.

I may be being completely stupid but I can’t work out why your figures mean OP.

Is your income £1800pcm?
Then rent £1250
Then CM £1400?
Meaning £2650 against an income of £1800?

If you’re on 1800 and have 2 kids, I can’t see how those figures are correct. I got less than that with 3 kids Years ago. Maybe you should give tax credits a ring and ask them to calculate on the phone.

My phone contract runs out in June and I'm not going to renew it. So hopefully that will go down a bit.
I can't move because of my job which I love and is the only thing keeping me sane right now

With a bit of jiggling it could be done. Your internet/telly could be changed and food bill could be brought down as well if you put a lot of thought into it. I only pay around 250 quid for the month for the 4 of us for shopping stuff.

Those figures sound right to me , the tax credits include childcare , that's why they are high.

Because those tax credits are calculated against last year's income which was very low. 2017/2018 is not going to be high either because I only started working in Sept 2017. I studied from Sept 2016 until July 2017. My next year's income 2018/2019 is going to be the full 28k.

@Bumbumtaloo yes, that's correct. That's why I need a top up of tax credits and housing benefit.
And the tax credits figure includes childcare, yes. I will see £10 from it maybe, the rest will go to the childminder.

Sorry but those figures can't be correct at all.

@gamerchick that's great! Can you give me any advice on how I can do that? Tbh, I don't eat much myself. The boys are 10 and 2 so not hungry teenagers...

My income £1800
My rent £1250
Childminder fees 1400
Bills £430

To put it more simply

It's difficult to calculate. How much do you actually earn, take home pay, each month. How much do you get in benefits each month and what are your total monthly outgoings.

So to be self financing you'd need an income of around £45k plus. I think you have hugely overestimated your entitlement to tax credits and housing benefit.

@Viviennemary I've put the figures into the online calculator and this is what it has come up with 😳

If I earn £1800 (take home) and my rent is £1250 and my childminder fees are £1400, surely I'm entitled to something? What am I missing?

I think you've made a mistake somewhere. Will the money for rent not have to come out for your wages? You are adding it on to your incomings instead of having it as an outgoing.