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...

This is doable. We only have £400 per month for gas, electric, food, clothing etc. It’s tough but Lidl is my new go-to shop for the food shop. Can usually do a good weekly shop for 3 people for about £50. It will be hard but once your children are at school you will have Micky more disposable income without childcare costs. I look at it as short term, it’s not forever xx

So after rent and child minder fees you are only left with 150 pounds a month. Do you get any benefits at the moment.

I did put it as an outgoing in the online calculator... in the 'rent section'

People often have to pay a proportion of their rent themselves. £1400 a month sounds a lot for one full-time child and a ten year old. And you rent is also very high. Doesn't sound feasible to me at all. I think you need a benefits advisor or Citizens Advice Bureau person. Those online calculators are quite unreliable I believe. Your outgoings are huge. Don't know if benefits are likely to cover them.

Why isn't your ex paying half the childcare ?

How many kids is the £1400 for ?

If he manages to hold onto his job, he will probably give me some money every month. But he doesn't earn a fortune.

The childminder looks after the little one plus picks up the older one from school. She charges a lot but she's the only one available in my area.

What website did you use for the calculation OP? I’m not an expert but it seems the predicted benefit award is really high.

I have to be at work at 8 and don't pick the kids up until 5.30pm. So the fees are FT for the 2-year-old and after school for the 10-year-old.

I used entitledto

Op can you not get a cheaper property?

Can you lay it out a little clearer?:

Money Coming in:
Salary
Benefits (list them individually)
Child Maintenance

Money Going Out:
Rent
CM
Household expenses

When I separated from ExDH I earned around £29k and I was entitled to was child benefit but nothing else (apart from single person allowance for Council Tax)

Are you saying you'll get £!400 in benefits? That seems way too high.

You might try finding a less expensive place to live! And £1400 for the child minder is extortion.

I've just run through based on the info you've given on this thread and, although I used my home authority it came out at about £220 per week.

I don't know how much it differs between different authorities but I would be surprised if it differed by that much.

With the caveat that I did make some assumptions about there being no disabilities etc.

when does the 2 year old turn 3- you will get 30 free hours of childcare then.

I added up your outgoings £1400 child minding, £1250 rent and your predicted spends for arrears and other bills £1065. Which adds up to 3715 per month expenses. Taking that off your income of £1800 you are £1915 short. I really can't see benefits making up that shortfall. Something wrong somewhere.

The childcare fees seem excessive for one two year old full time and one older child part time. Even allowing for £50 a day for the toddler, that's £200 a week. how does it almost cost the same again for after school care?

There is a limit on how much you can get for childcare.

Yes I looked it up. Maximum is £646 for one child. For two or more children maximum is £1108.

You really need to move to a cheaper area, lower rent and lower childcare. These really need to be cut back if you can't afford them.

My income for 2016/2017 was quite low. It will only be about 4k more for 2017/2018. So that's why the tax credits are so high.

@clairethewitch70 so not only do I become a single mother, I also have to give up my job? Because moving away will basically mean I have to give up my job.

So how is your income £1800 if your income is low. I would call that a very low income.

'wouldn't' call it a low income.