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Original poster

Benefits Help - Husband Walked Out

21 replies

marie201 · 08/01/2020 22:02

It's a long story that I'm not going to bore you with but my husband walked out over Xmas so I need to sort my finances out.

I have 5 children, DS1 16 (full time education, DD1 14, DD2 9, DS2 5 & DD3 1.

I cared for my husband so claim carers allowance and I also run my own business. Current tax returns shows a wage of £5142 & dividends of £8,000.

I pay £1200 per month for childcare for the younger 3 children.

I did a quick entitlement check and it shows as UC I'd get £515 per week - is this correct? Seems high as we got £380 p/w child tax & £69 p/m working tax (husband disabled - gets support rate ESA & PIP).

I will also have to buy him out of the house leaving me a mortgage of £95K but with those figures I'll be fine to pay all of that myself.

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 19:35

Am I reading this correctly - your childcare costs are 3 times what you earn ? Are you currently on tax credits, were you getting working tax credits?

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 19:45

I make the total UC £2307 per month. However on those earnings I'm not sure you earn enough to not be affected by the benefit cap particularly when you will have 5 lots of child benefit on top of that. The benefit cap is around £1666 a month . I assume you aren't still continuing to be a carer for your ex.

ivykaty44 · 09/01/2020 19:48

Your stbex has got 17 years to wait until you buy him out of the house

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 19:48

I think you need to earn £569 a month to be exempt from the benefits cap.

PlanDeRaccordement · 09/01/2020 19:50

You’ll have to stop claiming carers allowance. But at least that means you can earn more than £123/wk

How do you plan to buy him out of the house?

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 19:51

I'm not sure you'd get a mortgage on so little earnings to be honest and such high childcare costs.

Scarfaceclaw21 · 09/01/2020 19:52

Without meaning to sound rude, genuinely, how can you pay that much in childcare if you aren't earning much?

From the info provided here i would wind up the business and apply for some ft positions?

2k a month in benefits is a lot of money...

littlebunty2 · 09/01/2020 19:53

You can only claim UC for the first two children and your Carers Allowance will stop as you are not caring

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 19:53

Scarfaceclaw - I presume tax credits pay the huge childcare bill currently.

HollowTalk · 09/01/2020 19:54

You were a carer for him and he's walked out?

Don't worry about having to move out straightaway. Your children need somewhere to live and unless there's a huge amount of equity you won't be forced out.

Scarfaceclaw21 · 09/01/2020 19:54

Yeah, babyroobs is right mortgages are calculated on affordability after outgoings so i dont think you woukd be offered much if anything.

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 19:54

littlebunty - She can claim for any children born before April 2017 which appears to be 4 of them.

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 19:56

Op could also potentially still be a carer and claim carers allowance - there is nothing in the rules to say you have to be living with the person you care for as long as you provide 35 hours care a week.

HollowTalk · 09/01/2020 19:57

@babyroobs one of the children is aged 1.

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 19:58

Yes she won't be able to claim for the one year old but she can for the other four.

PlanDeRaccordement · 09/01/2020 20:04

Babyroobs- I wouldn’t want to devote 35hrs/week and limit my earnings to £123/week caring for the bastard that walked out on me and our five children at Christmas. He can sort his own live in maid.

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 20:05

Yes that's totally understandable.

Mirandaqueenbee · 09/01/2020 20:33

Highly unlikely you will get that much money join Facebook group universal credit to ask

Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 20:40

£317.82 standard element for yourself, £277 for child1, £231.67 for child 2, £231.67 for child 3, £231.67 for child 4. Childcare would be 85% of £1200 which works out at £1020. No deductions for earnings as you earn below the £503 work allowance. I think the stumbling block is whether the benefit cap would apply and whether they would query the childcare at that amount for such low earnings. Being self employed on UC can be tricky but as you have a one year old you would have no minimum income floor to meet anyway.

Original poster
marie201 · 09/01/2020 21:14

Sorry whilst my PAYE earnings are £5142 I also got dividends of £8000 making the total income from the business as £13,142 but yes the childcare costs are basically what I earn.

As it stands I haven't changed our claim as I daren't but I'm trying to figure out my possible positions so I can decide what to do next.

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 09/01/2020 21:23

Ok My calculation was based just on the £5142 earnings divided by 12. Not sure how Uc treat dividend payments to be honest so treat my calculation with caution ! Perhaps speak to CAB.
If you have split for good you will have to switch to UC, there is no option to stay on tax credits.

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