Splitting up and know nothing about universal credit

[Tiddlerslate1987]

Currently splitting up with my partner of 10 years. We have 2 DC and live in a mortgaged house. My PT income is approx £1200 after tax and our mortgage payments are £830. Childcare is £570. I don’t understand how we’ll afford to live at all. I’ve calculated he’ll have to pay some child maintenance of approx £450 based on his salary. But still - will we be entitled to anything like universal credit? Or would we be expected to downsize/move house and me go full time?

benefits-calculator-2.turn2us.org.uk/survey/1/0d680a50-6c67-4966-8943-a5eba7c2ccf0

Try this. As I’m not too sure how it works when you have a mortgage x

You may qualify for help with childcare costs, this really helped me scrape by in the first years.

I would say play around with the "entitled to" calculator. See what happens if you go full time for instance.

Sorry if this is unexpected info but universal credit does not help with mortgages other than the interest (after 9 months I think) and that is repayable.

Agree with the others to try a calculator- you can’t get help through universal credit with mortgage if you are working. Any child support would not lower universal credit.

www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/new-to-universal-credit/housing/

I think you'd be entitled to UC you wouldn't get help with the mortgage but with 2 kids you'd be entitled to around 950. If you're not claiming housing benefit they disregard the first 515 of your take home pay. Then for every £1 you earn they take 63p off the amount you recieve. Roughly you should get £500 in UC on top of your salary. You'll also be able to claim up to 85% childcare costs.

you'd get £160 per week - so around £640 every 4 week

you can also go to council tax department online or telephone the office and give your ex new address and the date he moved in and tax will reduce your tax demand by 25% for the single adult rate

so your incoming money would be £1200 wages, £640 UC £140 child benefit total £1980 + child maintenance, around 25% net income from your ex per month

thats an approximate calculation

It depends on the house. If your ex buys you out then you will have a lump sum and possibly be ineligible for benefits anyway - if you want to buy your ex out you need to check that you are eligible for a mortgage, so i'd say that was your first priority.

Call citizen advice bureau OP and request a calculator someone will help you go through the figures. They are really helpful.

Have you discussed CC arrangements? Could you increase your hours. I would get the ball rolling for CMS they are usually quite slow.

id seek advice from a solicitor over the former marital home and what you will do with regards staying in it and how to move forward financially.

@ivykaty44
The op refers to her partner, not husband. There is no matrimonial home and she's only entitled to money for the children, not herself.
Which is why women need to marry if they are not working full-time after having children.
(Sorry @Tiddlerslate1987)

kmjsolicitors.com/not-married-with-children-separation/

I known someone where this happened

he had to leave his home and the partner stayed there until the child was 18 - then the house was sold and split - even though they weren't married the house was needed to home the child

Use the CMS calculator to work out how much DP should be paying and if he won't come close to that voluntarily then ask CMS to arrange it for you.

@DameCelia

as you state your pretty screwed if your not married

but I wouldn't leave the house and seek legal advice to see what can be done

Getting my first payment next week...total entitlement with 2 kids is 844, then out of that there are deductions based on your savings and wages.
As mortgaged, they ignore £515 from your wages and then for every £1 you earn above that, they deduct 63p....take that amount off the 844 and you'll get an idea what you'll be getting (if you have savings above £6000, theres deductions from there too).....mine is almost half of the 844

If she owns half the house, she is not “pretty screwed”. Sounds like you will manage op - good luck