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Original poster

Dp made redundant 2 weeks before our wedding, and just after I reduced my hours due to the fact that we thought his job was secure.

27 replies

PanicPants · 12/07/2008 10:23

Thats it really, just posting to get it off my chest.

This really is sods law. We spent all year looking at ways I could spend as much time with ds as possible whilst still working as we can't afford me to be a SAHM.

So, as I teach, I've just got a new job, within the same school, covering PPA for 2 days a week. And the school has just hired my replacement for my full time position.

We are getting married in 2 weeks, all the bills need paying for that, and then dp went into work yesterday, called into a meeting, and was back home again by 11am. No job, car has to go back, etc etc.

I know I'm being self pitying, but this time last week, we both had permanent, full time jobs, and now today, between us we have 2 days a week work

Think I'm in shock, we didn't see it coming and I've no idea how we'll cope. He works in retail so not many jobs at his level about.

I'm panicing, and we haven't stopped crying.

Do we cancel the wedding? Can we claim any benefits? I don't know what to do.

OP posts:
loopylou6 · 12/07/2008 10:26

sympathys PP this has just happened to us how long was dh with the company?

CarGirl · 12/07/2008 10:27

I think if you cancel the wedding you may still have to pay anyway? Find out what you can do without at the wedding and alter asap as soon as you can.

Speak to your school, explain the situation and ask if any other work comes up to let you kow.

Get dh to the job centre and signing on urgently do you own or rent your home - go to CAB and find out exactly what you are/will be entitled to.

So sorry this has happened to you.

noddyholder · 12/07/2008 10:28

My god that is shocking? How long has he been there?Will he get a lump sum or something to help you out with thw wedding?

Original poster
PanicPants · 12/07/2008 10:29

4 years. He's got the car for 3 months, and will be paid next month, and will get a weeks wages for every year he has worked tax free at that time as well. (so 4 weeks wages).

So we are ok for about 2 months. But then my wages go down by 3 quarters, as I've also given up my management money as well as cutting hours.

OP posts:
Original poster
PanicPants · 12/07/2008 10:31

We own our house, but of course have a mortgage. I diodn't think you could claim any benefits if you owned your own house?

OP posts:
loopylou6 · 12/07/2008 10:32

I'd look into that, you may be entitled to more of a payoff? My dh was entitled to nothing as he was only there for just short of a year

loopylou6 · 12/07/2008 10:32

yes im sure you can

noddyholder · 12/07/2008 10:34

You can claim benefits I am sure.Thre is a site entitledto.com i think where you enter your circumstances.Does he work in an industry where it is easy to find a job?

CountessDracula · 12/07/2008 10:35

I think you can claim mortgage interest payments after a longish period of time

You poor things, what a horrible thing to happen just before your wedding

Bear in mind that if he is getting redundancy I think it is tax free which should tide you over for a bit longer (ie he will receive the full amount and not have to pay any tax)

Sobernow · 12/07/2008 10:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CountessDracula · 12/07/2008 10:36

"Redundancy payments up to £30,000 in the course of working for any one company are normally free of tax. Anything above £30,000 is taxed at your highest rate"

CarGirl · 12/07/2008 10:36

Do you have any income protection insurance, usually pay out once you've had no work for 6 months I think?

CountessDracula · 12/07/2008 10:40

this tells you a bit more about the mortgage payments it looks like after 9 months they will pay all the interest on your mortgage.

Can you switch now to interest only to make your money go further?

upsidedownupsidedown · 12/07/2008 10:42

If your ok for 2 months, is there a good chance your dp be able to find a job within that period?

SueW · 12/07/2008 11:34

If he hasn't got a job by Sept could you do some supply to get extra money in as he will be at home to do childcare?

I wasi n Derby this week and a few shops were advertising for staff so there is prob a good chance of him picking up some work although not nec at the same level.

Fingers crossed for you both

Littlefish · 12/07/2008 12:03

Oh PP - what bad news. Sorry to hear about this.

I know it's not ideal, but as a teacher, you should be able to pick up supply.

Speak to your head teacher and explain. Ask to be considered first for any supply that the school needs to cover courses etc. That way, when your dh gets a new job, you've still got that great 2 day per week PPA job (that the rest of us teachers would kill for!), but you can supplement your income in the meantime by doing supply.

Also, speak to the three most local schools that you like and explain that you're available for supply.

Presumably DH will be able to be with your ds for any of those three days if you do extra supply.

SueW · 12/07/2008 12:16

Not that Derby has nec got anythign to do with you - just that at least one sign said 'recruiting nationwide'.

Original poster
PanicPants · 12/07/2008 12:37

Thank you for your support everyone. I had to pop out for my wedding day hair trial at the hairdressers. It's all completely surreal at the moment, dp is just about to go off for his stag do, even though he's so not in the mood for it now.

Yes I am going to speak to the head on Monday at my schol and see if they have anything more for me, failing that I will try to get supply for the 3 days I'm not working from September.

We don't have income protection insurance, as because I'm a teacher, we always thought I'd be safe and that we could always live off the one salary for a bit (this was years ago btw).
It's just typical this has happened as soon as we take such a risk with my job.

We have redone his CV, and he has applied for all the jobs there are on the internet within a 2 hour drive of where we live (he did travel a lot so nothing unusual for him there).

Just sat blubbing to my hairdresser bless her!

OP posts:
Original poster
PanicPants · 12/07/2008 12:39

school

OP posts:
Ihavelayers · 12/07/2008 12:51

Hope it all works out ok it happened to us a few months ago and we claimed benefits for a while .
Good luck with the wedding too x

fiodyl · 12/07/2008 19:04

ff you are doing at least 16 hours per week in those 2 days you wil be entitled to tax credits and DH wil be able to claim contribution based jobseekers as he has been paying his NI for the past few years- Im prety sure any redundancy wont be taken into account but check with the job centre(esp if there is holiday pay included) Tax creits only takes redundancy over 30k into account.

If you have a mortgage you wont get housing benefit but will be entitled to council ax benefit and of will still get child benefit

I dont know how mu you earn but if you do qualify for tax credits then its likely you wil get the maximum amount which could be £700? a month, more if DS is under 1.
If you are on the maxum you wil also get free prescriptions etc plus healthy start vouchers for milk/fruit.

HTH

ilovemydog · 12/07/2008 19:09

Is it worth pursuing how DP lost his job?

fiodyl · 12/07/2008 20:10

It could be worth persuing it-Id check out the contracts etc first then maybe talk to CAB if you think somethings not right.

Personally I would have thought that after 4 years they would have to give notice- not just make him redundant on the spot or are they paying him in lieu of notice?

Also when I got made redundant in Feb this year we got one "months" pay for every year we worked there, in my case that was 10 years, plus if you were over 30 an extra months pay for every year past 30 you worked for them. Over 50s had further options where they could take a lower lumpsum in return for starting to receive their pension early.

My point is we recieved all this information about 3-4 months beforehand- a big thick wadge of paper plus option to get an estimate so we all knew what we were getting- has your DH had anything like this?

jimjamshaslefttheyurt · 12/07/2008 20:13

God sympathies - what a nightmare.

Ditto someone else wrt to switching to interest only mortgage if possible.

Original poster
PanicPants · 12/07/2008 21:25

fiodyl - no nothing like that. He knew the company wasn't doing well, but no other warning, and no other benefits

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