childcare grant - anyone else refused?

[Pendu]

Just rang student finance and my childcare grant has been refused I had no idea about income levels when I applied and sorted out everything so now uni is out the window. Our income is low (17k) but not low enough for a grant but not high enough to pay the childcare now. I don't even get a parent grant or anything - just the very basics.

Anyone else in this boat?

Yeah. We didn't get anything. ... worse they gave it to me the first year and then decided they overpaid me and I had to pay it all back in my second out of my grant .. leaving me nothing.

My university has a hardship fund that paid. So might be worth asking.

And our income that year was 14k.. the thresholds are crazy low

Were you asking for the full amount? I just can't work it out - I'm "entitled" to something like 13,000 and earned 16,800 which would leave 3,800 if I paid childcare myself instead of the grant so I just can't see how I don't get it. They got rid of maintenance grants I think so I'm already paying back over 50k in loans , it just doesn't seem worth it now. My friends husband quit work while she studied and now I see why - my DH is basically working for 3k a year if I carry on. Oh well

Mine are all at school so I was claiming for about £6000. They originally said I could have just over 3k the first year. But then said they over paid me and took it back from my second year.
It really is a total mess. And no appeal process. The finance centre at the university were really good and went through everything with us.

In the end I had to get my mum to do the after school care (thankfully we had that option) as we couldn't have afforded it otherwise.

How old is your LO? A friend of mine got around by getting an au pair which was cheaper

Also. A small advantage is that student finance does not count as income for lots of things. So we were then entitled to tax credits and some housing benefit. Which helped loads

They will be 6,8,10 and baby of a few months old. The grant didn't even cover the childcare fully which was fine but I just can't understand how it wasn't given when we have to top it up massively anyway.

I'd wait until the baby is older, honestly it's not worth it