Would you consider getting divorced if you earned roughly £13,000 a year?

[spirallinganxiety]

Am employed as a supply TA through an agency. If I have work all year then my salary (working term time) is around £13,000.

I have 3 dc who are now 10, 12 and 14.

Is it madness to consider getting out of my dysfunctional marriage on this wage? Am hoping to earn more doing other things but it's not going to happen overnight.

Do you rent or are you/your h buying your current home and is his salary comparable to, or considerably more than, your own?

Other posters will no doubt advise on matters such as tax credits, child maintenance, council tax rebate/hb etc but, to my mind, it's madness to stay in a dysfunctional marriage for financial reasons.

I earn about £500 a year at the moment. Caring responsibilities and ill health keep it down.

If DH turned out to be a shister, I'd bloody leave him.

I left and didn't have a job at all. I got a part time job paying peanuts and topped up with child benefit, tax credits, housing benefit and a small amount of child maintenance.

It's definitely doable.

Whrn exH and I split up I claimed tax credits, and those are what we live on as my salary only covers the mortgage and monthly household bills. Ends do meet every month.

TC and Child Benefit meant that I was actually better off as although exH earned a lot more than me and paid all household bills he was very controlling with money. My salary disappeared on food, childcare and petrol, leaving me with literally nothing, whereas he had a few hundred quid left over month to spend as he wished. I racked up credit card bills trying to feed us as food shopping was all down to me.

It's definitely do-able so don't be put off purely for financial reasons.

I think you need to look on benefit websites and get legal advice about child maintenance and spousal support etc so you can made an informed decision.

It was all depend on the reason for the divorce.

It would all depend on the reason for the divorce, if I decided to do it or not.

The benefit calculator on here is pretty accurate www.turn2us.org.uk/

I earn less than you, my tax credits are higher than my salary! We manage, and also I found that without exH in the house, my outgoings seemed to go down anyway.

go to www.entitledto.co.uk and put in your details. The calculations are VERY accurate.

This will give you an idea of what your income will be.

You will get child maintenance as well, there is a site that can give you those figure but I don't know it! Sorry!

What's the cost to you, if you stay?

I earn under £11k & have done it. I work 21.5 hours a week & have managed to top up on working tax & child tax credit..Thank goodness! Phone the tax credits helpline, they were very helpful.
Although Im certainly not rolling in it I'm finding because Im solely responsible for all outgoings I'm better off. With saying that if I can't afford it, I don't have it. I try not to use my credit card if possible.
Ive come to the opinion that if people are bothered that my home hasn't the latest gadgets etc it's their problem, not mine.
99% of the stuff in my home has been donated by friends.

OP I remember a couple of your recent threads, and following on from those I'd reiterate what monkey said. You need to be more concerned about the cost to you if you stay .

I don't think you should base staying with someone based on financial issues.
Money will come and go but your years are gone for ever, if you're wasting them on someone you don't love, leave.

As you're working, have an income and also have further earning potential (i.e. if you absolutely had to you could do other work in the holidays e.g. from home) I wouldn't really let it stop me in itself, no. I wouldn't stay in prison for worries about housing IYSWIM though I don't at all underestimate how hard it will be. Courage.

The way I see it as people have pointed out you can live on that money with the help given by the state. You may need to be a bit more frugal and may not be the lifestyle you and the kids are used too. But you won't stave out on the streets. That's what's good about living in the UK. The question you need to ask is what will make you and the kids happiest in the long run? Maybe he could have the kids? Or a 50/50 split?