Advice please - financial entitlements/benefits etc

[Namechange200121]

Hi all
I’d really appreciate any advice. I’m not sure things are working out with my partner, we bicker constantly and I’m really struggling with how little childcare and housework he does (ie almost none) he feels his contribution as financial is enough and whilst I’m on maternity leave it’s down to me. However I don’t think this would change much of even when I return to work! No matter how many times I nag or say it’s disrespectful to do sod all round the house and with our child (other than be a Disney fad for an hour a day) nothing changes. I may have had a little PND and I am oh ADs though I haven’t struggled at all with being mum, I’ve struggled with him!! Now usually I’d be told to get my ducks in a row, however it’s not a typical set up. We aren’t married but do have one child together. The house is actually mine, mortgaged on my name alone (I bought my ex out when we split a few years ago) and he gives me money for ‘rent’, some bills, nursery fees. However I will now only work part time when I finish maternity leave. Even though it’s a decent part time salary (about £28k) for 3 days per week, it certainly wouldn’t be enough to cover mortgage, bills and the extortionate childcare for the days I am in work, all on my own. I wonder if I would be entitled to anything at all to help if I were a single parent without having to sell my home and move further away and downsize (not that I could get much smaller lol). Or would that salary be considered to be ‘enough’ even though it absolutely wouldn’t...
I tried going on the benefits calculator but and it said I was entitled to some universal credit but didn’t ask me about my salary and only asked what hours I did before my maternity leave, which was full time. I know one shouldn’t stay with someone just for financial reasons, but practically (until our child is would get their 15 free hours etc) it may be a needs must. This scenario is if he didn’t pay much/any child support. Thanks in advance

Bump for anyone who can help? Anyone else been in the situation where they want to split with their partner and the house is solely theirs? but still wouldn’t be able to manage on a part time wage alone? And can’t do full time yet as childcare so expensive? Do you get any sort of benefit help until little ones get their free hours at nursery or did you have to sell up? Thank you would really appreciate some advice

Don't forget you'll get child maintenance and child benefit

The government childcare scheme means that a proportion of your nursery bill will be paid for you. It means it's often more affordable than you think.

www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

When you say a PT salary of 28k, do you mean 28k is pro rata's, so you bring home 16k for instance, or would working FT earn eg40k and you earn 28k on your PT hours??

I don't have a benefits calc in front of me, but earning 28k, without any rent liability is very unlikely to be eligible for any UC.

If it's 28k and then pro rata'd, you may be.

If you have any savings, that will be taken into account when claiming UC (less than 6k ignored, over 16k means you get nothing, despite earnings)

You will of course be eligible for child benefit, and child's father will be eligible for maintainance (advise to go through CMS regardless of how amenable he is now).

Have a look at entitledto and turn2us, there is a space for income on the calculators I'm sure.

You won't be entitled to universal credit as you will earn too much but tax free childcare will help as will child benefit and of course child maintenance from their father.

At 28k and one child, I doubt you will be entitled to anything from UC, possibly some childcare costs at most.

As poster above says, you will get CM from your partner and child benefit.

And yes, tax free childcare.

Try putting your details in to www.entitledto.co.uk/

As he is paying you ‘rent’ do you know how easy it is to get him out, I believe he may have some rights ?
Do you expect that he will want to have the kids 50/50 ?

Thanks so much everyone. Yes the PT wage is c.£28k (FT was £49k) so I doubt I’ll get much. I have signed up for the tax free childcare but it’s about £570 a month round here just for two full days nursery per week (and my mum can have the baby one day) - my mortgage is just under £1k a month so between that and all bills, nursery and eventually travel back to work when we’re not WFH it’s not achievable on my own. I wouldn’t get much CM from him as he doesn’t earn much. Is child benefit just the old ‘milk money’ from when we were kids? The £80 a month? If so I do already get that as on stat mat pay. I guess I’ll just try and make it work for as long as possible - he’s not horrible or anything, he’s just a bit lazy with childcare and round the house and since having a baby (I have had a bit of PND and am on ADs) but everything he does just irritates me and I just feel like I’d be happier just me and the baby! Maybe it’s me
Thanks so much for you replies I really appreciate it x

Can you change your mortgage to interest only until your baby goes to nursery?
Also I don't think this is a deal breaker until you speak to him and made clear you are not going to tolerate his laziness and lack of care for his child.

If there is anything written down about him paying you rent (texts/emails), it’s probably going to cost you to get rid of him.

You might be better off if, in lieu of maintenance you work full time and share childcare 50/50?

25% discount on your council tax as single adult household.

Good idea about interest only mortgage I could look into that, and yes of course the single persons discount for council tax. I have tried speaking to him about it he seems to think whilst I’m on maternity leave that it’s my job to do the childcare and household stuff and when I’m working again of course he’ll step up....hmmm I’m not so sure. We’ll see. Yes thankfully we actually have a lodgers agreement set up - as that helped him as he’s self employed so technically he’s just my lodger and I can ask him to leave on 4 weeks notice. I don’t know we’ll see how it goes. Thanks all

Use the CM calculator to work out how much child support he would need to pay you too, you might be surprised by how much your child would be eligible for and it might cover nursery.

Yes thankfully we actually have a lodgers agreement set up - as that helped him as he’s self employed so technically he’s just my lodger and I can ask him to leave on 4 weeks notice.

That’s even worse. Know many people who have babies with their lodgers? And he has evidence that he is paying rent, which he could then legally claim has been used to pay the mortgage and sue you for a portion of the house value. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Bloody hell. Best we make it work for a while then, hey?

Do you declare the rent for tax purposes?

I think you would get some help from UC for childcare on that salary, about £100 per week. But it depends on how much you pay into your pension as that is taken off before they calculate your entitlement. Put your details in the calculator here, and it will tell you: www.entitledto.co.uk/

Its very unlikely your partner would have a claim on your property as the lodger agreement makes it clear he doesn't.

Its very unlikely your partner would have a claim on your property as the lodger agreement makes it clear he doesn't.

Lines very blurred though given the creation of a child with his landlady.

And if the income hasn’t been declared, he’s even more likely to be able to prove (on balance of probabilities) that the lodging agreement was contrived. (Never seen a lodging agreement with more than 1 weeks notice either.)

How can he have a claim on her property? They are unmarried, we tell unmarried woman every day on here that they do not have a claim on the house she lives in with her children.

Even if he is paying 'rent' it's FAR more likely to be household expenses unless he's paying directly to the mortgage for many many many years.

If either party were claiming benefits, then the lodger relationship becomes dodgy, but they aren't as far as we know.

Don't panic OP, see a solicitor if you are concerned

Thanks all, much appreciated!