Paying a Contribution to the house

[MissMaple82]

I'm a single mother to two children, aged 17 & 4. The 17 year old started an apprenticeship last year. I work part time and claim working tax & child tax credits. Since my eldest turned 17 i've lost nearly all my housing benefit and council tax benefit due to him no longer being a dependent and leaving education, and i'm struggling!
I can manage but nowhere near as comfortably as I used to, it means watching every pound and penny, and I can no longer afford to save. As a result I've decided to ask my eldest to contribute towards the bills. They earn £160 a week on the apprenticeship. I suppose i'm asking for people's opinions on what is an acceptable amount to ask a 17 year old to contribute. They say they are happy to pay, however I do feel some guilt about taking it.
Are there any other working teens that pay board and if so how much? And how do you manage it without any issues?

Can you work ft?

Tbh I wouldn't take board from a 17 year old unless i really had to.

If he moved out how would you manage your finances?

20 % is a figure my dc thought was fair op...
Your dc is working as an adult they should absolutely pay their way.

Everyones circumstances are different! Maybe your not a single mother. No, i can't work full time a I have a 4 year old. Once he leaves home I will move into a 2 bed house with cheaper rent. He's 18 in February after which the council take his wages into the calculation so he will have to pay then, so im not really asking opinions on that aspect as ive already made my decision, just what others pay and how much, who are in a similar position.

Do you lose the council tax discount when they're under 18?

I've just looked it up - until he's 18 you are entitled to the discount.

Zero
Not when 17 and on an apprenticeship

My 17yo is doing an apprenticeship and pays £50 pw, although he earns more than your son, he's happy, even proud to be contributing. He still has far more disposable income than is good for him!

This one always splits MN but personally I think you don't help them at all by letting them think living is free.

As little as you can get away with.

I get just 89p council tax support per week, a drastic reduction from what I was getting. When I queried it they said it was due to losing certain awards for having dependant children. Maybe I need to look into it further.

Thank you to those that have replied. The figure I had in mind was £20/25 a week, but they said they will pay me "whatever I need"

They do also work overtime most weekends so wage is sometimes higher than 160. Maybe I can drop the guilt now too hearing other people's children do in fact contribute. I suppose it's teaching them some responsibility.

The purpose of being paid is to pay living expenses, not as a huge amount of pocket money. That is why the benefits are affected by it. He obviously needs to see some financial reward from working but in your circumstances I would probably take up to half to cover what you have lost and show the breakdown of food, child benefit, council tax and housing benefit. It is a good lesson about budgeting and teaching life skills if you show the cost of living etc.

OP, this is from Which magazine:

You may qualify for a 25% single-person discount if you share your home with people who are considered 'disregarded'. If everyone in the home is 'disregarded', you'll usually get a 50% discount (unless every resident is exempt, in which case there'll be no bill to pay). Disregarded people for council tax include: an apprentice studying for a recognised qualification a young person (under 25) in approved training an 18 or 19-year-old in full-time education

Read more: www.which.co.uk/money/tax/council-tax/reducing-your-council-tax-bill-atcsu6q474gl - Which?

@Hollowtalk thank you I'll ring them next week and see if we qualify for any discount. However I told them of all changes, they know how old they are and that they are doing an apprenticeship so anything like that should of been included in the calculation, but I will definitely check it out with them. I have a feeling its only given once they turn 18 and they actually take their earnings into consideration, maybe that's why i don't qualify as yet. I will post back next week with an update on what they say.

@Hollowtalk I think you may be right, it does say 50% reduction if child is doing an apprenticeship gaining a recognised qualification, which they are. Definitely ringing Monday morning to query that!

Of course he should pay his way, that’s part of being a family and part of growing up.

I would charge 25% of what he earns. That gives him lots of disposable income.

Also fuck other people on here judging you for working part time with a 4 year old.

I hope DS is doing his fair share of house work as well.

I dont think it is unreasonable to ask for £20-30 a week. I think it helps them appreciate the value of money and learn how to budget to prepare them for the real world.

@sharpandtinyteeth thanks! I've worked all my adult life I've nothing to be ashamed of, I'll also add I go to college once a week too, I dont just sit on my arse all day drinking coffee, and at least i'm working, bettering myself AND putting my child's needs first.

I think some are missing the point to why I've lost the housing benefit... I've lost it because in the eyes of the law I don't need to provide for my 17 year old anymore and they can, and should provide for themselves, I don't necassarily agree with that but that is what the law says and this is the positon I'm now in, so I do think its only fair they contribute towards the living expenses under the circumstances. As someone else has said they've got more disposable income than sense for a 17 year old. When I was an apprentice I got £50 a week, and it wasn't that many moons ago!

And I think asking them to do their share of household chores aswell is pushing it a bit too far 😉

I asked for £30 per week from my son when he was 17 he paid no problem, it's life they have to pay their way. I felt guilty though for some reason.

I dont think you should be asking for money from a 17 year old. I think with the money he gets he should buy his own clothes etc and maybe pay for his own driving lessons. I dont think it's fair that he pays towards the house.

Yes you should ask the 17 year old to him out. You are teaching them to be responsible when they move out.

Help not him!

We all had to pay when we turned 16 (4 chn all turned 16 over the last 10 years). It's done me the world of good and I manage life/finances a lot better than other people my age. We paid for our own phones and cars, too. If we wanted it, we had to save.
Really taught me respect and made me understand the pressures on my mother when I just thought we got everything 'for free'. Even if she had enough, we contributed. She's no dragon - it's just the way it is. I'm very proud of it now.

Your idea of £20-25 per week sounds fine to me.

Thanks guys, £25 it is 🙂