Question:
just wondering if anyone can give me some advice as things are about to become a complete mess.
This past financial year I was a University student, I lived in university accomodation and had no earnings apart from the Student Loan.
I have a 3 year old son who lives with his mum, she is also in University.
During term time he goes to a registered Childcare provider costing £400 per month.
We are both back and over summertime i have him for 4-5 days and she has him for the remaining.
The problem that arises is that I would claim a childcare grant as my parents income is about 15k. (they claim no benefits, my dads odd, he's really against it)
Her parents earn over 30K.
however I have now graduated, my income fluctuates from 0 to £10 p/h full time work as i am temping.
Come september time he will go off with her, but even though her parents are using one of those debt consolidation services and her mum has filed for bankrupcy. my ex will not e able to claim to the same extent the childcare grant that i did, as they have said it doesnt matter what your financial situation is they still earn £xK.
She will soon have more responsibilities with him and become the main carer, probably need the nursery more as i wont be there to help out (i usually had grouped all my lessons in 4 days so i coud look after him for 1 day plus the wekkend, she did the same and lokked after him for a day and he was in nursery the other 3)
What we got last year
4K SLC loan me
3k SLC loan her
85% childcare paid by LEa through me
1.3K Parental learning allowance her
£40 a week CTC me.
Costs
1K tuition her (i didnt have to pay due to parental income)
£700 a month rent (its hard finding a place that would allow both a student and a parent)
£200 a month me
400 per month chilcare
and all other usual costs
She gets no support from her parents cause though they earn a tidy sum her dads idiotic behaviour has crippled them all financially.
With me becoming a non student, we lose the 85% childcare grant, lose the 4K loan, i no longer become the main carer so we lose £40 a weekCTC, Childacre cost go up (prob another 130-150 a month), but im living at home so save £200 a month rent.
im £1400 in overdraft but should hopefully clear by christmas, she finally let me see into her accounts and im horrifed to see that she is 2K (1.45% natwest student) over on one CC and 1K (19.9% barclaycard)over on another
she pays minimum payment 70odd ponds a month but 40odd pounds is eated by interest.
After finding this great site i have told her about tranfering the balance to the Post office for 6months at 0%( i dont think she will be able to get accepted on the 12month GE credit card one) saves her about £250 for the 6 months.
I spoke to an advisor with the tax office about claim working tax credits as i did when i was on 15.5K on placement (got £20 per week WTC) But she said i could claim as at that point i was waiting for my agency to find a job so not working the minimum hours.
Couldn't i still say i was the main carer so that the CTC would not be affected and that we will get the WTC.
And if the childcare grant offered to her is very low due to her high parents income i could maybe use the childcare element of the WTC.
Things are just a mess, and i think by XMas time everything is just going to implode.
If anyone has any advice, Please help me
(Sorry about the length i just wanted to be as concise a possible as we are only a few weeks away from term time starting, and i had no idea of her Credit card situation and of course expected i would get a cushy grad job and not be temping my !!! off to all comers)
Answers:
i thought everybody got the 10 a week child tax credit regardless. you can't get working tax credit till your'e 25.
i don't understand why your digging at her parents at your age you should be supporting yourself more anyway.
when i asked, the person with the child benifit gets the tax credit payments.
are you actually together or seperate, i don't really understand what your getting at.
Answers:
"I spoke to an advisor with the tax office about claim working tax credits as i did when i was on 15.5K on placement (got £20 per week WTC) But she said i could claim as at that point i was waiting for my agency to find a job so not working the minimum hours.Couldn't i still say i was the main carer so that the CTC would not be affected and that we will get the WTC."Hi there, I don't think you can claim to be your son's main carer unless you are (were) married and either have parental responsibility through marriage or gained it afterwards through the Courts. Its easily done if you have your partners consent. I know through personal experience that you need to prove this re claiming costs or gaining benefits for children/childcare.Aside from that well done on completing your education, I know how much of a struggle it is with children, keep your chin up, it will get better.
Answers:
I know when people generally talk about their ex's and such its usually a messy affair (had a read through some other aticles on the boards)
basically me and his mum are still close the year before last we lived together and i had just done a year placement and it was not a nice year at all, it also vapourized all the money i had earned.
Our parental address's are pretty close so still see each other now and then.
This year just gone it was decided that it would be better for all 3 of us to live in 2 seperate houses as we would still be able to study, and still look after the little one and also take the arguments etc out of the equation.
This worked successfully until jan feb time when certain grants i thought i would be applicable for whic i was the previous year was declined even on appeals.
This meant i moved back in with them, as finance was really really bad.
I have always been classed as the main carer as holiday periods (4.5 months of the year he is mostly with me and it is generally split down the middle term time. (placement year she studied i looked after him.)
now it looks like i might not be by definition, so am very worried as Her parents income means she would be entitled to far less then me. This would subsequently mean me making a masive contribution (we have a good relationship wher if they need money for things they get it) but am not sure ihow i will be able to afford it as i also plan on doing my ACCA's and as im working through temping agency's Hays and Reed Im gonna have to pay all the college and exam fees myself, which seems to be a hell of a lot more then i expected.
When they were to head off to uni mid sept my plan was to take a 2nd job to maximise income as extra time worked would not mean lost time with my son, but from hearing from other friends who are doing their professional accounting exams it looks like any free time i get, i will be stuck in a book.
Answers:
She can still receive CTC and Child Benefit, regardless of anything else, she'll get the maximum of around £45 p/w CTC + Child Benefit.
If she could get 16hrs of work, then she could claim working tax credits, the 25yrs of age rules doesn't apply to anyone with children.
Answers:
If thats the case that could be a weight off my shoulders as i was worried that she would not get the maximum CTC, due to her parents income.
And i guess now the WTC falls into place as i will be earning the benefit and she can pick it up regardless of her parents income right?
(Its really weird these past few years, when we need to be classed as independents we are not, then with other things when we want to be classed as dependents we're not- and just seem to get a bum deal, like the government etc would rather have us both drop out of uni, one work a low paid job the other child care full time, we would be financially better off, what happened to rewarding the ones that make an effort?)
Answers:
(Its really weird these past few years, when we need to be classed as independents we are not, then with other things when we want to be classed as dependents we're not- and just seem to get a bum deal, like the government etc would rather have us both drop out of uni, one work a low paid job the other child care full time, we would be financially better off, what happened to rewarding the ones that make an effort?)
Just wanted to add I know exactly how you feel, the more you make an effort the more they seem to penalise you, i was "dependent" despite my parents being retired, and my being a single parent entitled to claim benefits in my own right. My Dad nearly choked when he saw the rules about students under 25, he siad wasn't i supposed to be an adult at 18!
Answers:
HB has been a pain for the past 2 years we have tried to make a claim.
The first tiem we had only found out late that we would be eligible but applied around jan.
april time we called u pand asked about it and they said they have no record of it, had to come in to show them the form that they stamped as proof of receipt of our application.
We then submitted everything they asked for, comeing up to may time we ad a letter saying that they needed more theings that we failed to provide (we had been to their offices twice with 4 lever arch folders containing everything and asked them what they wanted)
as this is exam time we just left it at that.
Then this past year we tried to apply again and we just never go t proper responses or even callbacks that we were promised. Bristol council are beyond useless!!!
The past 2 years since having the little one has been a killer financially, as landlords either ask for students no kids or parents welcome but no students. So in my experience have always had to pay shed loads out for accomodatation £650-750 (and this is bristol!!)
on a funny note just after i had finished my year long placement and had a very health bank balance we were calling around for places to rent.
.....
Landlady - so what do you do?
Me - im a student
Landlady - how will you pay?
Me - ......with money!?!
Landlady - but how will you pay?
Me - ... standing order possibly
Landlady - But how will you pay?
Me - ... eh with funds that i have
Landlady - but your a student!
Me - i just finihed a placement and have the funds in my bank to cover the rent
Landlady - well i would need to ask for a deposit
Me - thats fine, how much?
Landlady - 6 months
Me - GOODBYE!
Answers:
Also called the taxman to explain that by definition on their website i am a lone parent, but in actual fact we are a couple and i want to add her onto there.
He said thats fine but it will mean that my payments will stop and she will then have to be asessed
at the moment cash flow is very low, so dont want to rock the boat just yet, i did tell them i worked, well i was tempping but i cant give them a figure as one week i was earning£9 p/h then 8 then i had no work now im on * with a bonus at teh end that will make 9 (but its not guarenteed)
He said just to find out an estimate and tell them.
Any idea what the best value is to give them in order not to be paying shed loads out as overpayments later, but will at least help us out a bit more financially
before when on placement i was on 15.5k and got anout £20 in WTC, i think i should hopefully be on about 17-19K however i plan to get a 2nd job to pick up anopther 2-4k for the year - cause damn we gonna need it, to get though this year with out my student loan/ grants/student status benefits
Answers:
WTC/CTC are means tested only againt your own income (+ partners), parents income doesn't affect anything other than some students loans.
You would need to have WTC only in your own name,unless you can still justiy being called a couple, in which case you need a joint claim - otherwise (without working 16hrs) she can only claim CTC and you can only claim WTC if your over 25 and work over 30hrs per week.
Answers:
Ahhh that cleasrs that up,
Thing is i read the hmrc wwebsite and their definition of what a partner is and i dont think it applies, and i had called a few weeks ago to renew my claim and said i was a single parent as you relaionship and living arrangements has changed over the year.
So i guess the best thing is to now call them back up and say i am part of a couple and misunderstood their definition - probably say how she is soon to go into uni i made a pre-emptive mistake.
Answers:
I am not such as MSE virgin as i have been thrawling throught the site for the past while, so heres an update
I will be calling the tax man to tell them i am in a couple even though i am not in the way it is defined by them but am in the way of common sense.
I have applied for a 0% Post office BT CC, to transfer her
£950 @ 19.9% Visa APR
£1889 @ 1.456% monthly ( does this mean 17.472% APR)
I will be taking on the debt, it is really doubtful she will gain credit by herself.
I have applied for a 2nd Amex account for her to use so that it should control her spending a bit while earning us some cash back
we will see how it goes, expect Amex in tomo for her and notification from the Post office soon after that
Answers:
From this academic year you are automatically an independent student if you have a child.
Therefore your parents (or her parents) wouldn't even be conacted. This is an enormous relief for me as last year I was assessed under my Mums income, which was above threshold, this year my income is barely anything as Im a single parent only working 3 days a week!
Answers:
From this academic year you are automatically an independent student if you have a child.
IS this like a change in the ppolicy or because i am no longer a student?
Answers:
They have changed all the system for this year and I'm well p1ssed off about it. In the Guidebook they gave an example of single parent with one child (which I am) and assessed her on 'old-system' and 'new system'. On the old system we get £16,385 on the new system she got £20,500 or something like that.
I only get my loan, £4,440, HE Grant £1000 and PLA £1400 = £6840 System get their loan, PLA, HE and all these new Mainataince Grants and Special Support Grants.
Wish I'd taken a year out!
Answers:
we never even got HE grant, so count yourself a bit more lucky.
for some strange reason she has been given full loan and no tuition fees to pay every year in cluding the year she was pregnant and gave birth she always had to pay her tuition fee and only got a 3k loan, even though legally hey parents had filed for bankrupcy!!!
Answers:
OK I was a student parent, and my parents income etc meant that I had to pay fees etc. The system for me went as followed (I graduated July this year)
Fees - I had to pay
Childcare grant 85% of which parental contribution meant that my grant was reduced to about 50%
Student parent learning allowance £1300
Full student loan (as reduction from parental contibution comes off fees, followed by childcare grant then SL last)
My parents income was more than your exes so she should still get some of the childcare grant.
In addition income was low enough to get housing benefit, my rent was £725 a month, and I only had to pay around £160, HB picked up the rest. HB only take into account income from student loan not childcare grant. Also I explained my parents weren't paying deemed contribution, they wrote a letter to that effect and that was not taken into account either. There is a set figure they also disregard from your student loan to allow for books etc. SL is calculated up till summer holidays, so she'd be eligable for full HB an dincome support over the summer break.
Additionally the university should have a hardship fund, go to registry and ask for forms, this is something you on't have to pay back and HB can't take into account as income, I recieved around £9000 over the three years, and you can apply anytime during the year, though best to get in there early. Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit run at £17 sometinhg and £44 something a week respectively, get them paid to her not you, as tax credits have differing amounts for single parents, which in financial terms you are as you live seperately.
If the new system means she is automatically an independent student then she should get full chidlcare grant as well, though I know sometimes they run you on the system you started on, not the current one. Also look up on EGAS for charitable grants for student parents.
Firstly though, make sure she gets onto housing benefits and checks her entitlement, some areas you have to argue with (my initial claim was dealt with by someone who had never dealt with a student case, she allocated me £31 a week housing benefit, but when I asked for it to be second checked and showed her the calcualtions guide form Student loans it went up to £120ish.)
It'll be worth it in the end for both of you though, and I have to say I really respect you for being such a supportive father, so often things get messy but it sounds like you two are acting really responsibly (only wish my ex could be the same).
Hope this helps,
Lil'H
Answers:
Also called the taxman to explain that by definition on their website i am a lone parent, but in actual fact we are a couple and i want to add her onto there.
I would be very careful with you claim - unless the details have changed, you posted earlier saying that you have a child but are seperated, in at least one post , you caller her your ex.
From what you've posted, you wouldn't meet the definition of a couple for benefit purposes.
If tax credits later decide that you aren't acouple then you'll be held liable for all money received,a nd possibly prosecuted,
Iam not saying they will, but you need to be careful as to what you declare on the claim - having a child together does not automatically mean that you are a couple , and having the child for only short periods of time, with your ex asthe main carer. does not always mean that you will be able to claim as a lone parent.
Answers:
I would be very careful with you claim - unless the details have changed, you posted earlier saying that you have a child but are seperated, in at least one post , you caller her your ex.
It tends to be one of those, you never know if we are a couple or not, depends on her mood.
last year we lived seperately as it was more then evident the year before that it was doing us no good together. we dont have many arguments, but when we do and i dont feel like backing down it gets into a very loud conversation (think the neighbours calling the police was a reality check)
This past year went well she had her place i had mine, however financially we were crippled by jan (the previous year i had a healthy balance to support the £700 a month rent, but i started last year my overdraft).
I ended up moving in with her cause i could no longer sort myself out and her.
Things have been good since then, but lot of people think we are not an item and others thing we are, its very confusing.
I dont even know half the time if when i see her next shes gonna ignore me/b**chslap me or it will be all kissing iand cuddles.
Its crazy i tell you, but whatever happens my son always comes first ad more then sure that goes for both of us.
(hell im gonna take on 3k of her debt onto a cc bt)
Answers:
Regardign HB again, yes they can be a hasstle, but don't just decide not to bother, this could be worth £600+ a month to your ex! Also I would advise NOT going together. As a single parent which she is entitled to more, if the child lives with her and you don't, she is a single parent with regard to benefits. You going along to will only make them suspicious that she is making a false claim, as a single person. I know you want to support her, but financially she is better off making sure everything goes to her, adn is claimed by her alone.
lil'H