Benefit rant!!

[NicNak1]

Aaarrrggg im so annoyed!!

So abit of history first - Im 24 and have been technically working since i was 14, saturday job in a pet shop then a hairdressers and then a weekend job at 16 until just before my 18th birthday in a bowling alley. I left school when i was 17 just before the christmas holidays and by the 7th January i was working full time for BT and now work for Tesco bank car insurance. (My partner works full time and always has done too) So my point is, I have always worked and paid all my Taxes etc.... Now im on maternity leave and my SMP has kicked in we are starting to struggle! Im getting so stressed out about it. I decided to ring up and see if we were entitled to working/child tax credits so we could get abit of help and they said no because we earned too much last year!! I'm so annoyed that me and my partner have paid into the system all these years and when we really need help they wont help us!! I know we arent the only ones in this situation but i had to have a rant! So bloody annoying!! Xx

 

[katie_lou]

I know how u feel Hun , me and my OH are the same . X

 

[Muguboo]

It's so ridiculous that they base it on the previous year - err how about basing it on the current time which is when people actually need the help. Make sure you claim next year cos I presume you'll be eligible based on this year's earnings even if you've gone back to work x

 

[Linzie2012]

Same, me & OH have worked full time since we were 16.

I'm 27 now & he's 28

We're entitled to ZERO!

Takes the piss !!!!!

 

[NicNak1]

It totally takes the piss. Im just annoyed that one time we need help and for good reason (not because we cant be bothered to work or anything) we arent given it.

I cant remember which one she said it was for (either child or working tax) but if i put a claim through now we'll be entitled to £0 but they'll have all our details etc so come april they will send a claim form out and we can put what we earned from april 2013 - april 2014 and they will backdate it for the 12 months if our income between us is less than 26,000. Which will be good at the time but doesnt help us now, i think i worked out approx our income will be about 27,000 :-@ im going to see if my OH can afford to drop some ours at work. To get us below the 26,000.

If we dont put a claim through now, and claim in april they'll only backdate it for 1 month. Hope this all made sense lol xx

 

[kat1988]

have a look into housing and council tax benefit as its based on your income now not last years income so it might help, I know how u feel as we are now having to claim tax credits, but our income is £14000 less than last year (ish) as I've now stopped working, but we won't see any money from tax credits till next April, we'll get a lump sum, but that's not the point we really need that money now!

 

[NicNak1]

How do i go about looking into that? Is there a website or do i ring someone? Yeah if i stop working in may then we'll be 16,000+ a year down. Yeah we need the money now too. Xx

 

[kat1988]

it depends here u live as its gone out by county councils rather than through the main gov, your local job center will b able to tell u where to go, but it's normally either your town hall or county council offices, you can also google 'turn to us' which will give u an idea if u u might be entitled to any other benefits. Im like you (but were on less money!) I've had at least 2jobs since I was 13, oh has also been full time employees since he was 16, through no fault of our own we are now struggling financially and at every turn we either get buried by paperwork, surrounded in red tape or fobbed off! grrr!

 

[Mum2betash]

It's ridiculous, why do they base it on what you earns last year?? It wasn't last year you needed the help it's now! X

 

[kinkers]

I agree. It infuriates me and it's something that is really bothering me and starting to stress me out. We don't have many nights out and takeaways to cut down on and I honestly feel like I'll be spending more when baby arrives but we'll have less income. I almost feel like I would be better off if I had no job at all rather than being on maternity pay. The whole system needs revising.

 

[kat1988]

it's because it's supposed to give a general idea of why your income should be for the whole year, some people for example earn alot more in the summer than in the winter so taking a couple of months wage slips may not be representative, but the system is completely flawed because it doesn't take into consideration job changes, maternity/paternity leave, gaps in employment (eg temp workers) and it means that people end up waiting up to a year for a final decision, tax credits can be alot of money, (without it we wouldn't eat!) I'm very grateful we have a system in place to help those that need it, I wish it worked the way it was supposed to tho!

mini rant over, sorry!

 

[iWitch]

It's soooo annoying! The think that frustrates me the most is that we took a mortgage based on our earnings! Luckily for us, our wages have changed (me coz I have a new job) but if it hadn't, we'd be struggling due to the SMP and the fact that all our bills have shot through the roof since we bought the house. Certain outgoings really ought to be factored into this (mortgage/rent, utilities, etc)

 

[kat1988]

I think they do give you an allowance to live on but it's sod all, not representative of actual expenses at all, When I was pregnant for example, I was classed as single with no dependants (we didnt live together at the time) and the gov. expected me to live off £63 a week (it's lower as I was also under 25)

I think in any part of the country no one could live off that, it equalled nearly half my rent at the time an no bills, food etc!

 

[mummywanabe]

Its true though ive worked with no breaks for 12 years, now im on maternity leave we are struggling, things arent cheap, none of my clothes fit anymore after baby maternity wear too big my old stuff doesnt fit, electric bill this quarter was £200 we ran ouf of oil, struggling to pay the bills each month

 

[NicNak1]

Ah hun i have no clothes at all that fit!! I feel like a tramp but i cant afford to go out and buy new ones. I think our bills will be just about covered but we have no money left over for food and just general stuff! I get so depressed and stressed worrying about money! xx

 

[Froslass]

Go to www.entitledto.com

It will take into account your area, income and circumstances and tell you if there's anything you're entitled to.

 

[babyA]

You can do and estimate for this year ! I have always done it like that rather than year previously and they were more than happy to do it that way! mite be worth calling again maybe u got one grumpy sod x