Very messy situation, advice desperately needed (benefits)

[Asha19]

Hello everyone.

 

I apologize for the length of this post in advance, myself and my partner have found ourselves in a awful situation and really don't know what to do. I'll start with the basics.

 

I'm 19, I was studying full time at College (although left a few months ago) and work part time (10 hours per week.)

My partner is 20, working full time (37.5 hours per week).

 

I am currently 21 weeks pregnant. I am not entitled to SMP from work as I don't earn enough, however I do believe I am entitled to Maternity Allowance (I started working for my employer 4 months before I fell pregnant.) I currently live with my parents, and do have to leave home before the baby is born. They are saying around 35 weeks I will need to get my own house.

 

Now this is were it becomes tricky, my partner and the babies father lives 150 miles away.

 

He is applying for jobs around my area in order to be with myself and our baby, however as you can imagine, as soon as they look at his address, he isn't getting very far at all. They are also ringing asking if he can attend interviews the next day and he cannot get time of his job to attend. It really is catch 22.

 

I am under the impression if he was to leave his job and move in with me, he would be penalised for leaving his job and therefore receive no benefits for 26 weeks. I will only have around £90 Maternity allowance a week and would prove very difficult to support myself and him of this, as well as our baby. I am aware I would receive child tax credit + child benefit but a new baby costs alot of money.

 

For the housing situation, I am aware i would only be entitled to shared accomodation rate before the baby is born, which for my area is about 260 per month. I am looking to get a private rented 2 bedroom house at around 36 weeks which would be around 450 per month. I am wanting to save up the extra rent on top of my shared accomodation entitlement and paying it until the baby is born when the rate should change to 2 bedroom rate? I believe this is correct although I may be wrong.

 

Would I have any difficulties doing this? i.e would housing benefit refuse to pay the rate if I can afford to pay the extra on top for the first couple of months until I am entitled to the full rate? I just want to get settled in a home before the baby is here.

 

My other enquiry is - Would I loose some housing benefit if my partner was to leave his job and come and move in with me? i.e would they use his last wage on determining the deduction of housing benefit and council tax benefit? Obviously the deduction would be quite high if they did this. However, when he did move in with me he would be unemployed and have no income of his own.

 

I just don't know what to do. I absolutely want my partner to be there for his son. He is not a lazy person, it will be his absolute first intention to find a job. However, as you can imagine, with him being in the situation he is in 150 miles away it is nearly impossible to do so without living here.

 

So I suppose im wondering if my HB and CTB will be effected if he was to move in with me if he was unemployed (even though he chose to leave his job). On the direct gov website it also says under special circumstances that those who leave there jobs may still get job seekers. Would this be seen a 'special circumstance'.

 

Thank you x

[Nystagmite]

For the housing situation, I am aware i would only be entitled to shared accomodation rate before the baby is born,

 

If you live with your partner before the baby is born, you'll get the one bedroom rate. This has nothing to do with your age.

 

As for the JSA sanction - if he does get sanctioned, (I can't say whether he will) it may be less than 26 weeks.

[Asha19]

Hi Nystagmite, I won't be living with my partner until after the baby is born, sorry I didnt clarify this in my earlier post.

 

xx

[feelingsad]

Your HB and CTB would be based on your current income and you wouldn't be penalised for those two benefits on whether your partner had given up his job. He might be penalised for JSA though. You would be entitled to Income support and child tax credit and child benefit.

 

You could register as homeless with your local council, as a pregnant woman they have a duty to house you.

[bumpersuze]

as fellingsad says the council will have a duty to house you as you are pregnant. From week 29 you will be entitled to income support which is the same rate as JSA. Also from this time you can claim Sure Start Grant which is £500 which you don't have to pay back. your partner maybe entitled to contribution based JSA but that is a maybe. If you go to your local councils housing office they will give you more info on their procedures but you will be entitled to somewhere. I'm unemployed and pregnant so I've been found most of this info already. check out the direct.gov website too

[Asha19]

Hi bumpersuze, I recently spoke to the Jobcentre about the sure start grant and they told me I won't be entitled until I am in receipt of child tax credit (as I will be moving onto maternity allowance from my wage as opposed to IS / JSA ).

 

My biggest concern is housing benefit / council tax deductions if he moves in. I know benefits are often worked out on last years income, and his will obviously be high. When he moves in he will be unemployed with an income of nil. Ive read somewhere if hes in receipt of JSA then there will be no deduction, however he may not get JSA so will there be a deduction for him?

 

Hope that makes sense. xx

[feelingsad]

My biggest concern is housing benefit / council tax deductions if he moves in. I know benefits are often worked out on last years income, and his will obviously be high. When he moves in he will be unemployed with an income of nil. Ive read somewhere if hes in receipt of JSA then there will be no deduction, however he may not get JSA so will there be a deduction for him?

 

I answered that in my post above.

[nohope]

And even once the baby is born i think you will still only be entitled to a single rate of LHA until the baby is at least 2 as they don't deem a child needing its own bedroom before that sort of age from what i can remember.

[bumpersuze]

if he can prove that hes not working there shouldn't be any deductions if hes not in receipt of jsa. when he first moves in there might be some deductions but shouldn't be any afterwards. what the jobcentre told you is bull you can claim a sure start grant anytime between 11 weeks due and the baby being 3 months old if you are in reciept of income support or income based jsa (check out the direct.gov website)

[Nystagmite]

And even once the baby is born i think you will still only be entitled to a single rate of LHA until the baby is at least 2 as they don't deem a child needing its own bedroom before that sort of age from what i can remember.

 

Can't find anything online that says that.

 

Allow one bedroom for *

every adult couple (married or unmarried)

any other adult aged 16 or over

any two children, of the same sex, aged under 16

any two children, regardless of sex, aged under 10

any other child

 

Source - http://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/2866/Local-Housing-Allowance-LHA

[nohope]

After doing a bit of checking it seems children under the age of 1 year old are ignored so you would still only be intitled to the 1 person rate of LHA.

 

Up until the age of 1 year old it seems its quite ok for a child to be in the same room as the parent/s.

[Nystagmite]

After doing a bit of checking it seems children under the age of 1 year old are ignored so you would still only be intitled to the 1 person rate of LHA.

 

Do you have a link please?

[nohope]

The link would be my son and daughter-in-law. This is what my local council told them when they had my grandson, until he is 1 then they will not get any more benefit as he would not need his own room at such a young age.

[feelingsad]

I think it must vary per council then as down here you get a 2 bed rate from when the baby is born. Though I can understand the thinking, foster parents are allowed to have a baby sleep (looked after child) in their room with them until they are 1yr old then the children needs their own rooms shared only with their own birth siblings.

[Asha19]

I went into see my local council who told me my entitlement band would change to two bedroom once I could provide the birth certificate of my baby. Also a friend has her full rent paid for a 2 bed house now that she has her baby.