F*****g Goverment! Im so upset - I dont know what to do

[MammyShirl]

I just called Inland Revenue and they said we are not entitled to any help with childcare so basically I can't afford to work and I cant afford to not work. I don?t understand this government, they don?t seem to want to help people who want to help themselves. They just waste money on no-hopers!

I might as well chuck my boyfriend out, leave my job and say I'm homeless to get any help, and on the way damage my leg so I can be registered disabled and get a free car - its sad but true!

So what's next for people who don?t get help with childcare - where do us people who want and need to work stand? Is there no government funded nurseries?

What are my options?

We earn what I consider low wages well under 30k, we are in a lot of debt and just about makes ends meet each month, we dont earn enough to pay our bills we just balance it. i work part time and we need the money. my mother looks fter my dd but is now finding it difficult so i need to get my dd into a nursery, ive been looking for a couple of weeks and yesterday, trailed arouns chiswick/acton from 10 - 5pm, i was so tired, they are so expensive and i really stupidly thought we would get some help with the costs - but no! nothing! so what do i do now, we cant live on my dh wages, we cant afford to pay the nursery costs as it costs two thirds of my monthly wage. i am desperate, what the f is this goverment up to. when i lived in australua they really take care of you, their money is well spent and not wasted on no-hopers like it is here. im sorry but i cant express or say what i really want to say as i will come across arrogant and racist which im not im just saying what is true! the goverment needs to start taking care and putting people first who want to help themselves, they really do have their priorities wrong.

im so anrgy and i feel so low, my debts feel like a ton of bricks on my shoulders, i work hard and always have, i dont spend much, i dont have much. i pay rent, my bills and ive worked since 14, i see people from school living in nicely decorated houses, do they work? - no! they get all because they can, because they choose to cheat the system, but who is they clever one? not me the mug! i should learn a lesson from them that i cant fight this system i should just join it or suffer in silence as no-one wants to hear from me unless im disabled, homless, single or a refugee. sure they need help but what about all the falling people around them, soon we will be in the same boat as homeless people an dthen they will have to help me and it would cost alot more then it would if they just gave me some f* help now so i can look afte rmy family.

i just want to screaaaaaaaaaaaaam!

sorry if i offend anyone but we should be allowed to say what we feel, i dont hate anyone just the goverment.

[Tinker]

I'll ignore the sweeping generalisations but what would your nursery costs be? Have you factored that into any claim for tax credits?

[MammyShirl]

ive need to get her into a nursery around acton/chiswick they all costs from £45 - £52. I work two days a week so it will be around £400 per month and I earn £600 per month. My partner works full time but we cant live on his wages.

[M2T]

MammyShirl - You will be entitled to £545 per year as everybody who works and has children gets this. So thats about £45 per month.

However, if your child is not actually IN childcare yet then they won't tell you what you are entitled to. How much if you don't mind me asking did you estimate you would spend per month on Childcare?

We earn a joint salary of 32k. Our childcare is £312 per month and we are not entitled to anything more than the basic £545. But ds is only in Nursery 3 days a week. If he was in fulltime we would get a little help.

If you go to their website and use the automatic calculator you will get a better idea than speaking to the numpties at the call centre who don't give damn. Good luck. I am SURE with your wage and that level of childcare you will be entitled to help.

[M2T]

Apologies to anyone that works in a call centre.... shouldn't have added that comment at the end! I've just had a spot of bother with call centres recently.

[MammyShirl]

When spoke to Inland Revenue she took all my details and calculated the figures and then said that we are not entitled to anything.

I was so gutted as at the beginning of the conversation she asked me a few questions and said that I would receive £73 per week towards costs. I was delighted and she told me to go ahead with registering my dd and I would receive paymemt 4 weeks after she starts. I then said to her can you work it out exact first please before i go ahead... and then she cam abck with "oh so sorry, your not entitled to anything actually" AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I think thats wht im so angry, for a minute I thought everything was going to be ok!

[FairyMum]

I think you are entitled to quite a lot of help with childcare actually. I think anyone earning less than 50K a year or so is entitled to help......

[MammyShirl]

M2T - i didnt know that! She should of told me!

It would costs around £400 per month.

[zebra]

The call centre staff who work for Inland Revenue have gone on strike, you know, because they themselves are so fed up with not being able to handle the queries properly! They don't even have access to all the right records when people phone up.

I've got to start another thread on this... but I was only working (after child- & work-related-costs) for £4/day (about £35/month) 2 years ago. And the median family income in this country is about £26k/yr... I know it may seem low to you, Mammyshirl, but your family income is still higher than average. Maybe you can't get help because you're not married to your partner? I also wondered if your debts were crippling you, if there's anything you could do to significantly reduce them it might make things easier.

[Twinkie]

Never do this over the phone - go down to your local Social Security Office and get them to sit with you and work it out - I have no faith inthose jubblies they have at the end of the line in any call centre.

[M2T]

You ARE entitled to £45 per month though, I know it's not a lot. Everybody gets this. She must've meant you are not entitled to any extra help with childcare. It's only £10 a week, but it is something. I know the feeling though. They grossly miscalculated what I was entitled to.

I'll try to do a link to the IR online calculator.

[M2T]

Fairymum - Definitely not! Like I said earlier on we have a joint income of £32k and we are not entitled anything above the £545 per year.

Zebra - It doesn't matter if your married or not. They work out your household income anyway.

£400 per month for 2 days a week????? OMG!

[Tinker]

A lot of the call centre staff deliberately don't (or didn't) have access to relevant info, not their fault, a crappy management problem.

Co-habiting will be treated the same way as being married.

[MammyShirl]

Zebra - I understand m our salary is not low and our debts are our problem.

Student loans and credit cards. I went through a stage of usinf my credit cards for food shopping as we where so short of cash. just before xmas i destroyed all three so i have not used them since november.

we dont go out a lot or buy clothes etc often, our money goes on our bills basically. we have been looking arond for cheaper rent but cant seem to find anything lower than what we have now. i am on the housing register but the guy told me that i would probably never get anyhelpas im alow priority.

[FairyMum]

M2T, I think 45 pounds is a fair amount. Of course it should be a lot more. We earn too much to get any help and at one point was paying 1400 a month for two places in nursery.....

[salt]

Mammyshirl, no time to read all of thread but when I first tried to claim they told me I was entitled to nothing.

When I actually put my dd into nursery and made the claim I was told I was entitled to nearly £200 per month.

I earn quite a bit more than you as well so I find it hard to believe that you aren't entitled to anything. They need to know exactly how much the nursery costs are as they use these details to work out what %age of that you are entitled to. If you told them that you don't currently have paid childcare they will tell you that you are not entitled to anything. Also the childcare must be registered for you to be eligable.

hth

[Twinkie]

Can you try a childminder - they would probably not work out as expensive as a nursery - about £30 - £35 a day which should cut costs?? (I think!!)

[MammyShirl]

Twinkie - that is an option i guess. i just dont feel comfortable with it. my dd loves being round children and noise, i really think she would benefit more being in a nursery.

also i dont even know how i would go about nannies.

salt - inland revenue, did tell me that but i gave her the nursey coss adn she caluculated it.

[Helsbels]

How old is dd?

[zebra]

Most childminders also go to Mum+tots groups, and they will have at least 2 other charges with them most the day, so your child would get the people and noise (honest). I REALLY prefer Childminders, if you can get a place with one you like.

[Twinkie]

DD would be around other children and noise.

There was a recent thread about the pros and cons - the cost could be hugely different though and in the long run I am sure you not being in the siituation you are at the moment would also benefit your daughter (worrying I mean).

I was a childminder and DD has been to a childminder and I would use a nursery if I had another child - I have no leanings either way - it was just more convenient for me.

[twiglett]

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[hercules]

I am in a similar situation. ihave an 8 year old and a 3 month old and lots of debts. Excuse onehanded typing, carrying baby. We worked out there was no way we could afford childcare for two but due to debts we both have to work. my DH left his job in which he had been really happy and went back to being a manager in a large supermarket at night. This way we avoid childcare costs but DH is doing long hours, a job he does'nt like and will get very little sleep. i agree withyou, all around us there are people who are far far better off than us because they don't work at all and/or cheat the system. We want to bring our kids up with the idea that you have to work for a living not sponge off others.

[twiglett]

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[aloha]

Also, can anyone link to the thread about saving money and getting out of debt. I think it would really go to the heart of MammyShirl's real problem which is massive debt repayments, not so much lack of benefits. In the meatime Mammyshirl, you need to get your debts under control and switch to interest free credit cards to stop them spiralling any further.
I really don't think you would prefer yourself or your children to be disabled, frankly. Disabled people don't choose to be that way. And disabled people are often much poorer than you because it is much harder to find work with a disability. A bit of money to help with getting about is no subsititute for legs that work IMO.