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Confessions of a Single Mum

The ups, the downs and sideways views of life as a single parent

Tax Credits Renewal Taking Forever

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Around the beginning of April the Tax Credits people send out renewal packs for every one who is receipt of Tax/Child Credits to fill in. You can't renew till you have the renewal pack actually in your hand. Its a pain but got to be done as other wise you could be paid too much and you would have to pay that back. Of course it can go the other way and they haven't being paying you enough and they pay you what you are owed. With the renewal packs are lots of warnings about what happens if you ... VIEW POST

Work Harder to be Worse Off – Summer Budget

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So they sneaked in another budget because...well they could. You will know I am not into politics and all that jazz, let alone understand it. I just know it rather seems to me that unless you were either born into money, could go onto further education ( and get one of those super duper high paying jobs that everyone else is after)  or have won the lottery...life will be hard. Even harder if your not the typical 2.4 children, two parent family. Majority of single parents will probably never earn ... VIEW POST

Have You Checked Your Entitlement ?

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Over the last month Turn2us have been looking at how finances in households. They found that despite the economy recovering 83% of low income households are not seeing their financial situation improving.  Even more scarily they found that is households have experienced just one change in their circumstances that are twice as likely to be struggling financially. Households that experienced things in life like family breakdown, childbirth, change in working hours or the onset of illness or ... VIEW POST

Benefits and Cost of Living

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I worked something out today which is quiet sad and depressing. In my present situation, the children at home and in college and school, I will never earn enough to come off benefits. This doesn't include child benefit but does include the tax credits, housing and council tax benefit. To be not entitled to help from the government I have to be working at least 40 hours a week and earning around £16 pounds per hour. Finding a job that can offer these hours is the first hurdle and then to be ... VIEW POST

Universal Credit Calculations

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I would say I am an everyday, run of the mill single mum. The children spend 2 nights a week at Dads each week and both he and I are pretty flexible if the days get moved around etc. I work self employed for several reasons but the main one being I have M.E so there are days I can’t work a full day. There are days I can’t get out of bed. I know no boss would tolerate that long term and as I am ‘able to work’ I had to find a solution that worked for me and would work around my bad days. I also ... VIEW POST