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T O P I C R E V I E W
frosie90
Posted - 03 May 2009 : 14:24:17 Hi everyone, Just thought I would post this to see what people think? I have got to do an I & E sheet soon. My take-home can vary between round about £1628 and £1650. I manage a residential care home and get £5 per on-call which varies from month to month. My OR rep told me to take the lowest amount so based on a take home salary of £1628.
30 lunches at work? based on £1 per day (used to be able eat what residents ate but now have to take in food since coeliac diagnosis July 08) 495 Rent 200 Grocery/Housekeeping (Coeliac so some food more expensive) 43 Gas & Electric (could be higher) only just moved in going to ask for re-assessment after giving meter reading 24 Water 80 Bus pass £73 plus very occasional taxi to attend work out of hours 50 Clothing 30 Mobile 40 Cable includes Broadband/TV and Landline 75 Council Tax 9 contents insurance 29 Cat insurance & Boosters 2 cats 9 Prescription 12 TV 10 Hair 15 Dentist 30 Social 30 Holiday/Christmas/Birthdays 20 Incidentals/Emergencies 1231
Leaves £397 DI.
Is the IPA based on the whole amount or £397 less £99? I think that if the OR does not allow me everything it will take me over £400 and therefore to the 66% IPA. Any comment or advice welcomed. Thank you.
4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
frosie90
Posted - 03 May 2009 : 15:13:47 Thank you. No the water is rated so pretty safe there. The gas and electric I pay through Scottish Power and at my mortgaged 2 bedroomed house was £82.50 for both so was amazed when they calculated £43 for both for my rented which is a smaller house but still 2 bedroomed. At my old house I did have water heated through a timed immersion so higher on electric and it is heated here through gas. Not sure if after only 6 weeks of living here they will be able to tell if my current direct debit is accurate but I am going to ring them on Tuesday with a current reading to see if they can give me any idea. Thanks again.
gettingoutofdebt
Posted - 03 May 2009 : 15:07:27 If you remove the 'Christmas/Birthdays' and just have Holiday then it should be fine at £30.
"I should go in as high as this and then any "bartering" that ensues might mean I get some of it?"
Good idea. The amount that you are allowed seems to depend upon the OR as there are only guidelines rather than hard and fast rules.
"Is anything allowed for entertainment?"
No, this needs to come out of the surplus after the IPA is paid.
"I could argue that I need the broadband as I do have to email work people when off work etc."
The OR would probably want to know how often you need to email work people so you would need to say that this is on a regular (several times a week) basis for them to approve this. You are allowed a landline and most packages are now bundled with TV/Internet so it's a bit difficult to separate them. Mention this to the OR and he should allow you something for the landline.
Even if the OR doesn't allow the:
30 Social 20 Incidentals/Emergencies
And allows only £15 for the landline it would still mean that you would have a surplus of £472 (£397 current surplus + 30 Social, 20 Incidentals and £25 taken off the Cable), which would mean an IPA of £311 (66%) and £160 extra to do what you want with.
You also have £30 each month towards a holiday so should be able to have a week/couple of weekends away each year.
You should check on the Gas/Electric to make sure that the amount is correct if you have a new house and is the water on a meter? If so make sure you don't sell yourself short on this amount either.
frosie90
Posted - 03 May 2009 : 14:52:52 Hi gettingoutofdebt, I thought so. In fact though the OR rep who gave me my interview told me my clothing at £20 was too low and to put it at £50 and he said to put holiday at £30??? so maybe I remove the Christmas/Birthday aspect? I was not sure that social would be allowed but do you think I should go in as high as this and then any "bartering" that ensues might mean I get some of it? I could argue that I need the broadband as I do have to email work people when off work etc. Hope I don't sound greedy but thought if I go in higher then a reduction won't be as dramatic? Is anything allowed for entertainment? I just think that one of my problems over the last few years is that I have not afforded to go out and relax. My job as a Care Manager, as I am sure a lot of people face too, can be really consuming and I need some form of release? I have seen people putting perhaps £15 for this?
gettingoutofdebt
Posted - 03 May 2009 : 14:43:36 The following won't be allowed and will need to come out of any surplus after the IPA has been paid:
30 Social 30 Holiday/Christmas/Birthdays 20 Incidentals/Emergencies
40 Cable includes Broadband/TV and Landline - Internet access is only allowed if it can be provided it is for work/education purposes and normally Sky TV isn't allowed either.
50 Clothing - Might be a little high but the OR can only say 'no', so I would leave this as it is.
The rest should be fine. The IPA is based on the amount left over so if you have £397 after paying everything else then it will be based on this amount.
