A child is on the way — can we afford it?
A child changes two lines at once: something arrives to be paid for every month for a long time, and one income usually pauses while that starts. The one-off costs around the birth are the visible part; the recurring spending, and how it grows, is what actually shapes the years ahead.
What changes in the plan
- One-off costs around the birth, and the months in which they actually fall.
- New recurring monthly spending, and how it changes as the child grows older.
- The income interruption of whoever takes leave, and any allowance amount you enter.
- Housing or car changes that often follow within a year or two.
- How many years the extra spending continues before the household is on its own again.
Both changes together, then one at a time
For the realistic picture, put the income change and the spending change into the same copy — that is what the household will actually live through. Keep the final plan year the same as the baseline so the two remain comparable, and let the recurring cost run for as many years as you think it genuinely will.
Then, to see what each part costs, move one at a time. Raising the monthly spending alone shows the long, slow effect; pausing the income alone shows the short, sharp one. Household costs vary enormously, so the numbers that matter here are your own rather than any average.
Questions worth testing
- How much lower is the monthly surplus once both changes are running?
- Which costs more over twenty years — the pause in income, or the recurring spending?
- How does the plan look if the extra spending is half as much again?
- Does the reserve still hold if a bigger flat or car follows within two years?
How to read the result
You enter the costs, allowance, and length of the income break yourself. Worthifi does not calculate benefits, apply eligibility rules, or estimate how much raising a child costs because every household is different. Check your entitlement with an official source. This is a planning illustration, not financial, tax, or legal advice.
How it works in the app
A dated expense change raises your yearly living expenses from the month a child arrives — nursery, a bigger place, everyday costs — permanently or until they leave home. The Dashboard shows the new runway, and how the extra spending moves your Could-stop-working year.
- Tap “Change your expenses”.
- Choose “Permanent”, set the higher yearly expenses, and pick the month the child arrives.
- Check the change in runway and your Could stop working year.
Model this yourself