To think that if the welfare bill per family in the UK

[spudulika]

is £500 per annum, and we see this as a sort of insurance premium we pay just in case we need help from the state, then this actually compares quite well compared to the premiums many of us are currently paying for our home and car insurance?

I don't feel distraught at the thought of having to pay £500 per year to ensure that if dh is made redundant, we will have an income that is enough to live on, and money to keep a roof over our heads.

And that's with all the scroungers and fiddlers we currently have taking cash they're not entitled to (apparently)

[portaloo]

What state help would you get if your DH was made redundant, possibly with a mortgage?
Would it be enough to live on, as opposed to exist on?

[GypsyMoth]

how would that work??

[spudulika]

Probably just enough to live on. But better than going hungry and being homeless.

[tooshorttonotice]

so if dh were made redundant would that make him a scrounger? of course not, it would mean that he and you and family might need a little help for a little while.

I wouldn't think much of myself if I thought that was OTT.

YABU

[portaloo]

I'm not convinced that if your DH were to be made redundant, and you had a mortgage to pay, that the state would pay your mortgage, let alone give you enough to live on, even frugally.
OTOH, If you were in rented accommodation, and the rent wasn't ridiculously high, you would indeed get state support to keep a roof over your head, as well as a nominal amount to survive on, bearing in mind you didn't have above a certain amount in savings.
If you are paying £500 a year, and then do not receive any help if your DH were to be made redundant, until you have run out of savings or any redundancy money your DH may have been given, then I'm not sure it is such a good deal imo tbh.

[MrsBethel]

I believe the welfare bill is about £160bn, and that there are about 18 million families in the UK.

So that makes the welfare bill about £8,900 per family.

[lesley33]

A bit different from £500! If you have a morgage, you won't normally get any help for the 1st 9 months. You can only get help with the interest payments if you have been receiving a means tested income benefit for 3 months. But most people when they are made redundant are entitled to contributory JSA for 6 months that is not income tested.

So you have to wait the 6 months you receive contributory JSA, then go on to JSA means tested for another 3 months before you get any help. I think it is rubbish. Most people would have had their house repossessed by this time.

[expatinscotland]

'I believe the welfare bill is about £160bn, and that there are about 18 million families in the UK.

So that makes the welfare bill about £8,900 per family.'

The vast majority of it is pensions. The next biggest slice of the pie is housing benefit.

[NettoSuperstar]

I get at least double that, as I'm cheating the system innit

[HumanBehaviour]

You might not get to keep your house but you WILL have a roof over your head and you WILL NOT starve.

I think it's excellent to have a safety net to fall back on if all go tits up.

[garlicbutter]

What, Netto, you get £320bn a year??? You farking scrahnger.

[LineRunner]

I like expatinscotland.

[mumblechum1]

I'd be interested to know what proportion of tax and ni goes on welfare benefits - is it a percentage of each person's contribution?

[NettoSuperstar]

Yep, 320bn.
I iz loaded.

[grumpypants]

statistics are easily played with. i doubt very much every family in the UK actually pays £500 in tax for a start. As far as I know, benefits aren't all taxable, so some families will have to cover that £500 won't they?

[expatinscotland]

The majority of it is pensions.

The majority of it is pensions.

The majority of it is pensions.

[LineRunner]

I love expatinscotland.

[NettoSuperstar]

Banging your head odd the wall yet Expat?

[expatinscotland]

The next largest slice of the pie is housing benefit; 80% of those in receipt of HB are in work at least part-time.

The next largest slice of the pie is housing benefit; 80% of those in receipt of HB are in work at least part-time.

The next largest slice of the pie is housing benefit; 80% of those in receipt of HB are in work at least part-time.

[expatinscotland]

I'll get my goat . . .

[garlicbutter]

I'm never gonna get a pension! They keep moving the date, it's always 4 years ahead of me. I might get to retire at 104. Until then, I'll just have to live off my goat ...

Or mug netto.

[garlicbutter]

expat

[MrsBethel]

The state pension accounts for about 40% of the welfare bill.

So each family is paying about £3,500 a year towards the state pension, and about £5,400 for the rest.

[Omigawd]

@Mrs Bethel and another c 25 % for Housing and Disability benefits together (which are both about the same size), after that about 7.5% for Income Support. Thats 80% of the Welfare bill.

[HHLimbo]

There are 62 million people in the UK.