to wonder why people get away with living on benefits as a 'lifestyle choice'?

[canttouchthis]

Sorry if this has been done to death, but it's something I just need to have a rant about...

We have relatives who seem to be raking it in on benefits. The mother runs a website from home (but doesn't earn a great profit - so this is bulked up in WTCs), her H is on JSA (has been for 4 years now) and has never tried to get a part time job (even though he has been training part-time as a gym instructor). They own their own home, and also own their own car. Yet neither of them go out to work! It doesn't seem to bother them that they aren't earning a steady income, they seem quite happy to live off benefits. Does anyone else know people like this and how do you feel about it?

It just makes me sick to think there are other out there who are struggling to earn enough to live and pay the bills then there are people like this who just scrounge and think they deserve it??

I just want to say that I have nothing against people living on benefits where there is no other choice for them. It's people who go out of their way to live on benefits because they can't be bothered working that really annoy me!

[AnarchyAunt]

They are committing benefit fraud if what you say is true.

They are hardly representative of the people who have no choice other than to rely on benefits and I hope you don't tar them all with the same brush.

[Thunderduck]

This thread will be 500 plus posts long by this evening.

[themoon66]

I don't see how they can pay a mortgage and run a car on benefits. When DH was made redundant we got very behind on mortgage payments and nearly lost the house. The bank told us to sell our car, which was a beat-up ancient escort worth £200 max. We had the phone cut off and the electricity people were owed money too. We lived on beans on toast, even on Xmas Day

There must be more to this story than meets the eye OP.

[5inthebed]

YANBU by being annoyed at those who don't make any effort to work and think that benefits are a way of life.

It used to annoy me as well when both me and DH were both working and knew of other parents who had a better lifestyle by not. Now I am a SAHM it doesn't bother me as much.

[AnarchyAunt]

You cannot run a car and own a home on unemployment benefits alone, its just crazy. JSA is £64 a week. If she works he is unlikely to be entitled to JSA anyway - contribution based maybe but iirc that has a time limit well under 4 years.

Does she claim to be a single parent or something?

[daftpunk]

op; you're right..this has been done to death.

[ginnny]

I think one of the major reasons is simply because they can and in a lot of cases are better off on benefits than if they work.
I work part time and get WTC and maintenance from ex. I would 'earn' approximately £200 a month more if I stopped working and claimed all the benefits so it really isn't worth my while to work at all.
I do it because I need to work for my own sanity / pride etc, but it is annoying when I see my neighbours with their 6 kids having a nice old life on benefits in a huge 4 bed council house while I am struggling to make ends meet.

Must stop thinking about it too much or I'll explode!!!

[SheherazadetheGoat]

bollocks - unless they are committing fraud it really isn't much a lifestyle choice.

[canttouchthis]

I'm wondering if I should phone the benefit fraud number to report him because he's training just now (it's an online course), yet still claiming JSA. Has been all this time.
I have no idea who they can afford to live and pay a mortgage either. And run a saloon car. It just really gets to me ( I know it shouldn't but it does) how they can just be together with their two DC at home whilst the rest of us have to earn an honest living.

[sammynixon]

it really annoys me. i have two jobs. my partner is working and we have 2 children 2 and 7. i don't get any help and because of the ressesion my partner is in and out of work. we are managing but only just...
it annoys me how they get so much and i get no help....
something is wrong somewhere...

[roulade]

Contributions based JSA has a 6 month limit i think.

[VinegarTits]

well the mother is not on benefits if she is running a wbesite and getting WTC, most people with families to support, who are working get WTC's

as for him, how do you know he has never tried to get a job? surely if he is training to be a gym instructor, he is at least trying to better himself? and what he is claiming in benefits will only be very little if she is working anyway, so i would say most of their income comes from her working and WTC's and not from state benefits

[canttouchthis]

I'm not sure what type of JSA he is getting. Wahtever it is, they don't seem to be in a rush to get a proper job (as in, a job that earns a steady income every month). I've nothing against someone running a business from home, I think you have to be flexible when you have kids, but it's the fact the father is just dossing around not really fussed about 'looking' for a job. surely working in a supermarket part-time would be fine until something better came along.

We manage because i'm a sahm and dh goes out to work (and does OT on top of his regular shifts).

Thanks to those who see where I'm coming from, glad it's not just me!

[messageinabottle]

yes Thunderduck or missing i.e. deleted!

[VinegarTits]

But he wouldnt be allowed to claim JSA long term, so they are obviously surviving on what she earns plus the WTC's, so they are obviously not living off benefits

Which do you have a problem with, the fat they are surviving on very little or his laziness? i cant see why it would bother you so much, if she is prepared to let him slob around the house all day and live off her income then more fool her

[SheherazadetheGoat]

i bet he parks on p&t spaces at the supermarket too.

[ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight]

It seems weird. You can only claim for the interest on a mortgage throuh housing benefit, so they have to be paying some themselves. Cars are not cheap to run, tax, MOT, insurance, petrol, extra fixing....How can they manage on JSA, a little income and tax credits? Still, even if they do, she is working, so...are you sure he gets JSA? You can't get income based JSA if your partner works, and cont based JSA is based on how much NI you have paid over the past 2 years so he can't be getting that if he's not woked for 4 years.

but YANBU, sounds like he should get a job, if he can. Unless she works lots of hours and needs him there for childcare.

In fact, YABU and a bit judgy, you don't really know the facts at all.

[Gorionine]

I do know a few people who are definitely committing benefit fraud. I am a ferm believer in what goes arround comes arround and it will one day turn against them.

I think the vast majority of people do NOT choose to be on benefit and wait to be in a very difficult situation before actually asking for help.

You have several choices:

_ you are absolutely without a doubt sure they are fraudster and you let the autorities know.

• you are absolutely without a doubt sure they are fraudster but let karma interviene. (my position)

• you think they are but still have doubt and leave it well alone.

10 yeas ago I had to stop working because the pregnancy of DD1 was taking its toll on me, D?H was a full timre student and his earning on his week end job were living us with £12 a week after paying the rent. We di ask for a bit of help and did not get anything because what DH earned was enough according to them. An (ex)friend was giving me tips on how to get what we wnted bylying through our teeth. Her advice included acuusing DH of beatting me up to get a flat for free and some other things equally as disgusting that she and her boyfriend had done themselves. Now, no amount of hardship would have been enough for me to start a "smear" campain on DH. We did not get anything, got through tough times and went on strength to srtength from then on.

I am not sure what happened to her since but she might very well be regretting theses deeds! Or she might might have got away with itbecause I did not say anything at the time.

[canttouchthis]

he's just lazy really, vinegartits. nope, he's still on JSA at present (his mother told me that a few weeks ago).

[canttouchthis]

everyone is judgey on MN, that's what the forum is about, asking for advice and opinions. I'm asking what other people think of this situation. And I do have the facts straight, they get WTC and he is on JSA, plus the CTCs and CB we are all entitled to anyway when we have kids. So they are coining it in. the business doesn't earn much atall (heard from another relative about that info) not enough to pay a mortgage and car every month anyway. my point is that he doesn't work, but he could if he wanted to get a job badly enough, hence choosing benefits as a 'lifestyle choice' (there are jobs in the area).

[expatinscotland]

'Does anyone else know people like this and how do you feel about it?'

Yes.

I don't care, tbh.

They're a drop in the ocean compared to people who tax dodge, fiddle expenses, abandon their children for the state to foot the bill, etc.

Why do you care what they do? Smacks of jealousy, tbh, all this talk of 'proper' jobs.

If you don't like your lot do something about it, something more constructive than worrying about what others are doing.

[Peachy]

She's registered as self employed but making a low profit at 16 hours work a week then? now either she is claiming faudulently and not working or she is actually employed. You have an issue with the DH that I understand but it's that simple with the wife.

I know this as guess what? us too! DH was made redundant recently, he has a start up business (well it was a tiny webstore that he is now expanding) that makes a profit but not huge- as you'd expect with a start up business. I am a registered carer (and in fact so is DH- we have 2 disbled kids) so i don't work, though am planning on returning in 2010 if I can get childcare (nbot easy wth a violent asd kid). Dh has a palce to retrian in September.

So we get WTC but Dh works bloody ahrd for those (doing afr more than his claimed for 16 hours) and actually as a familt trying to get by after a lot of bad luck I feel proud of us. Within 5 years DH should be fully employe in the bsiness with a great relevant qual, and I should be wqorking as a social worker (have done 3 of the 5 years training- have now got a degree- to get there).

Life's complex.

[Sassybeast]

I dunno and I don't really care. Perhaps he has another source of income though. DHs step family have various dubious artrangements which involve paying various mortgages to avoid inheritence taxes or something. If you think this lot are committing fraud (and they must be to have a mortgage and car) them report them.

[VinegarTits]

Totally agree with expat

[canttouchthis]

nope, why would I be jealous that I'm not on JSA?? that's ridiculous actually. I've nothing against genuine folk claiming benefits but it's people who are fraudulent that really annoy me, and I'm sure they are not the only ones at it.