AIBU to be angry about the benefits system

I had assumed that benefits were for either single-parent families or people unable to work due to disability

Seriously?

The entitled to calculator is notoriously inaccurate. I'd be interested to see if it checks out from a manual calculation

Two pensioners likely don't have childcare or mortgage costs.

Carers element, that's the bit I was thinking of that they take into account!

We were on tax credits and I claimed carer's allowance, but went back to work when both children went to school and now earn too much to get anything other than Child Benefit (plus Ds's DLA) - although if someone can recommend a reliable calculator then I'll happily check again.

OP seemed to suggest though that she'd get UC (which someone more in the know than me said would be largely due to childcare costs) AND also be able to claim back money via tax-free childcare. Perhaps that's where the confusion lies, if you can have UC but not the tax-free childcare, or claim back the childcare but not be eligible for UC?

£4000 monthly income is pretty decent. Two pensioners wont have as much, but will be paying tax on basic state pension before the tax freeze on Income tax thresholds ends in 2028. It's idiocy.

You’ve said that twice. What’s the problem?

Depends whether tax free childcare or UC works out best for you, but you can't claim both. I'm surprised that with a disabled child ( if they are on higher rate DLA ) and a carers element which you could claim, you are not eligible for a small amount of UC. Might be worth doing a ( reputable) calculator calculation again ?

I think the problem here is "assuming". You should have checked. Everybody should check.

No you can’t use tax free childcare and UC. They can still use the funded hours and UC though.

I thought if we had to use childcare then we would be entitled to claim some of that back, not that we would be entitled to UC? Maybe I'm wrong - presumably so. But wasn't the whole point of UC that it was easier for everyone to understand and navigate?

Which I guess just shows that something isn't clear enough. Are the tax-free childcare bits not additional to the basic UC? That's how I've understood that to be?

But you can't compare your situation to op's at all because of one glaringly obvious difference. Op has childcare costs which will likely make up most of her UC award and when this runs into over £1000 of course it is likely going to make her entitled to Uc because her total Uc ( before deductions for earnings ) could be £1000+ more than yours. This is the difference. You are not comparing like for like .

OP, something has gone wrong somewhere. We are a 2 parent family, both working full time, with similar joint income to you. We have two children of similar ages. DS1 has a disability so we claim DLA for him, so arguably more likely to be entitled to support than you, as I think there is some kind of allowance included in the UC formula before they start deducting things. We are entitled to nothing more than Child Benefit. I guess probably tax free childcare might be something, but we don't actually need to use childcare so not relevant.

We, like you, are the Just About Managing. But the key thing there is that, at the moment, we ARE managing. Benefits should be for those that, without them, cannot manage.

Do you have savings OP?

On a monthly take home income of £4k, I'd hope so.

When you’re savings drop lower though you will be entitled though.

You have a household income of £4000 and you're still entitled to benefits?? I lost my job whilst heavily pregnant so now I have a baby and don't currently work. I'm not entitled to anything except the standard child benefit because I have savings slightly over the max that I saved up to buy a house in the future.

Op I think you make some good points. I can understand your frustration. However I really do not understand how a household earning £4000 monthly can be entitled to anything outside of child benefit?

Maybe do the calculations again and take a screenshot of it and post

Yes it’s a loan that you have to pay back… it’s not a benefit really is it

I've never claimed benefits, no need to - but there's enough references on this site to help with childcare, links to benefit checkers, so no need to do so much as a google search.It's like the bloody waspi women - can't be arsed to keep up with current affairs that effect them, then expecting compensation for their ignorance.

You have to pay that back though? So if you don't need it, why claim it when you'd have to pay it back. Doesn't make sense to me.

£460 a month uc sounds a lot if earning £4k

Uc won't pay mortgage unless think no jobs and they pay the interest only for maybe a few Months

Def won't get £500 towards mortgage

You get help with mortgage interest in the form of a loan that has to be paid back!!!

Same here. We struggled on without being aware at all until an EP at school very gently asked if we were claiming anything, as she felt sure we would be entitled to this for our child. I was amazed, totally gobsmacked. I had always thought DLA was just for profoundly disabled children. As he got older, more and more needs were identified which were not in line with peers. I think there should be more public information about people's right to help when it is needed.

DLA has enabled us to help our child in innumerable ways since we understood the criteria, including addressing health and education needs that were being ignored or side lined such as speech therapy. Early help helps reduce longer term needs so it in the interest of the govt and society for families to be properly supported.

Not a comment on this particular OP but I do feel there should be as much focus on unclaimed benefits as there is on benefit fraud. But I am sure pigs will fly before this happens as it saves the government so much money - which Rishi needs to fund his jet setting.