Families on UC

I don't know where you're hearing that, because the more you work the more UC you get to keep in proportion, so you are always better off working more. There is not a massive drop off with UC like there was with tax credits.

Oh, is it bash the pensioners time? 🙄

Benefit calculators only let you do a certain amount of calculations in a day, how many days you spent looking for this sweet spot?!

Run up to the election. The Hateful Tory voters have been reading the media output that paints all benefit claimants as scroungers that cost every tax payer squillions a year.

When, in actual fact, the average tax payer paya far more for pensions than unemployment.

Pensions - which is the absolutely highest payout of welfare, it runs to billions upon billions whilst unemployemnet is a tiny fraction of the welfare bill. (I haven't looked in a while but unemployment once cost the UK Taxpayer about 1 to 2 Billion whilst Pensions cost the Tax Payer 160 billion)

But the Tories want to beat the poorest instead of suggesting that wealthier older people maybe don't need some of that 160Billion worth of payments.

Fwiw- unemployment benefits make up less than 1% of welfare spending. The notion that tax payer money funds millions of people who have never worked is a myth, bought by fools, sold by the wealthy.

Put the fucking services in place to help people.

I have lost my job and am on UC because my disabled son has no school place and no childcare will take him because he is so high need.

No on ficking cares he is legally entitled to education and a school place. But because im forced into UC to feed him people care an awful lot about that.

During this time I start getting my own health issues. It's degenerative and can't be cure but it can be slowed. Do you think I can get help! 2 years im waiting getting worse and worse. I would not have qualified for disability benefits if I'd had treatment but probably would now if I applied. I will need more help as time passes costing more to the tax payer when I can no longer care for myself. This could have been delayed years had I got prompt help but as it is I'm coming up on 3 years of each department referral to a new department because it's not their area.

Think of mental health treatment. Support in school for autistic children to gain the skills to work not be broken by ableism.

Earning potential correlates with educational quality/provisions. Yet we have increased numbers of SEN kids unsupported and forced into mainstream. Impacting the kids in mainstream. Ratios in early years are increasing so more kids per adult. Funding to early years and education is appalling and we have known for years and years better provision at these times leads to better outcomes and less reliance on the state the reasearch all shows this but the gov did all those cuts regardless. And this is what we are left with.

It's incredibly rare to choose to be on benefits. Blame the fucking system failing people. I hate shitting myself falling over and being stuck at home with a child so disabled no one else is able to care for him. Who would honestly choose such a life? I want to work it's far easier and I was far better off when I worked, people spoke to me with more respect and I wasn't assumed to be a lazy selfish money grabbing slob.

People on here are so horrible about benefits it's disgusting.

But if your parents lived like that, and their parents lived like that, and all your cousins and friends live like that too, it's your normal.

I work full time as a registered professional. I claim UC. It's shite. I would much rather be paid enough of a wage that I didn't need to claim at all.

Any wage increase applied (either through a pay rise or through working extra hours) is offset by the reduction of my UC payment so you are never really any better off.

seems the sweet spot for a lot of families will be to be renting, have a low/medium earning (typically) husband and an unemployed mother who stays at home

Are you sure it supports SAHMs? I thought they were given work commitments under the new system?

Money where mouth is.

Woman quit.
Man works.
Sell house.
Rent.

Good luck. Enjoy have fun

Oh but that won't happen.
Grass is greener till the bugs come out.

Fucking benefit bashing arseholes really piss me off.

IF YOU THINK LIFE IS SO GREAT IN BENEFITS. WHAT IS STOPPING YOU?

I earn around 40k a year and still receive between 2-600 a month depending on what I've earnt that month. I'm a nurse in the private sector. I rent and have 3dc. The beauty of UC is it takes my monthly wage into account which is good as I can still pick up the odd extra shift and I won't get a letter at the end of the year saying I owe them money. Life is much better now I'm recieving the top and I'm not nearly as stressed.

They don't help with mortgages but you are allowed to earn more before it is deducted.

You shouldn’t take it because everyone else is. You should take it because your child will have a better life if you do.

I don’t know what your opinion is of a reasonable salary and a ridiculous amount of top up - it’s all subjective but I certainly still struggled as a lone parent when I earned 32k which was the amount when I stopped receiving Tax Credits. The amount I received to top up before that was about £100 a month which I was thankful for but obviously didn’t even cover half my wraparound care for 3 days a week.

That’s taking into account cost of living of course. Even 5 years ago I’d have been really comfortable on 32k

Social housing?

then sell up and rent and put the feet up. Sorted. You say it's easy. Then do it!

I am sure all these who say work harder, work more would apply for UC if they were entitled.

whats it with all these disability/benefit bashing threads lately? Try a bit harder

Paid £30k in tax this year so far so…no I don’t feel guilty using public services

I worked full time when DS was born.

I nearly killed myself during the first 5 years of his life trying to juggle his disabilities (physical and neurodivergent) while working. By the time he was 6 i was at breaking point and something had to give. I had to stop working.

he is 14 now and things are stable enough I have been able to work part time (term time only) thanks to having a good support network at home. If I was reliant on external childcare to work it would be impossible as it doesn’t exist for disabled 14 year olds.

I feel no guilt at all for having to claim benefits/top up wages with benefits. The hours of care I provide would cost the state a hell of a lot more if they had to properly fund it!

The fact that so many low income families are in privately rented, often poorly maintained homes that are £1000s per month is the much more worrying thing from a tax payer perspective. You and I are are paying for slum landlords to get rich at the expense of poorer families. The UC receiptent and the tax payer would be better off with more council houses.

I'm a lone parent who works full time in a reasonable job. I struggled for 4 years not claiming anything (I didn't think I was entitled) and I was far too proud to claim. Then I saw all my friends claiming, working part time and having much more disposable income then me. I applied and I'm getting a ridiculous amount of UC top up. I have a really good job too, I don't understand. But while it's offered, I'm going to take it because everyone else is.

We get UC top with a mortgage. My husband works five days a week and I work one unless during school holidays. This enables me to do the school run and avoid childcare fees as I look after my youngest. Hopefully coming off UC at some point. Maybe if people were paid better and childcare was cheaper we wouldn't have to do this? Not sure the ones on UC are the ones who should get the criticism?

Wow, you must be insane. I'm sad for you.

That’s such an odd mindset. Do you feel guilty every time you use a library or ask your MP for advice or use a road which was very expensive to build? Do you feel guilty if you need an expensive operation?
We are a country that believes in a baseline for all and redistribution of wealth is an aspect of every single modern democracy. In fact our redistribution is much, much less than many others recently.

How do you work that out ,people havec to.be looking for work once their child reaches a certain age ,they are not allowed to just languish on benefits forever more .