To find this universal credit situation unfair

I claim universal credits and work 2 shit part-time jobs. Have to rent and have basically no pension.
If I had a mortgage, I'd be so happy in life to go out and work to pay for it, so at the end of my working years, I had an asset that is mine. But I don't.
I also am not living the life of Riley while claiming UC. The majority of it pays my rent to my landlord. I'm behind in some utility bills, cannot afford to learn to drive or go on holiday.
I hate benefit bashing threads when many working people do claim some UC just to keep their heads above water.

Why on earth would that be ok to do?

If you think it is so unfair why don’t you give up your job and claim UC?

If you wouldn’t be eligible for UC with 2 DC and the maximum allowed childcare element you must be earning more than £5.75k per month between you and DH.

I'm guessing you both have well paid jobs hence why no help with childcare

But that you earn enough to pay fees and have some salary left over

Or give up your job and no childcare rk pay ?

Have you actually used the benefit calculators to see if get any help

Plus once have 2 dc it's worth looking at nannies rather then one at nursery plus befjre /after school club and then the 12w holiday of state school to cover

In 10 years, you will be much more financially stable than them, with your mortgage well on the way to being paid off, a decent income and kids in school so much more disposable income.
They will not have any of that. They will be struggling. And she will be required to look for work to continue to get any help once her kids are they age.

You will be much better off in the long term and may even have a good retirement whilst they’ll be on the bones of their arse.

You have to look at the long term picture, it can feel unfair in the moment but ultimately if you continue working and working on a progression path then there are opportunities for you to continue to increase your salary nd you are paying into a pension which will put you into a better position in old age.

When I went back after mat leave, DD was 9 months old, nursery was double our mortgage payment, I was on about £25k a year and we lived on beans and toast and jacket potatoes.

DD is 10 now, no childcare fees except holiday clubs which I use childcare vouchers for because I have a big stash from Covid times, my salary has quadrupled, my mortgage is nearly paid off and I have savings.

You could quit and claim UC, be a SAHM if that better fits what you want, but there are downsides to that as well and you have to weigh up your decisions based on more than just what is 'fair' right now.

it's so unfair This seems to get posted a lot - do adults really expect universal fairness?

Your sister in law isn't daft though as she knows by having two close together she can continue on Uc for some years without needing to look for work. By timing a two year gap, she will get maximum time without needing to look for work but actually even if her partner is earning even a low amount as long as he meets the couple AET ( earnings threshold) she is unlikely to be pushed to look for work.

And that's a situation you're eaten up with envy about?

We've been there too and it felt so unfair. Now we're coming to the end of the childcare years and reaping the benefits but it was a slog.

Someone said to me that the years with young children are the best off for those on benefits and worst off for everyone it's not a good time to compare!

If you're entitled to tax free childcare, you'll be entitled to the new help for working parents, which means 9-month-olds get funding from September... so you'd have funding when your baby was born?

So it could be nothing to do with UC. They are likely planning to get the funding. They can claim 85% on top of that, but they'd need to be claiming that, UC won't cover them if they're eligible but just decide not to.

Your ire is directed at the wrong thing here.

Are you not eligible for the 30 hours free childcare? We waited until my oldest had free hours and then it was affordable overall

No Op lol sorry we don't have it easier. My rent takes up most of what I get, and I can't pay my bills and food.
There's no luxurious planning of children that went in to anything either.
The need is there when as a single parent too, they want 50k proof of income for a two bed flat, people will have to rely on help.
There's no magic salary to come out of the woodwork. Or a job that can be found without qualifications etc to get it.

Having worked full and part time and paid very expensive nursery fees I’m now looking at early retirement (couple of years)because I have paid in enough pension to live fairly comfortable. That is the benefit of working. The state pension does not enable that.

Is that all you took from my post ?

It's unfair in the present/shirt term. I was there and felt that strong of injustice.

In the future/long term, you will see how much you financially benefit from the choices you are making.

The longer term is much longer than the present. Hold on.

The majority of families we know have a 3 year gap to make the most of the 15 hours funding (it’s 30 hours now isn’t it?). Personally I think a two year age gap is the absolute worst. Once you’re passed the expensive childcare years you will be in a much better position with your own home, and pension. No point comparing on a snapshot in time. I’m the long term you will be better off.

Presumably they receive lots in UC because they have high rent and the one who works is on a low wage ? You have a mortgage and will be much better off in the longer run.

Technically, this is actually dependent on whether or not you are in social housing. The housing element will do 100% of social housing rents, but only LHA for private rentals

Reality of live on universal credit is brutal, wouldn't wish it on anyone.

You can’t have it all ways, OP. You want the advantage of having stable jobs that allow you to have a mortgage and provide a pension for you.

But then you also want people on benefits to tone down their lives because of the life you have chosen to build for yourself, which will overtake theirs massively in a few years. The money that they get is temporary - yours isn’t.

You’re not hard done by.

UC doesn't pay your rent, you can claim a sum towards it but it is based on the cheapest rent in the area years ago so rarely comes even close.

Don't believe everything you read in the right wing media

You must be higher than average income not to get any childcare help.

You have a mortgage and they don't.

It's not comparable.

Being on UC is not the land of milk and honey you present OP.

It's really not that much money, renting is not as secure as owning a home and your SIL will be forced to look for work at some point.

If you want to have another DC now then do it but do you really want the long term insecurity that is part and parcel of being on benefits? The grass is always greener...

YABU. You are free to sell your house, quit your job and go on benefits.

But I wanted to point out something else: you’re also free to TTC now, and it might not be as difficult financially as you imagine. If you get the 2y gap, take 6 mo to a year off work for mat leave - that saves you some nursery fees. Then by the time you go back to work, the older kid will be entitled to some free hours. You then have one awful year financially with 2 in nursery - it might make sense to go part time for that - and then the older is 4 and ready for school or at least school nursery.