To wonder what’s the point when I’m left with this after bills?

Your absolutely right getting everyone into work will increase gdp and taxation income, lower borrowing and reduce borrowing repayments. Makes perfect fiscal sense. Speculate to accumulate, so to speak. Even if they had to borrow to fund this it would pay dividends.

Almost everyone has been moved to UC now though, there's not many left still on legacy benefits.

With regards to the 16 hour thing, when they introduced UC and the benefits cap, you could avoid the cap by working a minimum of 16 hours per week. That was subsequently increased to 20 hours.

That's why it's not worth working more than those hours because it's the minimum required to keep the old school uncapped benefits rolling in.

Maybe she feels like it's every week, maybe it is, she does have a young child. However it defeats the objects on a wage like that she should be able to buy it every week if she chooses but no, nearly her entire income is spent on a roof over her head and childcare to acctually go to work in the first place! Mean while everyone who earns less, gets to sit here telling her, it's her own fault suck it up she's the lucky one and shop budget instead! And they didn't even say it nicely. Well it's about time people stood up for people like OP. Inside and outside of the government.

Have a look and list all your expenses, use tax free childcare if not already. How old is your child?

Regards shopping - switch for a while to cheap washing up liquid, ditch dishwasher tablets. Don't buy bubble bath. Look at other food/shopping expenses and work out what you can cut back. Bulk cook if you can and portion control. It's not an amazing way to live but it gets you by..

If you have expensive tv/broadband/mobile phone/gym etc they can be cut back

It's to do with earnings more than hours really now. It's 30 hours at minimum wage, if you earn over minimum wage you can do less hours. It definitely hasn't been 16 hours at any point for UC though, although I think a small amount of people are still on legacy benefits so it may still apply to them.

Well OP said she is buying washing powder every week so somehow she is doing way over the top washing to grt through an entire box of washing powder. Thays not kicking someone down that's saying how da fuck are you getting through that much washing powder you need to buy it weekly, same for dishwasher tablets and bubble bath. Sounds insane to me

I worked with people who told me, so maybe the standard line was 25 but it can be less it's highly dependent on the work coach. I've haven't given out incorrect information at all. It does pay more to work more.

You're right. It's never been a requirement to work 16 hours a week on UC l. I think it goes back to old days when you could work up to 16 hours without benefits being affected or something. Yet people still throw it around. Same with the myth that a partner can't stay over more than 3 nights a week but that's an entirely different topic!

The rules now are that an individual claimant has to earn £892 or more monthly to avoid being called into the job centre for regular meetings. It also lifts the benefit cap. It actually equates to roughly 18 hours per week on the current minimum wage. How they earn that £892 doesn't matter in terms of hours though. They could earn it by working 10 hours a week with a higher hourly wage or by working a few hours one week then loads the next if they wanted as long as the amount is £892 or more per month. For a couple it's £1437 per month combined.

You’re right. It is also ALWAYS the same posters. Same names, time and time again. Look at the posting history. Can’t help themselves. High earner - let’s go and kick the boot in. Can’t have high earning women. Should be eating porridge and living in a cave on a high salary. It’s so odd.

You don’t have to read it.

That's 160 a month btw not a week. I work full time and my kids are at school, I also get UC Topup. I'm on a 30k salary. I have 160 a month after bills. I am widowed. One child in wrap around care at 100 a month.

This is another "poor me on my high salary" thread and it's offensive.

No it wasn't until recently, it has never been 16 hours under UC, that was under the old tax credit system. Under UC it was 25 hours, recently gone up to 30. You've already posted incorrect information about benefits so I don't really think you have much knowledge on it.

I have 160 left after all bills. Widowed mum of 2. I sympathise.

No it was 16 hours until recently acctually it went up last year late last year aswell I think. It's 30 now depending on circumstances, can be less.

The only having to 16 hours a week thing was scrapped years ago now with the introduction of UC, again someone who doesn't understand the system just making stuff up.

No what they've done is told her she's wasteful, look back at every post. Yes people who earn more shop in more expensive places. Maybe she's adjusting best she can and as fast as she can. Doesn't change the fact that the system itself is pitted against her. A for being in the top 5% of salaries and b for being a single mother. That needs to change. They could have been a little more understanding and polite but no nearly every post has been condescending and some even implied she should be grateful "she's the lucky one" except she really isn't we are thanks to her and her hard work. It's about time people appreciated that abit more tbh

70k isn’t a lot imo at the moment with cost of living etc - especially when you are on your own. I’m really sorry you are feeling fed up, it’s hard working and being a mum even at the best of times (and I’m sure doubly hard when you are on your own). Life does get financially easier when you don’t have nursery fees to pay though so hopefully soon you will start to see some benefit for all your hard work! Sending hugs!

Nappies are £5 for a pack of 84 if you buy supermarket ones and not pampers, wipes are 60p a pack, surely you don’t use a whole bubble bath bottle a week, and a box of dishwasher and washing tablets last a good couple of weeks. I live in the south east so an expensive part and have a 3 year old and a baby.

And nowhere did I say that OP was lucky either. You're literally making stuff up to fit your narrative. I was responding to the person who said it wasn't worth working, not to OP.

Er, I do work, I work full time. Where did I say I didn’t?

No one is saying that she should! But she clearly is, so people are suggesting ways to save money. Her childcare costs are temporary and then she will have more spare money.

Some people are awful on here - hope you’re ok OP.

Mummy2024 - I don't know where you are shopping, but you are being conned.
People have already listed several places you can get nappies for under £5.
I bought 2 of the giant boxes of washing powder for £20 (total) - ie £10 each. I opened the one on 1st October, and am nowhere near the end of it yet, 9 months on. So, even if I finish it at the end of June (don't think I will) , that's £1 a month. That's for 3 adults, one of whom plays rugby 3x a week.

Not sure how the OP is spending so much every week.

She has £570pm after bills and after fuel for effectively one person to eat, then essential replacement of clothes , presents, and other oddments. The little one will be doing most of her eating at Nursery. That's plenty.

So if someone earns more that means they should buy the most expensive things they can find and be incredibly wasteful and then complain their money doesn't go very far?

OK then.