To think UC's new AET is fucking ridiculous?

You are working 20 hours a week and complaining about working an extra couple of hours to then get a top of up of 'free' money.
I don't get what is unreasonable about that?

Pp need to stop suggesting fraud

Same. I'm self employed; UC is far better imo.

This looks like a workable answer.

I think the AET is still pretty low at 18 x nmw per week.

To be honest OP I really have limited sympathy. You are working term time and only 20 hours a week. It looks like from your OP that you are doing this by choice. Most people don't have the luxury of working so few hours. I think if you expect top ups on your wage from UC then you need to earn the amount that is needed. If that means changing jobs then that's what you have to do. Just like many other families have to.

Up your hours?

Attend appointments outside of your work hours?

I’m guessing you’re a TA (but not full time?)- you could do an hour at after school club. Most people have to use some sort of wrap around care. I’m a teacher so in some ways it is family friendly but I still have to use wrap around care on my working days.

Well especially when youre about to have several weeks off!

Can’t you ask for an appointment outside of working hours? I suppose the cut off has to be somewhere.

I'm quite lucky that I have an extremely understanding manager who has said I can do an extra hour a month if need be.

That’s great, why don’t you ask if your manager has any more hours for you? You could earn even more then 😊

If you want the free money you have to play by their rules.
And I say that as a single parent who works FT and gets UC that covers my childcare.

This is my calculation as well, so probably rounded to the nearest pound.

Likewise. I spent so much time fighting an overpayment with Tax Credits, at the end of which it turned out they owed me 4k. 3 years on UC and not a single issue.

That would be fraud, although wellmeaning, never advise that. Dwp info is pulled through straight from hmrc so op would still be in the same situation

Oh yeah, fuck people doing jobs that fit around their lives, they should all be down at the work houses doing 12 hours a day while the government pay their £2k childcare bill instead, much more economically sound

There is a difference between working 12 hour days, 5 days a week, 47 weeks a year (2820 hours) and working 20 hour weeks term time only (780 hours). I don’t think there is much wrong with expecting people who claim benefits to attempt to up their hours and increase their earnings when they are only working 780 hours a year. She’s being asked to work less than 2 extra hours a month - you’re making out she’s being asked to almost quadruple her hours and work around 1000 hours a year more than a standard full time worker. She’s not.

@Zxcrgyh

£11.44 x 18 = £205.92
£205.92 x 52 weeks in a year = £10707.84
£10,707.84 divided by 12 months in a year = £892.32
( don't know why the .32 wasn't included by the Govt as maybe my calculator isn't quite accurate )

' The AET now stands at £892, which is what you would earn in a month if you worked for 18 hours a week at the minimum wage.'

Despite you working 20 hours a week, it is pro rata - you are ' only ' working during term time

so do you get paid for 39 (or something) weeks a year ? and x weeks holiday.

I think your work coach will inform you that you need to find more hours in order to meet the required £892

whether s/he intends you to find a 2nd job for x hours a week ?
or even worse expects you to consider leaving your job ! as s/he wants you to find a job that is 18 hours + a week for 52 weeks a year.

and heaven forbid you are in a job that pays every 4 weeks as that doesn't work for the Govt targets either !

hi, can someone explain the £892 calculation. 18 hours x £11.44 is 205 per week and £823 per month, where does £892 come from? Thanks

Thank goodness for the new Labour government when shite like this will be sorted out.

it may infuriate you but it sounds like it’s worked exactly as intended. Yes there are people who couldn’t work more hours but it sounds like you could but would prefer not to? Well I’m sorry but ”prefer” shouldn’t be funded by taxpayer so I see no issue when them asking you to work more than 20 hours pw!

Oh yeah, fuck people doing jobs that fit around their lives, they should all be down at the work houses doing 12 hours a day while the government pay their £2k childcare bill instead, much more economically sound 🙄

It will be interesting to see what the labour party do with universal credit. I'm sure they've said they will change aspects of it and make it fairer for all!
Hope things get better for you.

I was shocked when we found out that if you’re self employed it doesn’t count at all towards the couples AET - so you can have an employed person and if they earn over that the non working partner is in light touch group , if they are self employed it doesn’t count so they force the non working partner to look for work or sanction ! We begged them to see sense they wouldn’t so we applied for dla for dc , and dp gave up work totally we are both carers now . They pushed us into a corner

You don't have to take time off work, you can ask to move your appointment.