What is your household income, how much is benefits, and how are you coping?

Our household is on a slightly lower income approx 80k but I understand your post completely. 1 DC and living in the SE unfortunately just eats the cash as houses here are mental price! We have considered moving to a cheaper area but can’t afford the moving fees etc currently! Have approx £500 to play with after bills and mortgage and seem to penny pinch by the last week of the month. Cost of food going up doesn’t help either when already shopping in Lidl/aldi. It seems silly to moan when on that high of a household income compared to other people but like you I just assumed it would be going further than it is. Just remember to tell myself it’s only hard right now with nursery etc and hopefully in a few years we won’t be scrimping so much!

I really don’t see how benefits topping up a one minimum wage income family to 80% of a 90k salary makes it feel like “it pays to work”.

Because it's not means tested. There's no salary threshold for claiming it.

Also, I don't believe for a second anyone who claims they wouldn't apply for it if they were eligible.

I’m not really sure of the point of this thread but OK. Household income £230k, outgoings approx £2,700 per month. Lucky enough to be able to save the equivalent of my take-home salary.

One DD, just started school, no child benefit but I guess it’s a benefit in kind that’s she’s being educated by the state. I did receive £700 a month for the 10 months I was on maternity leave so there is that, plus the 15 hours funded hours at nursery for a year, which meant we only paid about £67k for 3 and a bit years she was there.

@DaffodilsGalore What about taking into account the FAMILY income for child benefit and free childcare? Just like you do for UC.
Because I’m sure that would save money we dint have. And at £90k, why should people be offered free by when the poorest don’t??

The poorest have always received more childcare funding. In fact for a long time those not working received more free childcare than those in work.

You’re not doing anything wrong in claiming it.

It think people are questioning the fact that it’s available to be claimed in these circumstances and whether that should be changed.

Because we have 50/50 custody, he pays for the child when he has him

It does pay to work though. For me, UC is a top up of low wages, not a replacement for them. If you are able to work and choose not to, your benefits are heavily capped (rightly).

If I worked full time, I would still be entitled to UC, along with needing to claim for extra help with childcare.

Yes, I know, outrageous, why don't I work more etc, with my autistic son in tow and working around when his Dad's shifts are so that we can have 50/50 custoday, how dare a mother only work part time and study 25+ hours a week.

I have to say I’m finding that quite upsetting.
So here is a family on £90k a year that receives a really big chunk on money each month through tax free childcare and free nursery.

But disabled people who are housebound are been told they should just go back to work, Theyre just scroungers and let’s cut disability benefits by £5billions.

What about taking into account the FAMILY income for child benefit and free childcare? Just like you do for UC.
Because I’m sure that would save money we dint have. And at £90k, why should people be offered free by when the poorest don’t??

And all of that with a ‘we don’t get benefits’ talk when actually they do.

Yes I agree
I was wondering how this poster got the Scottish child payment too ?
as even the £2200 salary is above minimum wage Monthly salary even without the 1700 top up ?

We qualify for it. There's nothing wrong with claiming it.

No it is still crazy that one minimum wage income and one disabled adult who doesn’t work take home 80% of a £90k salary.

Well it is when the Scottish child payment is supposed to be for children growing up in poverty. Post tax income of £4.700 is not poverty, other we can all agree. Is that what my 67% marginal tax band in Scotland is for?

About 37k pre-deductions combined (1 full time, 1 part time freelance at home - low pay). No other income. No child but 1 spoilt large dog. 1 x basic 11 year old car. Shared ownership house (60% mortgage, rest you pay rent for). We've got a credit card and got a 2k personal loan for the car. Don't use credit card too much but now and again - broken TV etc. 3 bed terrace in a cheaper bit of York (still not cheap compared to proper cheaper housing towns). Enough to get by but no massive holidays or easy to pay big house repairs if they come up. Early 30s. I guess having kids can be a medium to huge cost depending on how you do it. I'm not moaning but you do see loads of people on here with 6 figure income and it is like.....wow. Most people stretch their lifestyle to match their means, give or take. That's why it never seems to be enough.

Living in SE and houses where we are are super expensive. We were lucky to buy our house before things exploded round here and its value doubled in 10 years. We could not afford it now.

Income 4765 includes child benefit of 170
2 adults, 2 teens

*Mortgage, water, council tax, utilities, insurance, boiler cover, appliance cover 1068
*2 pets insurance, food, care, 185
*Diesel, dvla, insurance, breakdown 135
*Life insurance 70
*Food 500 (2 adults, 2 teens, 1 elderly)
*Internet, mobiles, insurance 208
*Savings 250
*Travel school/work 100
*Lunch money (1 teen) 48
*Clothes 50
*Sundries 186
*Loan 360 (house renovation)
*Lessons 205
*Spend 800
*Holiday fund 500
*Uncertainties fund 100 (eg car service, something needs fixing/servicing)

I know we are extremely blessed and we weren't always in this position. We drive a very old car, hardly buy clothes and live a simple life. However we do prioritise holidays and have 3 a year but nothing extravagant. I research for months to get things at bargain prices and even on these we cook at Base and never eat out.

Nothing 'off' about having to buy second hand on £90k
Household income £200k and I buy second hand. We go on camping holidays. drive an old car.
We get no benefits and taxed to fuck.

It's not really crazy when you have a disability which prevents you from working.

@littleorangefox
*Salary - £2200
UC - £1500
Scottish Child Payment - £425
Child Benefit - £305
ADP - £290
Total: £4720

We're managing just fine :)*

I’m not surprised.

I do find it crazy that families can earn a relatively small portion of OP’s and then be topped up to almost 80% of OP’s take home.

It truly is a nuts system sometimes and there are times when it just doesn’t actually pay that much to work.

This is why some people are so quick to moan about it being “tone deaf” for someone to comment on the buying power of a £90k salary these days, because the reality is they assume it’s 3 times the amount but actually a family earning 1/3 of OP’s income are left with a fairly similar amount of money at the end of the month. Probably stings even more when OP’s family have to work 2 full time jobs for only 1k more than a family on 2 part time jobs and benefits.

We are a household of 2, earn about 60k between us, no children by choice a big factor is the cost.

Manage quite well but we don't splash the cash, 2nd hand cars paid out right, a few weekends away a year, sometimes we go abroad for a week, but go fairly cheaply, quite like a Greek island. Can afford the occasional luxury, but we don't eat out regularly, get takeaways or drink takeaway coffee. Take home made lunches to work etc. Do treat myself to a meal subscription box once in a while

We had a similar income, although I have since been made redundant it's now £55k
Our total outgoings include mortgage, bills, food, commuting, car insurances, Mots etc are £2k. Our cars are 12 years old and were both bought outright. My daughter started school in September prior to that nursery was £400-1100 a month depending on how much of the month was covered by funded hours.

Until 8-10 years ago our house hold income was £25k a year as we were both on PhD stipends although as they were stipends not wages there was no deductions for tax, ni and student loans. We are in position we are in now as when we did get jobs and earning more we prioritised overpaying our mortgage. We wanted children and knew we would never have as much disposable income as we had then, savings rates were pants so we kept our lifestyle close to our student lifestyle and in 4 years we had massively reduced our mortgage, saved quite a bit and also had fun and holidays. We had our daughter and managed to make the move to a 4-5 bed detached with a 60% deposit and have felt the benefit in lower repayments now.

We have a spreadsheet which includes all annual costs as well as monthly costs so our car insurance, tax and Mots are already accounted for in the budget which helps to iron out the peaks and troughs of costs. We have a bills account and the amount we pay in accounts for the annual costs. We are coming up to a cluster of car costs and the money is already there. It might help you feel less blindsided by bills if the annual stuff is set aside monthly. You could set up a separate account for annual costs that you pay in monthly

I earn 160-205k (depending on my bonus). We (me, DH and DS) do fine on that but I don't feel wealthy. Mortgage is £2k, other bills and things about another thousand on top. I spend £700 a month on food.

As a PP said the big thing is when you bought your house. Our outstanding mortgage is about 400k but the house is nice and worth about a million, basically all that equity (less the 7k deposit we put up for the first flat) is because we bought at a good time and made lots of money on each move. Starting out now I honestly think I'd feel like whats the point. I have a very busy and stressful job that I had to study hard for and I am not sure it stacks up now if that wouldn't even cover much in the way of savings or luxuries once you've bought an insanely overpriced house.

Incoming:

Salary - £2200
UC - £1500
Scottish Child Payment - £425
Child Benefit - £305
ADP - £290
Total: £4720

Outgoing:

Mortgage - £1120
Food/general shopping - £600
Fuel - £200
Bills - £400
Council Tax - £120 (we get a reduction so it should be around £260)
Gas & electricity - £150
Loan (for a new car) - £150
Nursery - £615
Total - £3355

We're managing just fine :)

Well yes, having two families, running two houses and having multiple children is very expensive.

It's odd how this is suprise.

Everyone seems to think modern blended familes are just a marvellous example of progression and not the money sucking child misery machine they actaully are.