Fed up of my cousins comments about benefits and UC

What should she do with her children then? Give them up to the state? Because that's cheap isn't it.....oh wait. It will probably cost waaaaay more to have them in care 🤔🙄

It's the father's that piss off and not pay that people should be getting at. OP you are doing what you can.

I think her and your anger needs to be directed at men who become fathers but don’t believe they should pay for their children.
Perhaps if we could get them to cough up the benefits bill wouldn’t be so high.

Yes it's really expensive, even for people getting the "free" hours from the Govt. Part of the reason for that is over-subsidising childcare to begin with. If everyone had to pay for it, it would be significantly cheaper

You have to be earning over approximately 41k to be a net contributor. I’m guessing most of the assholes on this thread aren’t. I am by a wide margin and I think OP should breathe deep and ignore the bitter nastiness on here. I am sorry OP.

Not from the taxpayer - there should be enough social housing to not need private landlords. Taxes shouldn’t pay for people’s profit.

How noble of him, does he hand over 100% of his salary to the taxman then?

Indeed. I’ve had to drop work many times to pick up a sick child / take one to hospital in an emergency. I literally do not have the option to ask anyone else. I have worked my way up in my career but not as fast as I wanted. It’s very different being a single parent than sharing it with a partner who you can do 50% of those things with.

That's a ridiculous, non point. Do you think private landlords shouldn't get rent?

Yes there are and always will be.

@glassor2 my husband at 72 is still working nearly full time. still paying tax. to keep people like you in UC!! I am 70 and also still paying a whack of tax!!

We suppressed wages in this country, something that has been possible at the bottom end of the wage scale because of government credits, which make it possible for people to survive on wages that are below the living wage. She’s whinging about something while being in a wage bracket that means she doesn’t pay much tax. There are plenty of people paying far more.

I should add for the record that it's abhorrent that the fathers of OPs kids can essentially just opt out and not provide any form of financial assistance

This is a horrible thread.
@glassor2 please ignore your cousin and the nasty people on this thread.
You are doing what you can.
💐

This. FFS. Honestly, I pay 2000 a month in tax and I am glad that this goes towards supporting people (though yes it is utilised by employers to pay lower wages to people). She is NOT a net contributor and she should shut the F up. Just ignore her OP. She is obnoxious

I was thinking this. TBH I generally try not to look at how much tax and NI I pay because it’s a bit disconcerting as I pay just over £3k a month tax and NI combined.

OP it’s an unfortunate truth that you are more likely to get yourself in to a better financial position by working full time and finding a way to pay the high childcare for a while.

i went back to work full time when DD was 9 months old, at the time subsidised childcare only kicked in after they turned 3 so I was paying over £1k a month for full time nursery, no family support so needed it full time. I was earning £25k a year at that point and my childcare bill was over twice my mortgage. Things were really really tight, beans on toast and jacket potato’s for every meal tight.

Now DD is 11yo, I’ve been able to develop a career, I earn over 4 times what I was on then, have no childcare bills except a few days of holiday club over the summer to break it up a bit and things are really comfortable. I would not have been able to progress at that speed and scale working part time.

What nonsense.
My ex and I worked around each other’s schedules.
Entirely different being the main resident parent trying to juggle full time work with no obligation from the other parent to facilitate your role.

Try having the same stress and same amount of bills to pay but no partner and half the income. Then come back and judge the OP.

@glassor2 she also has another child of 13 neither of who appear to have a father living with them. how much universal credit is she getting/????

Abd what is Reforms solution to men not paying for their children?

They won't be claiming any benefits without a doubt due to average salaries at my place of work, and are often international so ineligible to claim anyway. My point is that it's perfectly possible and there are many examples of earning for yourself and your kid/s as a single parent. That's not to say it isn't hard work, it is. But other people make it work and "oh I'll just claim benefits and let others do the work so I don't have to" is a terrible attitude to have

I have no childcare support and work full time.
I'm lucky that the schools my children have attended provide wraparound breakfast and after school clubs to allow me to work full time. Some places don't have these.

I don't think the OP is voluntarily working part-time for an easier life. It sounds like the only workable formula right now.

I do get a little flabbergasted at parents that can't see how they could possibly work full time with school aged children, as though the rest of working parents have a platoon of helpers. I very definitely do not. Wraparound care is the only way this works.

Fair but childcare here is more a day than my daily wage 🙃

She has a point. Sick of subsidising people who work part time hours.

If the OP was back in your Mum (and Grandma's) day she could leave the 13 year old at home in charge of the 5 year old while she worked full time.
Try that now and you get reported to social services.