To think saving on Universal Credit is extremely difficult?

When I was on UC and working. I took every spare hour I could get but it wasn't enough to get me off Uc. I remember being in wetherspoon years ago and a manager was conducting a job interview and told the applicant they would get a guaranteed 8 hours a week. Zero hours contract. It's tough out there for a lot of people

Ah ok. Then around 100k personally donated to others.

It would be interesting to see how many of the 38% have a full time job.

Thank you. There was one big event that happened to me in 2019 that almost destroyed my life. That was after 15 months of being stalked. I was so broken I actually can't remember how broken I was. My mum thought she was going to lose me more than once even though I never said I was going to kill myself

Around three months later the dwp said you are fit to work. I have always worked and I haven't spent the last few years idle either. I finished a part time degree last year and I am now actively looking for volunteer work so I can hopefully get a job sooner or later

Going through the lcwra process to try and get benefits for my mental health made my mental health worse. Adp was different. They treated me well

I think it's a shame that some people view me as a scrounger

My mum was bullied in work for decades. She never claimed benefits but had to take time off work. She had ptsd and work related stress. She was ill to the point she could barely function at points. I wouldn't wish ptsd on anyone

Thank you

It was thankyou 23.6 to 25% of total government expenditure goes on social protection which is pension and benefits what I was talking about when I said 6% was from income tax what an individual pays out of their tax but a pp has said thats for disability benefit so I might have got that wrong I remember reading it a while back. It doesn't take much to confuse me. I just pay my tax and ni and don't put a lot of thought into where is goes as i have always been in the over 50% of people who are a net recipient so I know I've taken out more then I've put in my own birth and the medical treatment i needed in the first year probably cost more then I've ever paid in

I have serious mental and physical illnesses and the mental illnesses effect and limit my life significantly more then the physical illness. Severe mental illness is hell

I'm so sorry about your uncle and your other experiences. I've experienced similar earlier in my career.
I hope that people who argue that mental health isn't quite real or as debilitating as physical illness speak from a place of literal ignorance, that they haven't seen the ways in which severe and enduring mental illness destroys the lives of people and their loved ones. It would be unbearably cold blooded otherwise.

Most people on UC are actually working but need UC to "top up" their earnings.

My uncle was able bodied. He took his life. I have a friend with bipolar who was sectioned twice and took early retirement because her mental health was so poor

I've worked with young people who have had multiple personality disorders. One young man set himself on fire in front of staff. I've also been in the position of trying to get help for young people who were suffering from suicidal ideation. And been told nothing they can do and they later killed themselves

I claim uc and I work.
I've lived in my house for 7 years. I haven't been able to afford to replace any of the carpets (the carpets are really worn thin, to the point you can see the bottom layer) as the moment I try to save, something else wipes it out. I don't have a car and don't go on any holidays. Life is really depressing

In the past decades it's been steady on c 25%. But that includes benefits and pensions. Within benefits it includes those who are looking for work and those who aren't expected to work (ill, carers, disabled). There's another clue for the pp!

I hope your pillow was cool. ☺️

Check percentage of GDP and government income spent on benefits and pensions. As I said earlier I've made it really easy by providing figures since 2013 and projected figures up until 2030.

Come back and tell me more about the "ever expanding welfare cost". But actually here's another task. Don't come back until you've thought about whether it's actually accurate to claim that every single able bodied person is capable of paid employment. Bonus point if you give ableism some consideration.

Bet you never come back.

Like I said no judgement, but that’s also not entirely accurate.

50% of all claimants have no work requirements - this includes the 29% of pensioners who claim at least 1 state benefit, as well as full time students (yes students are eligible for some benefits), pregnancy, over 50s, people in work with household income above the CET threshold, and temporary exemptions.

Carers and incapacity exemptions make up about 27% of working age claimants.

I read it as sarcasm

That's not what I asked.

Read my question again please. The answer will be interesting.

Aren't you lucky! Not everyone can do this though. Some people are not mentally equipped to do higher paid jobs plain and simple. Others aren't equipped to cope with stress the way you have, rather than managing the stress they break and aren't able to work at all. Some have been knocked back so often that they give up in the end - what's the point in striving when it gets you nowhere after x years and multiple attempts?

And of course if everyone gets these well paid jobs, then who will be doing the child care for you so you can do your high paid job? Or cleaning your offices you work in? Or dealing with the post, or the reception there, or local catering for lunches & coffees? Or cleaning the streets outside your office or home?

Most of the welfare bill is pensions as I'm sure you know. Pip counts for around 6-7 per cent of that

53.3% of people in the uk are net recipients so even if you're paying tax you're probably not even covering yourself let alone anyone else

Its 6% what are you talking about

I was pretty much suicidal six years ago. I was repeatedly told by the dwp that I was fit to work when I didn't feel well enough. I've worked hard in previous jobs. But working hard doesn't always translate to high pay. I'm also single - I have never been in a position where there's been two wages coming in to my household

That's good for you that you were able to do all of that with anxiety and depression. But some people can't

And it doesn't help when peoples GPs are overruled by the dwp. On another thread someone posted that her brother was suffering from suicidal ideation. The dwp told him he was fit to work. He returned to work and killed himself in the workplace.

Sorry - I work full time - VERY hard. Very long hours. Higher tax bracket AND I get the joys of having to pay child benefit back due to the high income child benefit charge. I save monthly though some months we have less to save.

I was - 6 years ago - in a low paid job and in receipt of UC. In massive debt. So I worked hard (many stepping stone jobs) to get to the level I am at where we can live a better life and am now debt free. So believe me - I do know it is achievable. And I did all of that with depression and anxiety too!! I still have depression and anxiety now but I also have bills to cover

But you expect on benefits that are designed to be short term to assist you back into work and to cover basic living expenses that you should be given enough to build up a savings account?

You want enough money so you have a buffer? Savings? Can afford to cover unexpected expenses? Work for it. If you are able bodied there is literally no excuse to not do.

This country literally cannot long term sustain the ever increasing welfare cost.

I paid just short of 180k in tax and NI last year. Approximately 1/3 goes on welfare so around 60k.

Also just to point out - treatment for mental health doesn't always equate to people getting better. People can relapse and after treatment might be able to manage their condition better. It doesn't mean they are better

You said it's for people who will never have savings. It's not solely for that group of people.

Ah ok. So having ptsd depression and anxiety makes me less deserving. Got it. I've not been signed off for life. I have a two year award of adp that will probably not be renewed in September

Prompt treatment - ok. I waited 8 months to see a psychologist. Some people wait years.