AIBU to be surprised someone on £34,000 receives Universal Credit?

I had a little read up about UC because I don't claim benefits as such other than childcare hours.

I earn less than the 34k lady in question but because of my husbands earnings, we don't qualify for UC. Which is fine obviously!

However, going off topic ever so slightly, different benefits seem to have different criteria even though they are all there to help families for the most part.

We get some help with childcare costs which is a life line, but in that case each individual persons income is taken into account, not whole household. Whereas UC, from what I have read, takes household income into account?

So if the same rules were applied to UC, I'd get that extra help as my income is low (if I worked more hours that's where our childcare costs would jump up). Whereas if my husband took a promotion, we'd lose our childcare help as I'd have consider dropping work due to the extra childcare costs (I'd probs need nursery and a childminder mixed) yet that one new salary would be less than our current combined one. So we'd be no better off. I'd be worse off losing skills and being out of the work force, but if we earned 99k each, it wouldn't affect us.

Rules seem to be so complex. In some cases the criteria is 'does this individual in this household need help' and in some cases 'does this whole household need help?'.

It would be interesting to understand the reasoning behind it.

(Disclaimer- certainly not complaining, just a thought, it is 8am on a Sunday and I'm only one coffee in!).

lol! The vast majority of landlords are not millionaires - government policy created the private landlord sector we have today by dramatically reducing the social rented sector and thereby creating the need for private rent.
Most employers are not millionaires either. They are hard working small and medium sized businesses our economy needs.

Stop this childish ‘hate the rich’ narrative and see that this is a tale of poor administration and policy decisions by successive governments.

Because this equates to a net amount of £3.5k pm including family allowance.

I dont know what her outgoings are, but that sounds like she should be able to live on that, assuming she's not caught up in paying stupid rent cos rental costs are out of control.

It’s this. For decades successive governments have taken actions, or failed to take actions, that have led to housing costs being absurdly high. This has contributed to an absurdly high benefits bill that is crippling the country as the government needs to support people on decent wages with their housing costs.

Average rent for a 2-bed property where I live is £1500 a month.

Perhaps you could draw up a budget for someone on £34k, with a child or two, paying that much rent, childcare, all their utilities and council tax and still have enough to live on.

I'm sure it would be tremendously helpful for many on here who are struggling to make ends meet.

Increasing minimum wage would reduce number of jobs and increase unemployment, so people may be incentivised to get jobs, but there’d be none available.

That would lead to a massive shortage of lots of essential workers in areas with high housing costs.

maybe over the savings threshold

Thank you! Blooming google. I wonder where it got that from.

I will look in to this. After I get back from swimming teaching this morning where the children have paid £600 between them for their lessons and I’ll get £55 of it…such valid points on this thread about wages.

This. While everyone is bashing people on universal credit no one seems bothered by the fact people are working full time and still not making ends meet. Yet millionaires/billionaires are getting wealthier at our expense.

This. Plus if they live with a partner with a job, they get nothing at all, except a few months of minimal contribution based ESA, or whatever its called now, under £100 pw. Their partner is expected to support them, whether or not they can afford it.

Half of MN “a whopping 34k?!”
the other half “no I can’t live on less than 100k, anything under that is an awful salary”

You are obviously clueless.

Your figures are wrong. It's still not much but under 25s get 338.58 a month and older adults 424.90. plus the housing costs which don't usually cover private rent though social housing tenants get all of the rent. Young people who live with parents can usually manage but it's tough for those with rent liability.

Unless it is a property you don't live in, regardless of equity/money you could take out, you can indeed claim universal credit. I don't know what gave you the impression otherwise, you just can't get the housing cost element.

I received universal credit as a single mum for 2 children different sex’s so the element for example for housing benefit would include 2 separate bedrooms for them but only after the age of 10.
I worked from when my daughter was 6 months part time then full time when kids were 6 and little one 2.( so I’ve always paid the system as it were) I earned about £55k.i went to private school all my life funded myself through university and have a professional job. Had an ex husband who didn’t always contribute what he should have done and if he had contributed more maybe I would have not had to rely on the system. I had cancer at the age of 30 and still carried on working when I could though the treatment stage and had help from grandparents with the children.

I wouldn’t have been able to live close to family and supported my children if I hadn’t received universal credit.

there something fundamentally wrong if someone is earning £55k to survive. We didn’t have glamorous holidays and I was very organized with food and the costs.

i hope this had given you an understanding of how universal credit can help

Telling someone to calm down is very condescending and rude. There are other ways of making your point without telling someone to calm down.

I agree with you . We need to stop blaming people and actually increase wages

Why would you believe Google or AI over actual humans who work in this sector (like me)? Please please don't let the robots win.

I earn more than that and I receive it too

Thank you @SimplySooand others. Google thinks it does so I’m not sure who’s right. I wouldn’t want to falsely claim it. I can’t find anything about it on the gov website. I’ve posted a screenshot of google so it might not update immediately

I genuinely think there are lots of people on this thread who should be claiming UC but didn't realise they could.

Use the Entitled To calculator.

Or ask Citizens Advice if you think your situation is complicated.

Yes, you can claim if you live in a property you own (with a mortgage). But you don't get help paying the mortgage on a monthly basis (unlike rent). @arethereanyleftatall If you live in the property you are talking about then it's disregarded as an asset/capital.

You can look up benefits calculator. The one I looked at was called Turn to us or smth similar

Having children isn't a detail here. If for example she's a single parent of two young children, her salary won't go far.

Wow when I was a single parent in 2022 I earned just over £25K or may have been £26K can’t recall, I was working reduced hours as my daughter was young and I was entitled to nothing. Or does it depend on how much your rent is and what area you live in? I have a mortgage rather than rent which isn’t huge due to earning way more before deciding to have a kid. I mean I got by, but struggled at times and I still have the credit card debt. I thought I was loaded when my salary went up to over £34K again! 🤣