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

The upper limit is quite a lot higher than that, depending on how many children you have- best advice put in a claim, the worst they can do is say no.

Tax credits were replaced by UC along with all of the other benefits. I was getting Tax Credits and was migrated to UC. I pay into a civil service pension - I don't know if that affects entitlement although I suspect not.

I know someone who is married with children and neither of them will work extra hours/overtime or take on extra responsibilities (for more money), because it messes up their UC. Why would people put in the extra time and effort when they are getting the same or more from the government. It’s a hard one to solve, but its not benefit bashing to say this is not sustainable to keep topping up peoples wages, especially if they are working part time.

PIP isn't paid as part of Universal Credit.

A decent salary - like Sharon Shoesmith on £133k (nearly 10 years ago) when Baby P was murdered and later paid off to the tune of another £600k +. As always with the public sector, too many layers of management, smoke and mirrors to ever be properly accountable. Increases, if needed, in social worker's pay should come from streamlining the service, not just putting a load more tax payers money into an already inefficient sector

🤣

Yes, we really need to collect the £59bn tax shortfall, and deal with ballooning executive pay.

They'd have already spent 3 years completing their degree and will still be working full time in a very stressful role. We're not talking about 16 year olds on a level 2 apprenticeship. They should be paid a decent salary.
They should push up the salary for all social workers too, maybe we'd deal with the huge shortage of them and the waste on agency staff aswell as reducing UC claimants.

How right you are OP. So easy to be unpleasant from behind a keyboard. Do you see what you did there?

I don’t regard you as a half wit @catspam79

but I don’t think DWP has singled you out to deny you UC you are entitled to.

If you aren’t getting, you’re not entitled. It’s that simple.

When ‘affordable’ rent near me is 1400 in a housing association house , for example
https://www.homemove.org.uk/property-detail/611814876-SH002955
The only way a family could survive that wage is on UC so it’s not a surprise at all.

Its a trap.

Err...what a stupid comment. The point is its a TRAINEE role - if you up this pay everyone deemed to be qualified or more experienced, and presumably not claiming UC, will expect their money to go up accordingly

Not specifically, although rent is included in the calculation but I'm HA tenant so my rent is relatively low (£800pcm - 2 bed in London).

Is that to pay towards you rent ? Just as I get less than you and don’t qualify

Depends on her circumstances. I get UC on a £46k salary, with one child, I get approx £190 per month.

how are you eligible

Public sector pay is better than private I thought overall. The difference is in the private sector you can earn very high salaries which are far less common in the public sector.

Not even less common but don’t exist eg a MC partner can earn 2m.

Before I bought recently I was paying £1450 to rent a 2bed flat. 7yrs ago I had 2 kids at home and only working part time due to serious health issues requiring major surgery and multiple procedures. I only earned 25k then and needed universal credit to survive in the South East. I’m now earning 70k plus and in a different place financially, and left the south east. 30 odd years ago I was a teen mum on full benefits for a year. By time I retire after 40 odd years (done 26yrs now) I can guaranteed i’ll have paid a lot more tax than I got in benefits.

Living as a single income household is not easy, especially in a cost of living crisis. When kids are young, childcare is a huge cost, and housing. 34k is not a lot of money at all these days. Not sure where you live but add cost of rent and childcare and it will leave little else. I personally think its good that we pay UC to help people manage. This person is working. Why not save some anger for all those people working and not paying anywhere near proper taxes. Mostly the absent fathers in these situations who fiddle their books.

What do you mean, “how”?

How would you like your pitchfork delivered?
How is the money paid into my account?
Or how/why am I eligible?

@dustabsorber hence why business and landlords and the capitalist class in general are in favour of mass immigration or outsourcing. It increases profit. It is called the geographical redistribution of the social relations of capital. Ideologically it is also a gift as immigrants can then be blamed.

We now have an increased dynamic where the state step in to provide benefits to ameliorate the social consequences of low wages and high cost of living.

State funding is increasingly paid to employers and landlords whilst the increasing cost of state funding is blamed on immigrants (who are largely unable to claim state benefit) the long term sick and disabled and those who can’t find work - increasingly the young including those with a degree and student loans. Media focus of the Tory plans to reduce benefit by a small amount have focused on spending benefit money on drinking or smoking or gambling (the undeserving poor) rather on the fact that standard benefit (already low) is cut by a third for those with no work history. It is unfortunately common for recent graduates to not find a job within six months of graduating. Rent is capped. So young people live with their parents who are forced to financially support them.

None of this can be solved through reducing immigration or cutting benefits to the poor and needy.

Increased immigration, low wages and high rent increase profit but don’t lead to improved services higher wages or lower living costs. There is no trickle down - just increasing inequality.

@ pluto46

Can you give a like for like example of public sector vs private sector pay rises?

Bearing in mind that public sector workers had a 2 year pay freeze in 2009/2010 and with minimum pay rises thereafter - 1% maybe?

And no, people in the public sector do not get "paid off' - whatever you mean by that

There are incompetent employees (and indeed employers) in the private sector too, funnily enough

Yes the word taxpayer annoys me when it’s used like this. There was that think tank ‘the taxpayers alliance’ who basically were a bunch of people wanting to pay as little as possible but probably wanting scandi style public services - they were going on about subsidising rail prices in a negative way - but pardon me for stating the obvious great many commuters are ‘taxpayers’ !! Whereas most of that ‘alliance’ seemed to be a bunch of retired or semi retired mean minded well off pensioners who probably did little commuting

What a strange comment. Do you not realise the tax payer (including the subject of the post) pay for the welfare bill as well as public sector salaries.
They should be paid an amount that prevents them having to apply for universal credit and avoids the additional administrative costs of UC. Surely that's a more effective use of tax payers money?

Maybe rents too? If you rent AND have children and usually just 1 income or 2 lower part time incomes you can often claim - bear in mind child maintenance doesn’t count in calculations - I think it should after the first year if it’s consistent , as I know 2 people getting well over £700 maintanance a month and getting a fair whack of UC as well - but that’s my view and I know other mumsnetters don’t agree with me on this - and I’m social minded!!

I won’t comment again. You seem to think I’m some sort of half wit. I’m on the bones of my arse and struggle each month. Everything is getting more expensive food shopping, bills etc. I work full time and think what’s the point. I’ll say it again I’ve been told my earnings are over the threshold for UC . Do you not think I’ve tried to get something. Years ago I’d get tax credits but they stopped obviously.