I’m a single mum claiming a UC top up AMA

[cadburyegg]

There’s a lot of negative press and misinformation about benefit claimants so thought I’d start a thread. I work nearly full time and have 2 children. Ask away.

@cadburyegg The big difference is we (my husband and I) pay for our third child ourselves (we don't have benefits). Your children's dad (two kids?) isn't doing that so you are in receipt of UC and can also afford to save and pay for expensive swimming lessons.

Child benefit is a benefit.

Not exactly OPs fault her ex is a twat is it?

@NotEnoughKnittingTime It is - everyone gets that unless pretty well-off. But not everyone gets UC. And certainly not everyone has such low housing costs, Netflix and expensive swimming lessons and can still afford to save every month. I imagine her ex-husband was a part of the reason she has such low mortgage repayments? Be interested to hear how thst came about.

Absolutely and a friend works at maccy d and said they are a great firm to work for , flexible working hours etc

another friend cleans toilets - mainly as he has a criminal record and struggling to find a ‘decent’ job

the amount of people who look down on him - yet happy to use the loo that he cleans their shit off

I did not know that @cadburyegg

i do think once youngest at school a person should work

tho now also childcare Costs are mainly paid for by uc there is no reason why they can’t when baby is 1

Sorry I meant those who are on it but don’t work who have to go to job centre every 2w etc

I know many people who are on uc but can’t find a job but not made to take anything

This doesnt make any sense.

The OP and others in receipt of UC on this thread (me included) are in jobs/careers.

What’s point is trying to be made here?

Surely not to give up our higher paying jobs to take work that pays significantly less and be entitled to higher UC?

Regarding disabled kids - what is wrong is that if a parent /normally mum , works they lose their carers allowance over a certain amount

this is wrong as they are working all day and then up sometimes at night but lose the carers allowance as they are working

The point is further up - that there are jobs for people to do but they don’t want to do ‘that’ job as beneath them

I’m not arguing about people who work and get uc to top their wages up

but those who don’t work but could work but send out crap cvs or be rubbish delib in an interview or turn up late for one etc

What’s that got to do with this thread?

Very few parents, net contributors included, could afford to fund the level of support many disabled DC require. Thankfully, current legislation protects disabled children and parent carers and means the state is responsible for certain things. Unpaid carers do save the state a fortune. It would cost far more if more carers reached carer burnout or required more respite/care.

So according to this thread unemployed UC recipients should take any job on offer, regardless of if the location, hours etc are actually doable. I do actually agree with this POV to an extent. These are likely to be minimum wage, and will need a UC top up.

But also, working UC claimants who need a top up should get a better paid job. What job? What if you have no qualifications etc? Or can't get there. It kind of reminds me of when my brother told me I should get a job as a fruit picker when we had a shortage of them in lockdown. Despite the fact I live no where near a farm and can't drive.

Who's going to do the MW jobs now?

This reminds me of something I saw on FB.

"If you want a living wage, get a better job" is a fascinating way to spin "I acknowledge that your current job needs to be done, but I think whomever does that job deserves to be in poverty"

It was to a reply that someone said

you should know if an oldie/regular on mn that threads do sometimes take a turn about something via replies not what the op was about

Take a different job? So police officers and nurses say for instance, who are single parents, shouldn’t do that job and need to find something better paying? In order to not have to claim a UC top up because the government doesn’t pay these jobs a sufficient salary to survive on in the first place?

So certain jobs will be reserved for those in a two income family, or have come into some money somewhere, savings… not for the likes of people like me…

Whats more if I leave someone else has to do it… and if someone else leaves another low paying job, someone else will fill it and probably receive a UC top up because so many jobs in this country don’t pay a fair wage. Vicious cycle innit.

Let’s hope life never knocks you down.

I'm paying tax 🤷‍♀️

So does the OP and many, many others in receipt of UC.

You paying tax doesnt mean that it gives you the ability to tell someone how to budget their finances.

My ex partner pays thousands in tax as a high rate tax payer. I claim universal credit. I also work.

Why do you appear to begrudge people getting benefits so much? You think it’s better for the alternative which is many children who live in poverty? You seem to fail to understand that many people will never be high earners. That not everyone is an academic, some people may have minor learning disabilities etc. Minimum wage jobs are an essential part of keeping the economy running.

The children of today are the future workers. Of course it is important to support them and for them to get the best education and start to life possible. I wish that all children could have extensive swimming lessons and not overworked stressed parents.

That aside the Netflix comment really made me laugh. We do not have a tv license in this house just Netflix. Is it awful my kids get to watch tv occasionally?!

I can’t even imagine how you would judge me for the fact I get fairly decent child maintenance too, but that’s a whole other thread!

Yes but it does give me the ability to vote to tighten some of this up. It gives me the incentive to hide as much as I can from the current Gov too. 🤷‍♀️

Why is he not paying more then for your children so you don't have to be in this position?

So am I. As is the OP.

And there it is. Greed.

The mask slips.

Oh the irony! Someone who doesn’t sponge off actual net taxpayers is described as ‘greedy’, yet those who play the system to grab all they can get, while working as little as possible, are apparently not…😂😂😂

Who here is working as little as possible?