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.

I was part-time until he was 3 and then full-time for 3 years. I was earning too much for tax credits so basically had a nil award - the claim was live but I didn't get any money. I had a stroke and couldn't return to my old job in the civil service, but a homebased part-time job, so instead of getting nothing in tax credits I was getting an actual payment. I eventually got back into the civil service full-time and at the same time migrated to UC. I didn't expect to get anything, I thought it would be another nil award.

great post OP.

I am a single mum too I work between school hours but I get £1500 a month in universal credit. My rent alone is £1600 and I only earn £1200 a month. I do however get child maintenance. I don’t know how we would live otherwise. Life’s so expensive.

Too many women (and men) have children not out of love but to get free cash which is immoral.

Hi OP. I’m on UC too and I have 4 children and live in social housing. I’m probably one of the people much hated on here.

I had a very happy life with exDH (worked full time in a fantastic job)until he left and he took everything. Then paid £20 a week for our children (self employed)

Now I work one day a week, and I’m full time carer to my severely disabled parents.

Reading some of these comments make me feel so ashamed, nobody ever says it in real life but I know from this thread that they’re probably thinking it.

@ChaliceinWonderland dentist care and prescriptions are nor free on uc. It’s only if income is under £935 a month if got kids or £435 and no kids

same with fsm. Yearly income needs to be under £7400 take home so £600 ish a month / tho that changes next year so I will save £60 a month or so

It would do for working parents, standard attachment to earnings so maintenance deducted at source along with other statutory deductions, this would mean the state would not have to top up with universal credit as maintenance would be guaranteed as long as the absent parent worked. Some UC May be required but if this system was adopted I’m sure savings to the taxpayers could be made.
not supporting your children should be a crime.

I was in a similar situation please don’t let others make you feel bad. You are doing an important job. Having your life ripped from under your feet is so hard. More people should hold these men accountable rather than bashing the mothers.

On a side note people are so quick to dismiss how important children are to the future economy. It’s in people’s best interests kids get a good education and do not live in poverty.

Currently maintenance doesn’t account towards UC deductions and that’s not likely to change

What utter bullshit. I don't know a single person who has done this. If you do, get better friends!

Beg to differ. If you knowingly get pregnant when you are not financially secure and unable to provide for your future child and expect government handouts of course it is about the money.

You see numerous threads where women do nor live with their partner as it would affect their UC. Always about the money.

What is odd, is that these money focused people didn't choose a financially solvent partner to have children with. It would be so much more sensible so can only conclude they are lacking commonsense.

Is it true that next year all people on universal credit will get free school meals for the children??

No at present it isn’t included in in the calculation because of how unreliable it is. If there was a compulsory amount non resident parents were required by law to make then UC calculations could be altered to account for it. Which results in lots of people eligible and needing UC to make ends meet because the second parent has quite literally fucked off and left them holding the baby and shouldering all of the costs.

When I met my exp he was solvent and successfully self employed- a very hard worker. Sadly I missed the part, as many do, where he was an abusive arsehole as that only became apparent after the dc arrived. It took years of battling with CMS to get them set up a deduction of his earnings only for him to conveniently no longer earn anything at all (of course he was earning, just not declaring) so after all that time of nothing they set up a deduction of £7 per week however as he offered to pay slightly more they then wiped several thousand £ of arrears they should have still been chasing. He now hasn’t paid again since around January this year, hasn’t seen them since April. I’m doing as people like you wish and working 2 jobs 6 in to 7 days a week as I work Saturday evening in to the early hours of Sunday. I’m not sure it’s sustainable though as a sole parent. I used to work every other weekend while DC were at their dads but now with the rising costs of food and bills I need to work every weekend. I’m not sure it’s sustainable though. When I sat down for my dinner at 8pm on Sunday night I realised it was the first meal I’d eaten since Friday afternoon. I’d just been so busy squeezing everything in. I get a bit more UC than OP as one job is just over mw and the second is mw, plus I have high rental costs so certainly no more money in my pocket. I don’t understand why some think that op will be worse off once childcare payments stop. The money isn’t going in OP’s pocket it’s getting paid to the childcare provider. Once it stops she will no longer pay have that money out, UC doesnt cover 100% of the costs so will actually be better off.

To those upthread hoping they can just cut down hours and claim UC - it’s cleverly designed to not make that worthwhile plus once you earn part time hours you are expected to intensively search for more work/a higher paid job and prove you have done so. You also have to attend meetings with work coaches etc. If they feel you aren’t doing enough they can sanction you and you’ll have your payments reduced. If you have a job that pays well enough to not need to claim then I advise you keep it 😅.

I have been wondering from time to time and apologies as there’s no other way to ask it - Why do you have children you can’t afford? Did you plan to be a claimant when you made the decision to have the child?

No, nowhere near the going rate. Depends on other things though… like coding language.

Sorry if you’ve answered this already OP - what kind of developer are you?

It’s crazy that this isn’t enough to live on anymore.

Op clearly says she was married and her ex dh seemed ok at the time. Whether there were red flags from the start we don’t know. But it’s not like op is claiming a huge amount. She’s working almost full time. She doesn’t seem to planning on this being a lifestyle choice for good. She works professional job on more than minimum wages. She’s not cleaning for 15 hours a week. It’s more crappy circumstances.

When people can’t even read the OP or the rest of her posts it makes you look really stupid.
How dare you come over all superior.

Do you know what will happen to you in a few years time, whether or not your circumstances will change? My guess is "no" so how the heck do you think the OP would? Oh and if the DC are already here what is she (or any of us ), supposed to with them....we can't send them back!

I have been applying for jobs which require a degree, plus so many years of experience, include a list as long as your arm of requirements, take days to apply for - minimum wage.
They have hundreds of applicants.
It's an employers market.

You know why you feel you needed to apologise for asking? Because there is no way you should be asking it.

How much can you earn and still get UC?

@limescale No I dont think it's bad tbh. I doubt most people have such low housing costs. Our rent is over double that, council tax £249 and we get no support (both work not on high wages - I earn less than the OP). One child (5 yo) at home ft and I have two older children. We have pretty much nothing left over once all of the essentials are paid for - no way we can save to buy.

@Sweetbubblegum The father of my two sons is very well-off and always has been. But when I divorced him he was "magically" setting up his own business and only earning £26k and with "no savings". Courts believed this crap. I'm still privately renting over a decade on.

Most people can't really afford children. Only the rich can.