Do you claim universal credit with no kids?

[Sleepingboy]

Hi!

I'm trying to figure out if I can afford to split up with my dh and to help with that, claim UC. I don't claim benefits currently so don't really know much about them. I currently work pt and earn around £600 a month only. If I have the kids with me in a house with no mortgage it seems I would be entitled to around £1200 a month. If I have no kids living with me then it's about £300. Can this be right? What if I can't find a ft job that pays enough to live on?

How old are you?

Do you have children?

Is there or would there be a reason you couldn't work full time if you dont have the kids with you?

If you don’t have the children with you and no mortgage surely £900 a month is ample?!

Im currently 46. There isn't a reason I couldn't work ft if I don't have kids but is there not a benefit to get tipped up if I'm a low income?

UC will top you up to a basic standard of living, not to a full time wage. So while it will help towards rent or childcare costs, it won't give you extra money just for you to spend on whatever you please.

I'm afraid you'd have to look for better paid work or more hours for that.

I'm confused with what you are asking. Will the children be living with you or not? If yes then, unless they are young, you will still be expected to look for a full time job (or earn a f/t wage working p/t)

No. The benefit system isn't there to top up your income because you've made a lifestyle choice just to work full time.

**part time

Do you have kids?

Having children to feed and house makes a huge difference, so do you have children?

My daughter is on UC and has children to look after.

Sorry for confusing people. I do have kids and work part time, I'm asking when the kids leave home, if I cannot work at a job that pays enough to keep me and pay Bill's, what happens then?
Surely £900 a month wont pay a person's bills? For everything needed?

You'll have to work full time.

If you don't earn enough, you'd have to increase your hours or your wage.

UC will top you up but not to the same rate as if you had kids at home or had rent to pay as you dont have those costs. If the amount doesn't cover your bills, you would need to reduce your bills or increase your income

If £900 a month isn't enough for a single person to live on, they either have to budget or increase hours. That is what the government deems you need to live on.

You think that's bad, go and run the figures for a childless out of work adult.

This is an odd post OP. You made it sound as though you don’t have any kids. When your kids leave home you will then be able to work what ever hours you need to 60+ if needs be that’s what I did before having DS. Other wise nobody would work full time would they? If they got topped up £1200 with no kids on top of their £600 a month wage

You would have to work full time, find a higher paid part time job or budget.
What an odd post.

Even women with younger children are expected to work while receiving universal credit. If you have children old enough to leave home then you will have to work full time.

How old are your kids. I assume you have a few years to plan ahead to work full time when they're older? It's not happening overnight.

If you claim Universal Credit as a jobseeker then the amount you'll get is pretty small and you'll be expected to spend at least 35 hours a week looking for work. (I don't know how that's even possible, but there you go). Unemployment benefits are not meant to be nice to live on long term!

Currently the "standard allowance" for a single person 25 or over is £409.89 a month. For every £1 you earn, 63 p is deducted from your UC payment, so if you earn £600 a month then your UC payment will be rather small.

What bills do you have that £900/month isn't enough to cover them, when you don't have a mortgage? As a single person with no children my combined gas/water/electricity rarely comes to more than about £100 per month, and if you're on UC your council tax will be almost nothing. You won't be rich, but unless you have a lot of debt it seems like easily enough to live on.

You get topped up if you have kids at home that require your care which prevents you from working full time.

If you have older kids or none at home then you are expected to work full time, either in 1 job or a combination of several part time roles.

I am working really long hours so I can get a good wage and pay all my bills. However if you want to work part time, then let me know and I can increase my hours and send you a cheque to help you out.

This is why people on benefits get a bad name. Benefits are there to help people who are in situations and need support and I gladly pay in towards this. Not to support lifestyle choices. Increase your hours! Don’t take from the overstretched benefit system leaving less for people who really need and deserve society’s support.

Surely £900 a month wont pay a person's bills? For everything needed

You have to prioritise or increase your income by working more. Top ups are to help you cover the basics, not allow you to have everything you want while working part time. Even on NMW, £600 pm is barely 16 hours per week, that's not even half of a full time job.

You'd be able to claim UC but it will be the JSA element and you will be expected to look for full time work. You can't just choose to work part time if you have no dependents living with you.

OP - you might want to run some scenarios through these calculators:

www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Beginner-s-Guide-to-Benefits/Checking-benefit-entitlement

www.entitledto.co.uk/