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?

I work 24 hours a week and get tax credits, my son is 7. When he's old enough to let himself in and be alone for a couple of hours after school then I'll look for full time work. That's what you have to do!

Also if you have no mortgage then £900 a month is plenty to live on.

Surely you don't have to wait until the children leave home to get full-time hours.

There is nothing to 'top you up'.

I was single with grown up kids, earning less than £10,000 pa. I was just told to 'get a better job'. A friend could not believe that I wasn't entitled to ANYTHING and went through the benefits calculator with me.

Nothing.

Well, not quite true, I think I could get £12 a month help with my rent.

Get two jobs.

Or if you can't get more hours in your main job, or can't find a second job, you could do some additional part time work, eg cleaning, baby sitting.

@Zaphodsotherhead

There is nothing to 'top you up'.

I was single with grown up kids, earning less than £10,000 pa. I was just told to 'get a better job'. A friend could not believe that I wasn't entitled to ANYTHING and went through the benefits calculator with me.

Nothing.

Well, not quite true, I think I could get £12 a month help with my rent.

This is what I was wondering. I'm not saying I should be entitled to something, I'm asking if there is something. I will just have to plan accordingly. That's fine.

My second question is if I get my house mortgage free in a divorce, does it matter how much it is worth regarding uC? I know there is a £16k limit on savings, but what about the value of the house you own and are living in?

I'm just trying to educate myself about a system I have always paid into before I had Dc late in life and have never had to use before.

I'm just trying to educate myself about a system I have always paid into before I had Dc late in life and have never had to use before sorry it’s not a form of savings account.

It depends....the house is immaterial. You won’t get the housing element of UC if you have no mortgage or rent to pay.

UC will help if your wages are low and you can’t earn any more....so if you’re working full time then presumably you won’t be able to increase the earnings without a better paid job. In that case you might be entitled to UC.

Sadly many jobs are low paid.....and stuff the advice to take on a second job if you already work full time. Life is too short for that shit...it’s doable in the short term but it’s not a long term solution.

I work 34 hours with an 8 year old, no family or partner nearby (over 200 miles away)

DC sometimes goes to breakfast club at 07.30, then after school club until 16.15 and some days another nursery pick DC up in the minibus and take them back to base until 18.00pm.

Tax credits will assist with Childcare costs, thankfully.

Well choosing not to work full time is a lifestyle choice. Even if you do have children and especially if they are of school age

When they leave home you'll have to get a full time job that pays the bills - the taxpayer isn't there to fund you to sit on your bum half the week because you don't want to work??!!

There is a £16,000 limit for UC ie you don't get any benefits if your savings are at that level, but also any savings over £6,000 will mean you get less money. UC tappers off between £6,000 and £16,000.

You work to earn enough to pay for your rent, bills and lifestyle. If you can't then you change your rent (move), bills and/or lifestyle. So it's either work more or pay less (and often both!)

@ivfdreaming

Well choosing not to work full time is a lifestyle choice. Even if you do have children and especially if they are of school age

When they leave home you'll have to get a full time job that pays the bills - the taxpayer isn't there to fund you to sit on your bum half the week because you don't want to work??!!

Yup, that's a fair point. Given that many people seem to think that benefit scroungers live the life of riley....it seems not!

I think you need to get out there and work...lots. No personal experience with UC as we both work full time and more, but when I was young my mum worked 3 jobs - a full time one (with a 2 hour daily commute), an evening wfh admin job and on the weekends she did cleaning work. This was with a child at home (I came and helped clean) and without even being able to afford a mortgage. If you’re mortgage free, healthy, with no tiny children at home, you should be out there working at much as possible and you’ll easily have plenty to live on.

The value of the house isn't considered. Savings are and they can check to see if savings have been wasted or hidden in some way,

Even thought you might be able to get some UC, you will still be required to search and apply for different jobs, you will still be expected to sign on every 2 weeks, you will be expected to attend any training courses they send you on.

My suggestion, brush up on your skills whilst you still have the dc's at home.

I've been a low earner on UC with kids and it was a nightmare trying to fit in the UC stuff. Thankfully it was a short term thing whilst I putting more of my time my business that I had started whilst I was still employed.

What's your pension future like? Somewhere on gov site there's a calculator to show you.

It is a shock to the system because some people have the believe that benefits pays loads and claimants can afford flash phones etc. When reality a lot of them worked before they ended up on benefits lol.

You will also have the benefit of cheaper holidays once you are no longer tied to school!!

Why do you think you’ll get the house mortgage free? Isn’t it more likely to be sold and the proceeds split?

Would depend on the settlement. A couple of mates have taken the house instead of the cash or managed to buy the other person out.

A lot of times yes the house has to be sold realistically.

@LittleBearPad

Why do you think you’ll get the house mortgage free? Isn’t it more likely to be sold and the proceeds split?

We've got a few houses....the asset value would be calculated and then split and there will be enough to have a house mortgage free then.

If you have a few houses and will be mortgage free it’s perplexing that you think you should be entitled to anything at all.

If we split up I wont have several houses, just the one i will be living in.

Make sure you get legal advice. If the 'few mortgage free houses' are marital assets then the whole picture needs to be considered including pension provision, starting at a 50/50 split of assets or even in your favour if you're being main carer for a child.

If there are a lot of assets, you may be entitled to a financial settlement on top of a house to live in, especially if you don't have a pension and your DH has lots of assets. Or if the houses are rented out to give an income, one of those be in your name so the income is yours. Either way, you won't need benefits or be entitled to them.

@BarbaraofSeville

Make sure you get legal advice. If the 'few mortgage free houses' are marital assets then the whole picture needs to be considered including pension provision, starting at a 50/50 split of assets or even in your favour if you're being main carer for a child.

If there are a lot of assets, you may be entitled to a financial settlement on top of a house to live in, especially if you don't have a pension and your DH has lots of assets. Or if the houses are rented out to give an income, one of those be in your name so the income is yours. Either way, you won't need benefits or be entitled to them.

This is what I am thinking...all the houses have mortgages but have equity in them. I own 1 and have a half share in one in theory, bit of course they all go into the pot in divorce, plus dh pension. I have a tiny one. If we split 60/40 for example, my thought process is he remortgages or sells some of the other houses, my share will be enough to have one mortgage free house and he keeps the others if not sold off. Then I have one house I'm living in which usnt counted for UC purposes. I can then work up to earning more until I dont need UC.

Why would the split be 60:40?