Civil servants getting £1500

[FragrantBumFluff]

Sorry if there is already a thread.

Has anybody had this yet or had any confirmation of the details?

My department has basically confirmed that it’s in the pipeline but not when, or who is eligible, if it will be pro rata’d for those who work part time etc.

I know I should be patient but it would be very welcomed!

I would say come and work for the civil service if you think it's such an easy ride Florenz. But I'm not sure you have the intelligence to get through the recruitment process...

Anyway, I'll certainly be thinking of you as I spend my £1500...

My brother who is AO told me on the phone about this. I'm a teacher and was explaining to him at length about our pay offer is not fully funded. Our salaries similar. He been longer than me as left school at 16.

@BCBird of your brother is an AO he's on slightly more than minimum wage. He will be on about £20,500.

The starting salary for a teacher is £30k. I'm not saying teachers are well paid or don't deserve more in view of their qualifications and contribution to society but you can't compare a teacher's salary to an AO salary.

And the £1,500 isn't funded at all. Needs to come from department budgets, same as teacher's pay rises.

Civil servants don't pay tax in any meaningful sense. Their employer pays them and then they take a bit back. It'd be no different if their employer just paid them less but they didn't get taxed.

@Florenz well you'll be thrilled to know they pay us less AND still tax us don't look at our pensions though, you might cry.

Just a bit of intel from a meeting I was in this week. Apparently CS policy is that part time will be pro-rated as standard - the only reason where this may not be the case is small OGDs who have archaic payroll systems where it’s not technically possible to do this. Our NRC wanted to not pro-rate but have been instructed to do so.

@PauliesWalnuts it's a bit disingenuous to say they "don't want to have to", the pay remit guidance is devolved so departments are advised but absolutely can go against some aspects of it, it's just to do so would set a precedence. They are still actively choosing to prorate though!

What about civil servants who are not in the HMRC?

But if you just mean that the employer quotes a gross salary then deducts PAYE, NI, pension etc resulting in a net salary then most employers do that. The employer then pays each deduction to the relevant authorities.

But not the self employed, they account for it all and then pay periodically

(Did you know that government departments also pay VAT when they buy things?)

They are also famously exempt from VAT, stamp duty, IHT, capital gains tax, the lot.

Economics not your strong point, I take it?

I'll ask again - would it be fairer if they had actual pay rises that kept pace with private sector pay growth?

Might be covered, haven't read the whole thread but if are in receipt of universal credit... The £1500 is taxed and will be recovered at usual 55% rate the following month. If you are entitled to rent or are using summer clubs and have high childcare costs in the same period you potentially lose a lot the following month.

My department and DWP are saying UC claims are individual there may be an impact but it isn't that complicated for the vast majority of people it will mean a £600 reduction or for those getting less than £600, £0 the following month.

Furthermore there is a chance that month will be used as the period for deciding the universal credit cost of living autumn payment. DWP would not confirm/deny but said that anyone affected would have had a cost of living payment from work..... yes but may have paid the bulk back.

In short, if low.income and in receipt of universal credit, be very careful spending.

Yep I mentioned that at beginning @Isthatasmilethathangsbeneathyournose It’s a concern of ours.

I'm in the same boat as an EO in DWP who also claims UC for childcare.

After the taxman has had his bit, it will potentially reduce my UC to nil for Aug, so will be using the payment to pay for childcare, and then potentially affect my COL payment as well, so I'm possibly not getting an extra payment at all

Sorry to have repeated it. Its very concerning though. There was a fuss made of COVID payments for low paid front line staff, seemed great. The majority simply went to DWP the following month and some staff struggled to pay rent and bills and ended up in arrears for months.

No it’s important to repeat and publicise. I can see this making us much worse off. We need that £1500 adding to pay band really.

Most departments I've come across including my own are allowing it to be taken in instalments for this reason, it's disgusting DWP aren't. I'd happily wait longer for my payment if it meant the instalment option had time to be rolled out for those who need it.

Likewise, you'd think DWP would understand that, but they have said it isn't an option at all.

How many of them pay more in tax than they receive from the government?

You are hilarious 🤣 You must be a miserable person hating on public service workers (civil service, nhs, police, teachers, fire etc). You’ll gladly use the services each of the above provides though. But thanks again!

I'm forced to pay for them, why shouldn't I use them?

How very dramatic. You aren’t forced to use them. You could use private healthcare, you could not report crimes, you could not report your house burning down and you could home school, you could choose not to claim benefits or state pension.
Don’t be a dick to people who choose to work in public services, who don’t enjoy the same benefits such as pay rises like the private sector.
This thread wasn’t looking for opinions on whether the cost of living payment is fair, it was a discussion thread. Yes, it is a public forum but no one is forcing you to wind yourself up reading it. If you feel so strongly about it, why not start your own thread? You aren’t going to win any supporters posting here, you’re just making yourself look uneducated and quite ridiculous.

@PaniniHead just read their previous posts and you'll see they're a deeply unhappy person, not worth your time on this thread.

So I'll ask again - what in your book would be 'fair', even if we accept your contention (and the shifting nature of it?)

(Let's not think at how much corporate turnover comes from spending from public sector workers, eh? That might properly make your brain explode. It's taxpayers's money... being turned into corporate money that pays private sector tax and salaries.)

Come on, you came to play, you don't think it's fair. So what would be fair?

If I'm forced to pay for them, why shouldn't I use them?

It's private sector people like myself that pay for all this. The public sector in this country in this country is an absolute fucking joke with all the absenteeism and general tossing off, and the sense of entitlement these people have is unbelievable. If it was up to me I'd sack a large proportion of them, and they'd lose their pension as well. They simply are not worth it. And they would seriously struggle to survive in the private sector.

Ours is being paid in august and is pro rata'd.

This is part of the 22/23 pay award so doesn't affect the 23/24 settlement. I think we're looking at 4.5% across the board (although god only knows where we will find the money!)

I don't think people realise this wasn't a wedge of extra cash given to govt depts to give to staff. It's had to be found from already stretched existing departmental budgets. I won't say which dept I work for but we have had to make decisions not to replace staff in key places to pay for this. So ultimately people will get some extra money now but have to work a lot harder/more under pressure for the foreseeable. This government is not kind to civil servants.