Pointless UC meetings - vexing

[MrsCosmopilite]

We were moved from Child Tax Credits last year to UC. I don't work and I had not been claiming benefits for myself - the CTC money was used to fund things for DC.
As the situation currently stands, once our transfer/transition period ends, we will not qualify for the payments, as we have savings, which is fine.
I use my own money to fund things I want to do. The UC money is being used for DC's benefit, and not mine.

What is making me cross is that I have to attend weekly 'get back to work' meetings. I am not going to go back to work, I don't want to - I do a lot of unpaid things in the community. It seems so absolutely pointless. I have to spend ££ on bus/train fares to get to these meetings (so spending money I wouldn't usually), to tell them over and over again that in 5 or 6 weeks we'll no longer qualify. I'm on an 'intensive return' programme. So I'm taking up time with an advisor that would be better used helping someone who DOES need to get back, that DOES need help with their CV and job applications, etc.
Even if I did need/want help, in a couple of weeks we won't be eligible anyway.

Just cross right now as I had an appointment this morning and they've asked me to go to the next one on Monday.

You were claiming benefits that’s what child tax credits was.

This is a time where it shows that UC is a much better system as people who have savings over 16k shouldn’t be able to get benefits!

try explaining to them you can’t come because you have a full time job!!

i keep getting invited to meetings I can’t attend as work 9-5 Monday to Friday - but we get some universal credit as husband been made redundant and I’m the lower earner! I actually am doing overtime too when I can so some 10 hour days 8-6- and they keep asking me to come at like 11am on on Tuesday etc 🤪🤪 but I’m doing my best to work and make as much Money as I can to keep us going until husband back at work

You were claiming benefits that’s what child tax credits was

She seems to think it wasn't benefits for her, it was for the children.

OP, you were claiming benefits. CTC was a benefit payable to parents, not to children. If you choose to use it solely for the benefit of the children that's up to you, but it was still a benefit you claimed.

It's not designed for people who could work but choose not to. No wonder we are in a mess with the benefits system, and the tragedy is that people like the OP will make it more difficult for people in genuine need to claim in future.

You were claiming them before by choice just as you are now. If you don’t want them then cancel and stop bloody moaning. If you want the money then go to the interviews as it’s not a lot to ask for the free money. This is the goadiest thread I’ve seen on here in ages

Exactly! It’s annoying how OP deflects needing to observe the UC rules of looking for work by saying the money is for the ‘benefit of her child’. I mean it’s still being claimed by her to support her needs (be that HER child or HER own direct needs). 🙄

You need to stop your claim if it doesn’t apply to you.

Stop claiming,problem solved
Totally irrelevant what you spend it on

I am now an OAP and my appointments have finished. My DH is recovering from a major operation. Until I got my pension I had to look for jobs, apply for them and attend appointments. It has to be done, sadly no way round it. At my first appointment a charity was outside that helps people and the people from it said Just do exactly as you are told, and it was a case of If they say Jump, you do it and ask How high please. I got on well with my job coach and I came across many staff who were nowhere near as nice. Not many places were interested as I was in my last year of employment in fact no one wanted me but to help stats etc and ourselves I applied for many jobs. I reckon I could write a play based on my experiences. I know there has been a film made. Suggested jobs were bar work. I am not a drinker and hate pubs, refuse collector. door security and I am quite small, building trade apprentice so I applied in turn and got no responses. It was a case of apply, show them I had applied along with follow up emails but I had gone along with their suggestions. A few were more crazy than that but I used to say excitedly I am waiting to hear and I hope I get the job. So basically just go along with what you get asked and attend any appointments. I often got told the staff were impressed as I always treated them well and applied for any jobs they thought was worthwhile. I had a trouble free year which was not the case for some who gave staff hassle and did not turn up at times.It messed up my life at times but I did anything they asked.

As an ex UC advisor, people like the OP are utterly draining. Have no intention of looking for work but want to drain the system dry. However, we’re legally obliged quite rightly to provide the same level of support and interviews to everyone regardless of their attitude. The worst are often people who load up their diaries with volunteering work and either refuse or say they’re too busy to find paid work. I remember saying out of frustration sometimes well I’d like to volunteer 24/7 at a dogs home but wouldn’t be fair for taxpayers to fund that! Also the OP isn’t being honest with UC as if she were to say to them her intentions as told to us they’d have ended her claim as she’s not honouring her UC contract. So not sure whys she even posting here as it certainly doesn’t warrant sympathy.

Stop your claim now. You won’t need to attend appointments then

Wow. And this is why there are some who are so frustrated with the current levels of benefits dependency.
I hope that this isn’t genuine - if it is it is INCREDIBLY tone deaf. Just stop claiming, you shouldn’t be receiving UC if you have no intention of working and financially don’t need assistance 🤦‍♀️

If you’d stopped claiming rather than move onto UC then you wouldn’t have to attend meetings. Presumably you went to the meetings because the benefits received minus the cost still kept you in profit?
Tax Credits are a benefit and you had to manually move to UC so you can’t blame the system. It was changed to UC to weed out people like you who don’t intend to work.

The system is working though isn’t it, if you want the money jump through the hoops, if you don’t stop claiming, so it’s working. If you don’t want to give your time for the meetings, end the claim. Done and dusted and saved the tax payer a few quid.

Out of interest how long would someone like the op who isn’t engaging be able to before sanctions kick in?

I really hope this is a fake post.
I find it baffling that someone can claim benefits just because they don’t want to work, but clearly their partner earns enough that they’ve managed to accumulate savings! All those long hours I’ve put in, the days I’ve worked for 12 hours straight , and the tax I’ve paid - and it turns out I could have chosen to do sod-all !!

Well I haven’t worked at that role since 2018 but I imagine the prevailing principles when I was there remain the same. So basically as soon an EA has identified that a claimant isn’t honouring a contract (something they sign to say they will do a, b and c to look for work) they can be referred to a Decison Maker for consideration of a sanction. So that could be because they’ve refused to look for work, attend their appointments etc and these are categorised as low-high level sanctions and they’ll have their benefits reduced accordingly. The fact that OP has avoided these tells me she’s obviously just ‘pretending’ she’s doing what’s asked and obviously a good liar at her interviews!

Claiming money you don’t actually need and complaining about the incredibly small number of “hoops” you’re being expected to meet to get it? Sure, this sounds genuine.

When you are claiming tax payers money then you surely need to expect to have some meetings and checks done on you. If you really cannot be arsed then stop your claim and get on with your day?

End your claim and don’t go if you don’t need the money, if you want free money suck it up

Yeah, this.

Omg that's ridiculous.

this is a classic tactic everyone who claimed CTC and enjoyed the luxury of money & didn’t get hassled by the job centre to actually look for a job 🙄 it’s a hard transition OP, my sympathies to you.
If you are not entitled to any money from UC, then you won’t have a claim so they can’t make you attend the job center. So why are you worried?

Because a UC claim gets NI credits even when the claimant's savings preclude payments.

Wouldn’t she get that from child benefit?