Do Universal Credit rules require work when you have young children?

[Chezza1990]

Does anyone know if there are any rules with having to have a job when you receive universal credit and have children? To put it into context I have 3 children aged 4 and under, my partner is self employed and im currently employed, however im struggling to maintain a healthy work life balance.

Free school meals is going to be available for everyone on UC soon. It will be a massive help.

The school provide discounted school trips if you earn under £16,100 or free trips if you are pupil premium. Which we are as I had 3 months unemployment in 2020 which meant they qualify for pupil premium as our income was less than £7400 in the qualifying period, which has extended into secondary school.

Yes, “soon”. That poster is talking about now so I’m sorry to say but blatantly lying. Not sure what people get out of it

Why?
are we really on the planet just to work. Shouldn’t basics like food and housing be affordable on one or 1.5 wages in a household. Shouldn’t children grow up with a parent around more if the parent wants to be. Why must we all work ourselves to the bone to prove we’re not scroungers? Why can’t we have work balance
are people really concerned about someone getting an extra few quid a month when there are billionaires profiting far more, and far more needlessly from you?

I do feel like a bit of a mug going back to work on Monday because money in my back pocket is exactly the same 🤦‍♀️.

But, I’ve realised, I’m a worker. It’s as simple as that.

fair enough I was the same situation actually but why say you’d lose all the help if you worked more? I’m just saying because I was unemployed for a little bit which is why mine still get free meals now even though I have a partner who earns a fair amount now. Why say you’d lose all the help from the school when you wouldn’t lose it?

I apologise if you’re being honest and I’ve misunderstood just dosent seem to make sense

Not going to lie I wished I had decided on doing less hours when my DC were young. I worked long FT hours in a nursing home and once saw a colleagues pay slip. She worked 16 hours and got paid through tax credits a third more than I did. If anyone wants to come after me you will be glad to know I never claimed benefits ever.

That makes no sense, when I increased my hours from 22.5 to 30 (and also got a pay rise tbf) my wage increased and UC decreased, I became £500 pcm better off.

I work extra shifts as I too have a strong work ethic, working overtime for £12 an hour when 55% is taken off your total payment is quite hard to swallow but I don't enjoy just sitting around and want to show my children a good work ethic.

I thought our situations sounded similar, never did I think I would be in this position from a financially abusive divorce but there we go.

I guess it depends on how much you actually take home, that was the amount quoted on UC when I put in the numbers yesterday.

This! Who do you think should pay for your life choices if not you and your partner?!

Jobs should pay enough for families to afford the basics.

Minimum wages dont. They need a top up.

Or there would be no cleaners/ teaching assistants/ shop workers/ etc

I have no children, and I earn enough to pay higher rate tax. I haven’t taken out anything for children’s education, medical care, optical care, dentistry, or any child benefit, nor any UC to pay for 80% of childcare. By the time I retire I will have paid tax and national insurance on full-time work at above the average income for 45 years, and never received anything back from the state. I will have to sell my home to pay for my care if I need residential care as I will own my home outright by then. If I require carers at home, again, I will have to pay for them, and they will be paid wages like all other people with jobs. My meagre state pension will be outweighed by what I’ve paid in and what I continue to pay for in my retirement. Your glib retort about ‘you people’ is a long way off the mark. Your choice to have children is something you need to own. Please don’t try and say you did it for the good of society.

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The ‘entitled to’ calculator online is useful for exploring different options. For example, if you wanted to reduce hours or change jobs.

I’m not sure of the requirements when you’re in a couple as I’ve only claimed as a working single parent but I do believe requirements are lower when you have under 5’s.

She can find employment when the kids start school. For now she has a job.

“You people” is directed at the people on here who believe you shouldn’t have kids unless you can pay for private healthcare and schooling etc. And believe the solution to less young people is to bring millions from abroad.
Sounds niche but there’s a fair few on here with that exact mindset, if you’re not one of them then there’s no need to take it personally

OP has a job.

lol. The irony. I think you’re the poster who wrote ‘why lie’ on a post when someone had used the entitled to calculator and discovered they’d receive the same as working. And yet, your post here is lies. No one, not one single person has said you can’t breed unless you can afford private. And no one has expressed their views on immigration either. As that would be super weird as it’s not what the thread is about.

The more benefits you need on top of earnings to get by, the more house prices and rents rise. Its a short-term solution.

And yes we are absolutely on this planet to work, at least if we want to eat and reproduce. Because someone has to provide and, if that's the state, that means some other poor bugger has no work/life balance to provide for you.

That's your view on it. There are many families who claim UC because of children's or their own disabilities - and they are entitled to claim

I have DC with disabilities so I am classed as an unpaid carer. I don't have any work commitments via UC. I study around their school hours and rest when I can so I can cope with the caring responsibilities.

No wonder the benefit bill is out of control with some of the attitudes on here. Also, the argument that having children is somehow altruistic and us with no children should be grateful to you when we are old and need looking after falls over when you consider that over a million people under between 16 & 24 are NEETS!

The largest part of the benefits bill goes on pensions. I don't have kids. That doesn't mean I don't think families who need Uc shouldn't be able to claim it

It is pensions actually. I have just used a government calculator that says I won't get a state pension until 68 so excuse me if I actually decide to work very part time, claim UC and look after my children.