To be very scared at the details of the Universal tax credit?

[Feminine]

I had no idea.

I've been away from the UK, and just saw the actual proposals/rules on another thread.

Its bad right?

I imagine there is another thread on this so if there is, sorry ...I can't find it! :)

Thanks happy I've been looking at the jobcentre website everyday but there has been no jobs like that on there (where did you find out about it?. (loads of carers jobs but again need flexibility) I've applied for numerous cleaning jobs and the few shop assistant jobs thats been on there but no luck...even fecking Asda rejected me lol.

What happens if one parent is retirement age, surely they don't have to do 24/35 hrs.

Universal Credit is the merger of all the Income Related benefits- Income Support, JSA(IB), ESA(IR), WTC, CTC, Housing Benefit and Council Tax. It will all be assessed as a complete entitlement rather that as it currently is, under several different offices

Contribution related benefits JSA and ESA will be assessed seperately

My job was advertised on gumtree but it was also with a local recruitment agency as council thought it a good idea to outsource staff to save on holiday pay. My experience of jobcentre website's aren't that positive - jobs are often way out of date.

Take a look on gumtree local to your area, nothing to lose. I know employers have the pick of employees these days, I'm painfully aware of that and I knew I wasnt first in the queue. I'm genuinely surprised I got a job, that's why I think with a bit of confidence it's possible. Look at your CV from an employers point of view and big up your stay at home time with the home skills you attained.

I'd go more for local authority websites for vacancy's - in fact anything but jobcentre website.

What stages is this bill in?

Does anyone know? It seems to be such a bad thing for so many, I wonder how the Government will ever pull it off ?

I wonder where the extra hours will come from as well? When my DD hit 12 I managed to increase my working hours from 19 to 26. I saw little increase in financial benefit as I lost lots of tax credits when my income went up. For working 28 hours more a month I gained about £40/month when the reduction in TC was accounted for. I've been looking for more hours as my total household income is still way below the national average but there's nothing out there that fits around what I already have. I can't tell my current employer that I can't work my contracted hours so no flexibility there. Basically I would need a Friday-only job or evenings (although I wouldn't want to leave my teen at home all the time) to fulfil a 35 hour/week criteria.

I'm happy to do it, but who's going to provide a job that fits in with my existing one? How is this going to work in reality?

Its supposed to be coming in next year, so would think the Bill is going through at the moment

Its not, but its not a problem for the government types so it mustn't be a problem for everyone else.

That was to woolly

Have I got this right?

According to the poster on the other thread, a couple with children over 12 would have to earn the equivalent of 59 hours at national minimum wage between them, or some kind of sanction would apply?

So a couple would have to earn £18,653 between them to get universal credit and avoid harassment. Am I misunderstanding this?

ClothesofSand - basically yes, I think you're on the correct path of thinking.

It's not feasibly possible for all families is it - and quite frankly I think it's a bit of a high figure bearing in mind the WTFC criteria is based around £16,000 per family. It's like trying to raise yourself an extra £2K payrise or find a job to make the difference.

I've come to the conclusion that governments actually want us all in workfare

I thought it was 24 hours if you were a couple? So the hours you both work had to be over 24 hours. I'm sure that's what I read the other day on the .gov site.

Or is this some other thing?

Sorry just woke up.

I think it is 24 hours if your child is under 5...

I would love to know people will work, seeing as workfare is taking all the jobs

where are these extra jobs?

I think there will be a lot of jobs lost in the public sector as well, if one person will be doing the current work of 3 claims (ie JSA/ Tax Credits/ HBandCT) theers going to be a lot of redundancy

manticlimatic - the 24 hours for a couple will be the new rules for working famiies tax credit from this April (2012)

What's being described here is universal credit which will eventually replace wftc - gradually being introduced (if passed by government) from later 2012 / 2013 for new claimants and a bit later for others. Confusing - yes, greatly

my thoughts exactly sevenfold. forcing people to work, when there are no jobs. seems like another con/dem way to royally fuck over lower and middle income families. I can only conclude that Cameron holds a belief that all people with children who don't go to private school are scum-of-the-earth and should be punished as such. until they all eventually die of poverty/depression and are depleted.

I don't think the point is to get people jobs, is it? The point is to set up a system that people will be unable to meet the criteria of, and the government can then find them ineligible for the universal credit. It will reduce the benefits bill.

That is what I am assuming anyway.

so if you are a sahm, student parent (or both! like me) you will BOTH have to work or be unable to claim?

my dh works approx 60 hrs a week, most of it unsociable hours, (he milks cows) so is not around to help with childcare, so I am studying atm, and hoping to become a teacher around the time our youngest (of 5dc) starts high school (she is in reception).

are we going to be ineligible, or will I have to get a job? (somehow.....)

Is there any benefit to it financially?

What spin does the Government put on it?

So, say the couple with children/child over 12. (working those long hours)..what could they expect to receive in their UTC package?

Tax credits Budget changes - examples

If your income goes down in the current tax year by more than £2,500

The Tax Credit Office will re-work your tax credits. But they will ignore the first £2,500 of the reduction. They will take the full amount of the reduction into account when they work out what to pay you for the following tax year

WTF? so if you lose £3000 in wages, tax credits 'ignore' all of it, except £500. what planet are they on?

CB, if your DH is paid for the equivalent of 59 hours at minimum wage, you don't have to get a job.

Whats this talk of DLA changing? DS gets middle care componant so DH gets carers allowance. Will he lose that then?

I thought it was only changing for those of working age (which at 7YO DS isnt obviously)