AIBU to think I would be better off on benefits

[parno]

I know I am going to get flamed and I promise I am not a Daily Mail reader, just really cross and a trifle pissed off......however.......

I have just read letter from DD's school advising that this coming school year they will be setting a budget for school trips - £30 pr yr. Parents whose kids are on free school meals do not have to contribute a bean, plus get packed lunches provided when off on trips. It got me thinking. I work full time and earn just over £20k. Get a little bit of maintenance for 2 DC plus a bit of CTC to put towards childcare. However I went on line and filled in the Direct Gov benefits caluculator (not much on tv until Wallander comes on).

It told me very proudly that I would be entitled to over £415 approx per week or £1800 approx pcmonth. That doesn't take into account Council Tax Benefit, free schol meals, money towards uniforms either. I take home about £1300 pcm but have to pay rent and CT out of that. I would effectively be about

I just don't understand why I have spent the last 13 yrs working F/T in order to amke ends meet, missing out spending time with my DC and generally meeting my arse on the way back round every single day.

Have I got this wrong? Is my maths really roobash? Am I turning into Katie Hopkins? Please shout at me and stop me being so right wing.

I'm not bitter though.
I think it's nice that younger parents don't have to pay the way we did.
I just wish they wouldn't moan about it.

Why is it ok to feel entitled about getting something for free whether you are working or not?

If you are receiving a free service surely you should be equally greatful regardless of employment status?

Ok you might be paying tax now but someone else might have paid in a shed load more over the years, they might not be paying just now.

of course I know who the ones moaning are. If they are stood in front of me moaning that they only get 15 hours free childcare, he could I fail too

There is a lot of misreporting figures on this thread. Watershed claims she is worse off than somebody on benefits because after nursery costs she lives on £1,200 a month. But if she pays nursery costs, she must have a child, which means she is entitled to child benefit but hasn't included it. Yet every time somebody mentions how much money people on benefits get, they do include child benefit.

glad to hear you are not bitter

@employment status@ means you're paying for it, that's why it's ok, it's not for free as you put it

i could moan about not having free laptops for my children, not having any free childcare at all , not having that 250 they were giving away at one poin, i've never thought of that until you mentioned it

those two second were very very stupid labour ideas

Rubbish. Employment status means you are paying taxes now some of which are going towards your child going to nursery. The rest is paid by thousands of childless people or those who had to pay for their own kids to go to nursery.

Those who are not working now may well have paid a hell of lot more in than someone who is taking advantage of free nursery hours and just happens to be working.

Do you imagine those on benefits have always been on benefits or always will be?

Does that make you feel all safe? Cos it shouldnt you know.

Disability, redundancy, illness, bereavement etc can happen to anyone. Even you.

ok now you sound bitter again

this thread is not about disability or illness remember by the way

And of course I do know about people who pay a lot of tax and never benefit when they are not in employment any more

my elderly relative was paying taxes until his last breath to support people who had never put in a penny, and he had to pay for his care as well, and he wasn't that well off, had just been prudent and saved, and I think there are many elderly epopel in the same position

well that's me sounding bitter

But some people always seem to get more angry on behalf of people who've never put anything in, as if those who have are somehow @the rich@

I am not bitter.
It matters not how many times you type it.
I am one of the least bitter people you will ever come across.
I dont have the time.

This thread is about how hoooopy it is to be on benefits.
So yes it is about disability and benefits.

Dont forget the redundancy bit remember by the way.

look you do sound awfully bitter and angry to be honest, you sound spitting mad

I am sorry but I am finding it difficult to follow your posts

It's not about disability
it's about working people vs nonworking, not people getting dla

i have been made redundant, i have tried to claim jsa, i was turned down because my hefty contributions were paid at the wrong time

I don't think you are finding it that difficult but it's probably easier to say that than responding to various points made 0smile]

I would do it. If you can't beat them join them and you will not have the stress of getting into work etc.

We are also thinking of doing it as I did the online calculator and it also said we would be better off claiming. I'd love to have my DP around full time to help me with the kids and if we are no worse off then its a no-brainer.

I cant find any 'points'. Your main point seems to be a strangly passive agressive attempt to make me look 'bitter'. If I am bitter I cant possibly have anything to say can I?

And you dont get to decide what this thread is about. I know its easier if we paint everyone on benefits as no good, lazy, selfish people laughing at your poor elderly relative.

Then we can all feel self better about ourselves.

I prefer not to. I prefer to look at the reality of the situation. Thousands losing their jobs, cuts being made all over the country.
A small minority of people intent on making a career out of benefit claiming. The rest just doing what they can to get by.

You seem a little stressed.
Seriously, if you want to, you have the option of giving up your job and going on benefits. Anyone can.

Why dont you then?

And report back about how brilliant it all is?

I was just going by the first post, I thought that's what threads were ablaut. I think the other things are introduced as a distraction by those who want to hide the central unfairness of people who are working ending up with less disposable income than the people they pay for not working.

I don't think your comment about thinking everyone is lazy and selfish and laughing at old people is really applicable. I don't know who thinks that, unless you do.

I work part time & am 30 quid better off a month without paying child care costs, with childcare my partner will be paying almost 100 pounds a month on top of this 30 to enable me to carry on working part time. My little boy is under 1 year old & does not settle well with people hence not full time however I m facing a choice of unemployment or my sons happiness. The system does not work!!

I give in Accuracy.

You win the internet.

Ladychops, I don't understand your post. What is your partner paying £100 for, and who is he paying it to?

Accuracy some people on DLA are in work.
DLA is NOT an out of work benefit.

OP, if you are earning £20k and only taking home £250 a week, you are on the wrong tax code. Being on the right one would change your comparison. HTH.

I'm a lone parent on benefits. I get:

Income support: £71
Child tax credit £113.68
Housing benefit: £64.00
Council tax benefit: £14.17
Child benefit £33.70

TOTAL WEEKLY : £296.55

So, about 15k a year, nowhere near the 26k cap.

I would love to see a breakdown of how the OP would get so much, because I wonder how people manage to get large amounts on benefits. I think they are few and far between. Extreme examples, like people with ten kids. However, I can understand why some people who are working on a low wage get fed up. The jobcentre have estimated I would be £40 per week better off in a minimum wage job. Take out transport costs and free school meals then that's not much more money than benefits, in some cases you can be worse off.

So OP, I don't know if yabu or not.

op YABU. I am a single parent, I have a dd who is 3.2. I work part time in a job that I hate earning NMW as that was the only job I could get despite having an MA! But I am slightly better off than being on benefits, I still live week by week but have a little more cash for food and a little more so dd can go to playgroup despite having to pay extortionate childcare costs. I was on income support for a year, it was hard and I wouldn't want to do it again as I was literally broke, I got no where near the figures you posted. As for the maintenance issue, I don't think it should be taken into account as it is not guaranteed income and it has already been taxed before it is deducted off ex's wage so if that makes sense and lastly it is for the dc, why should they go without when the RP may be struggling (not in all cases but most RP's I know struggle with everyday costs).