Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

1 2 3

AIBU?

To ask a universal credit question?

69 replies

BarcelonaBabes · 03/02/2013 15:57

To get benefits when it changes, if you are part of a couple, will you both have to be working? I'm confused

OP posts:

Report

Sarahplane · 03/02/2013 19:27

I work 24 hours a week but earn just about the equivalent of nmw for 35 hours (although if nmw goes up im screwed because I'm at work the top of my grade at work and we're on a pay freeze). my dh is on a zero hours contract but hours vary from about 16 hours to 70 hours a week depending on what events are on. on a yearly basis he's earning more than nmw x 35 as well. He's the main earner now but because of the type of work he does the hours vary a lot but it balances out and he loves his job so no plans to change it and he would earn less annually in a job with a steady 35 hours at nmw. if they are now working on real time month to month earnings instead of yearly figures will he be subject to conditions during the odd quiet months? if so who are we safer putting down as the main carer? I can't increase my hours because we can't afford the extra nursery fees.

HopAndSkip · 03/02/2013 19:32

Does anyone know how often/long the back to work meetings are? I want to wait until DD is 18 months before putting her in nursery to go back to work, but if it's meetings every week I'd have to put her in nursery anyway?

OptimisticPessimist · 03/02/2013 19:33

They're currently every 6 months and last about 10-15 minutes. I take DD with me and just take something for her to play with while I'm talking to the advisor.

HopAndSkip · 03/02/2013 19:35

Oh that's good at least! I had visions of going back to colleges for 2 hour "lesson style" meetings each week or something!!

Viviennemary · 03/02/2013 19:41

Vision123. I don't know anything about unpaid work that jobseekers are required to do. I don't think you should worry about that yet.

Sarahplane · 03/02/2013 19:44

although this may all be a bit academic anyway because I'll probably be made redundant when universal credit has been phased in (I work in housing benefit).

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 03/02/2013 19:49

Hang on, the conditionality threshold seems to he set quite high - IF you earn over the threshold does that mean you won't be disappointed entitled to anything anyway?

calandarbear · 03/02/2013 19:52

The threshold is set ridiculously high. If we earned that much we wouldn't claim.
I'm afraid that might be the point.

Mrcrumpswife · 03/02/2013 19:52

I don't know anything about unpaid work that jobseekers are required to do. I don't think you should worry about that yet

Its well documented as part of the conditionality requirements on the info above in the links and all other DWP info.

wannabedomesticgoddess · 03/02/2013 20:04

Viviennes point MrCrumpswife, is that they get benefits, therefore its not unpaid work. Yada yada.

OptimisticPessimist · 03/02/2013 20:05

£433 gross a week is £22.5k. You can still get tax credits on that amount, especially if you have 2 or more children and/or pay for childcare. Whether UC will pay above that amount I don't know; from a link on the other page it seems that it will be reduced at 65p per £1 earned, and I'm pretty sure tax credits reduce at 41p per £1 so it may well be that those that are more than a little above the conditionality amount aren't actually entitled to all that much.

Sarahplane · 03/02/2013 20:10

the conditionality threshold is not that high an income not to need tax credits though if you have more than one child or childcare costs. If you have to pay nursery fees of say £800 a month per child then you'd be on nmw you wouldn't be able to afford to work without help with childcare.

wannabedomesticgoddess · 03/02/2013 20:10

The whole thing utterly baffles me.

Mainly because I still fail to see where all these jobs are going to come from.

Do they help with childcare costs?

It seems like they are basically punishing anyone who cannot earn atleast 20k a year. I really cannot see whats the point. If we arent "allowed" to do part time work there will be even less jobs to go round.

Sarahplane · 03/02/2013 20:13

oops cross post optimist.

MakingAnotherList · 03/02/2013 20:27

It's the child care costs that confuse me. For families with children they will be paying out much more on child care than they would for a SAHM/D. I don't understand the logic behind making a parent take a job and then paying 70% of the child care.

starmaker7 · 04/02/2013 13:19

Makinganotherlist ,I've often wondered about that too

Viviennemary · 04/02/2013 15:24

My point wasn't that. My point is that I am just a bit fed up of the scaremongering going on. People forced out to work in chain gangs sort of thing. It's just such a load of nonsense. Sorry but it is.

HappyMummyOfOne · 04/02/2013 18:27

The logic behind paying childcare in the early years is that hopefully the parent will gain pay rises, promotions etc so as not to need benefits in future. They will be paying tax plus the childcare worker paying tax. Whereas a SAHP claiming benefits wont be paying anything in, no childcare so no tax that way and no recent work experience so potentially will be on benefits far longer.

JennyPiccolo · 04/02/2013 18:36

I think it will be piloted in north England in April, then rolled out to the rest of the country after that. Willing to be corrected though.

Council tax benefit cuts will not be passed on in Scotland.

Flip

1 2 3

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.