to worry that some people on benefits won't manage when payments are made monthly

[SuedeEffectPochette]

Of course, many people on benefits are doubtless great at managing a budget, but at the moment people are paid weekly, so if money runs out, it's only a day or so (still bad enough). But when payments are monthly, some people may have a couple of weeks of no money - what is going to happen to them? Also Housing Benefit won't be paid direct to landlords any more, which will lead to a massive increase in homelessness if that money is not passed on. If you have run out of money for food, you won't be paying any to your landlord will you? I think the government should stick to weekly payments.

We will get monthly payments, if DH isnt working when we change over then we will get it all in a lump sum. What we intend on doing is paying Rent charges first before ANYTHING else then doing the budgeting. I will split the payments into 4 pieces. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4. Its the only way we will survive. I will probably put on a lump sum of gas and electric because then it will last longer than it does weekly when we are putting on just £10. If i put on £50 on gas i am positive that will last the month.
We are also going to open a new bank account which has no outgoings so we can transfer the money across to that for the month. Anything that needs paying like bills etc will stay in the current account with enough to cover the payments.

I do similar with our budgets now Mona.

I know how much the monthly bills are. I know how much we need weekly.

It would just be easier if it was all in one lump instead of in four different payments.

But then I shouldnt say that. It might sound ungrateful

Nice to see it's still impossible to discuss upcoming changes to the finances of millions of people without someone popping up to blame the poor for being poor.

I do take issue with the proposal that monthly benefits will put claimants in a position closer to that of workers in having to budget monthly. Some workers are paid monthly; a hell of a lot aren't. Insofar as I can tell, you're a lot more likely to get get a monthly wage at the higher-paid, higher-skilled, salaried end of the scale. NMW, menial, high-turnover jobs at the other end of the scale are often paid weekly. Of the 470,000 (last time I checked the stats) available jobs at any one time, what proportion are highly skilled and salaried? What proportion are minimum wage zero hours contracts? And what end of that scale are vulnerable claimants likely to be entering the job market at?

Where I am, pretty much the only field hiring is telesales, because the staff turnover rate is so high. Everyone I know here in telesales is on weekly pay. Anyone getting a job in telesales here will thus be faced with going from monthly budgeting on benefits to weekly budgeting on a wage. They'll be able to see the money in their account, but won't be able to spend it because it's earmarked for the rent in a few weeks. Sounds weirdly familiar... Could it be that a stick designed to beat the unemployed turns out to screw over the working poor too?

Thankfully my years of being feckless and workshy have left me with the ability to budget, and I have family in a position to help with long-term loans if I find myself short on rent day or all-the-bills day, but a hell of a lot of people aren't that lucky. I'm guessing the claimant will have no say over what day of the month the money hits their account? Oh well, I'm just a scrounger, it's not like I've got anything better to do with my time than spending hours on hold to the utility companies trying to switch the date of my direct debits.

No, people got paid monthly because it was cheaper. Every transaction with the bank costs money if you are a business, so once a month saved a lot of money.

Workers who go on a bender are not the same as meths drinking alcoholics or drug addicts. They are the ones that will go all out on a bender and then starve, steal or beg for the rest of the month.

2 definitions of bender there!

The first meaning getting shit faced on pay day. The other meaning spending every last penny on booze or drugs within the first week and being penniless for the next 3/4 weeks.

I think there will be an increase in crime due to these changes. There is a reason that Welfare used to be called Social Security. And with fewer police we will all be in it together, except for Cameron et al.

Id also find it easier in a lump sum. Not saying that weekly isnt easy cos it is, knowing if we are skint on Monday, then we have CTC going in on Weds. Or Tues for the monthly CB or Every other monday for the JSA its would just be easier to get it all in one.

They should go shopping, pay rent/bills, feed meters etc before they have a drink/buy drugs then.

You dont say.

They should go shopping, pay rent/bills, feed meters etc before they have a drink/buy drugs then.

Well yes.....

But if they did that then they wouldnt be addicts would they, thats kind of how you know they are!

They should go shopping, pay rent/bills, feed meters etc before they have a drink/buy drugs then.

Gold star for stating the bleeding obvious while missing the point spectacularly.

From a selfish point of view...
I work in food retail in a high unemployment area, with a high number of drug addicts / abusers living in the area. The store's quietest day is Thurs (local weekly dole day) as the users / drinkers etc are all out blowing every penny they have on booze and / or drugs. They then spend the rest of the week coming in the store filling their bags with stuff either to sell to buy yet more drugs, or to eat (caught someone nicking a box of cereal and a bottle of milk once) as they have spent every penny they have. Try to stop them, or challenge them, and you get 'I'll smash your effing head in', 'I'll smash your face into that wall' etc (actual quotes from 6ft men to like 19yr old shop workers). We get shoplifters EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I expect that changing from weekly to monthly payment will result in more crime, threats of violence, and actual violence, against people like us.
I kind of feel that people like this cannot be trusted to manage money full stop - weekly, monthly, whatever - not sure what the solution is though.
And I do completely sympathise with people on benefits with MH issues etc who would genuinely struggle to budget, and I do understand I see a disproportionate amount of the worst types of people who receive benefits. But the thought of these people receiving money less often - therefore having the potential to blow it sooner and spending more time with zero in the bank - genuinely makes me concerned for my own safety, and the safety of the people I work with every day. :-(

"They should go shopping, pay rent/bills, feed meters etc before they have a drink/buy drugs then. "

yes, good idea, i wonder why no-one thought of that.

another one working hard at appearing ignorant.

I volunteer in a local food bank, people are desperate for food, some of you have no idea how bad things are for many people. . The number of young, single people using our 'service' is shocking, many of them went to the same school that my son goes to, and are in their late teens/early twenties with no family support (some kicked out of foster homes as soon as they get to 18).

Mardy - the crime statistics have actually gone down in our town since we started the food bank, there is a lot of truth in what you say. A lot of the people I see do have mental health/addition problems and will find it very hard to manage, and to be perfectly blunt, many are never, ever going to be able to find a job that they can do.

Sadly I knew one single mum on benfits ( I was too at the time) that had problems dealing with money she was next door neighbour. She asked if I would keep the top up off the rent she needed to pay so she wouldnt spend it.
No problem I placed it in my bank gave her a recpiet so we both knew how much she had given me. 3 weeks later I drove to the town where the estate agents was to pay the top up. Took the money out of my account gave her the money she went to the estate agents and it was closed for lunch.
I said we go for a coffee/ shopping and wait till its open. After coffee we spilt up as i popped to the job centre and she went shopping.

On meeting up she said no point in going to pay rent as she brought a outfit for saturday night with the top up rent money.
In the end she lost her private rental house due to non payment of rent. She had no mh or sn. I distanced myself due to this and other behoviour.

Some people like this women will really struggle however I dont have empathy for this type of people. I do worry for the young, and those with learning diffculties etc

Do any of u think that food tokens may work for addicts? I know its off topic à bit but à fair amount of this this thread shows concern for addictions.

stars - I can see your point of view but for some people life is so crap that for just a few hours, buying a special outfit for Saturday night might be the only 'good' thing in their lives. I know we should all be 'sensible' all the time but how many of us lead perfect lives ? I have an issue with food, I know I should eat & drink less, I know I would be fitter, healthier and look better - but I still eat & drink too much. OK, that doesn't particularly harm anyone else (except perhaps the NHS if my health gets too bad) but it's just an example of how it isn't always so easy to 'do the right thing'.

Most if not all people in paid employment are paid monthly; what's the difference? Genuinely, I'm not benefit bashing?

you are ignorant if that's what you think flogging.

stars your friend may not have had any diagnosis but do you honestly think someone in a good state of mind chooses a dress over a home for their children? i'd say your friend had a lot going on in her head that she probably didn't even know how to explain tbh.

the bottom line is there always have been and there always will be people that for whatever reason, cant manage their money. im not going to go in to all the possible reasons for this, there are so many, but those of you saying "oh, write a good cv or learn to budget are completely naive if you think this will solve the problems faced by people who will suffer due to monthly payments. there is no magic wand. there never will be because there will ALWAYS be people who need support when it comes to managing their finances. monthly payments will be great for some people (like me- i welcome it) BUT there should be choice and support for those that WILL struggle. and as for all of you saying "employed people cope with monthly payments so benefit claimants should too", you have completely over looked the fact that the vast majority of people in receipt of benefits are vulnerable or disadvantaged in some way. this means that the very basic budgetting skills so many of you take for granted just do not come with any ease to these people. for all sorts of reasons. it isn't just black and white. open your eyes and accept the reality of this situation. people who have no choice but to receive state benefits to survive WILL suffer, by starving, freezing, being taken advantage of (both financially by loan companies and physically if they resort to prostitution to feed themselves or their children/dependants), and being made homeless.

Floggingmolly most if not all angecy workers are paid weekly

Ragwort I understand what you are saying but the reason she gave it to me was beacause she was behind on her rent tops already I spent petrol to go and help her. I could of used the job centre website. Her way of thinking was the goverment would pick up the peices

Money mangerment needs to be learnt some people just dont care. I asked how she is going to pay rent and she said a crisis loan.
In my town the HA and counicel make people go to a money mangerment course before getting their tennacy( in a town where universal credit is being trailed) which I think is a good idea

Booyhoo yes maybe ref neighbour but i honestly dont think so she used laugh that I began to do a degree saying I get to stay home and watch tv. Also I do understand that many cant budget and even weekly pay is a struggle. So think it will get worst sadly