To think dh is winding me up when he says some people on benefits are getting £500 a week?

[angelos02]

I'm pretty sure he's talking bullocks? Otherwise why the fuck would anyone do a minimum wage job?

I would imagine that everyone's circumstances are different eg. Disability, number of children & dependants. Why does it bother you ?

Why don't you ask him to show his source?

I w9uld quite imagine someone with a few very young kids and either no ability to work or no inclination to, receiving around that figure in support (housing benefit/child benefit etc) not just pure money in the pocket.

Your "why would anyone work?" - pride, work ethic, potential for greater income, to be a role.model to their kids, all sorts of things.

He is probably right actually. If you include having their houses and bills paid for, people with kids - especially if you can claim for a disability, can get up to 26k a year.

When they have quite a few kids yes they get that much.

I knew a family 6 kids and they got 500 a week not including house benefit btw.

I think that would be very rare. People with disabilities who have children probably need it though.

£500 I believe is the maximum anyone can get in all their benefits, no matter how many children and even if they have disabled children or family members.

BTW the Daily Mail website is that way, you'll probably more likely to find your people there -->

He's absolutely right. Some families get that in working and child tax credit alone without taking into account housing benefit/income support/child benefit

I think dh has it wrong. £500 a month at a stretch...not a week.

He's right. However, the benefit cap is coming down in the next few months to £440 per week in London and £384 per week outside London. Benefits that are capped include housing benefit, child benefit, child tax credits etc. In theory households can still claim more than £500 per week after the cap as long as they are claiming working tax credits or disability allowance.

www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Benefit_Cap_Reduction_April_2016

Yes families can get 500 a week not including housing benefit. Depends on individual circumstances

No he's right. Some families do.

Ok I'll be completely honest. Single mum with a disabled child. I get child tax credits with disabled child element, carer's allowance (I cannot work as a teacher at the moment because he is disabled), HE gets DLA and I receive Housing Benefit. Probably around £400 a week. Maybe a little more.

But guess what?

There's no amount of money in the whole world that can ever make up for having a child who is disabled.

It's no "stretch" to get £500 a month. My DH is eligible for two non-means-tested benefits related to his disabilities and receives about £650 a month. He is - understandably - not entitled to anything means tested because of my salary, but he's only top rate DLA for care component not mobility, so theoretically could receive more if his disabilities affected his mobility to a greater extent.

He is right.

That's the cap. Before they introduced that limit, a lot of families were getting more than that.

Yes I do 2 DD's youngest is disabled and I claim PIP for mental health problems.

I'd rather have my health and be able too work tbh.

Realistically, imagine for a moment you are a single parent with a severely disabled dc who needs constant care. Do you honestly think that parent would be able to pay for a home, heat, water and food on £500 a month? Realistically they are likely to need a vehicle too to get around (perhaps to hospital appointments etc). Now there are also many similar situations with extra numbers of dc to care for etc. So yes, people can almost certainly get £2k a month - do you begrudge them that?
There was a man on diy sos - lovely couple, one dc. In the space of a few months they went from both working in good jobs to the wife dying of cancer and the dad suffering a severe back injury while rescuing people in a fire. Would you be outraged if he received more than £500 a month?
It's easy to look at the numbers but the actual truth behind those numbers are the higher the benefits the more struggles that the family is likely to have faced. Yes we all go through tough times but facing those tough times while also worrying how to feed your dc must be horrendous.

I wonder how many people would be willing to trade their health or that of their children to 'coin it' on benefits?

£500 is the capped amount currently, however it's only for non working households.

Many work 16 hours to get round the cap so they can claim more than £500 a week.

Sheer madness hence the number of measures in place to start reducing them back to minimal support levels to incentivise people to work or work more.

This is a very disingenuous thread op. Perhaps you are bored?

'Ooh surely my hubby can't be right, surely people can't take in £500 of benefits a week?!....' Ooh wide eyes, gasp , how shocking,
Let's all discuss how shocking it is

What's the point?

Even working people who dare claim tax credits are being vilified at the moment

I spend mine on big TVs.

That free goat we have in the garden costs a fortune too feed aswell.

my dh and I get £350 per week between us non means tested benefits in addition to our private pensions and my very part-time salary. DH has terminal prognosis so we get high rate care and mobility dla as well as his state pension and I get carers allowance.

£500 per week is the limit for working age families not working and with no disabilities.

Most people would prefer to be in work/good health though!

Up yer bum
(Level of respect a thread like this deserves)