To think the benefit cap is going to plunge families into poverty

[Firsttheworst]

Next month the benefit cap comes in. It sets out the maximum that can be claimed in a week across all benefits. This doesn't include disability or wtc. Its aimed purely at women (mostly) claiming income support. You can only claim income support if you have a child under 5 and don't work.

The benefit cap is in the government owns words designed to get IS claimants out to work. The cap is currently £500 and will be reduced to £384 a week.

This includes, housing benefit, CT benefit, tax credits, income support. So all in total cannot be more than £384 a week. Over a 30 day month that comes to £1645.

From that £1645 I need to pay

rent £900 a month (no I can't move, its impossible to rent on benefits as it is, not giving this house up and its below market rent as it is)

CT - £60 a month

Electricity £80

Oil £80

Diesel £ 120 (rural don't drive anywhere other than school runs and supermarket/town once or twice a week)

Car insurance £49

Car tax £19.99

Phone/internet £40 (thats a basic mobile and broadband)

House insurance £13

TV licence £11

That leaves 272 a month to pay for food, clothes, car breakdown, school trips, birthdays, miscellaneous and god knows what else. For one adult and 3 children.

AIBU to think that the government have just decided that if they starve us out for long enough we'll be forced to go out and find a job? Like I said rural area so jobs are rarer than hens teeth and believe me i'm looking. It is pure discrimination against single mothers with small children (i doubt many men claim income support)

She doesn't say- just that rent of £900 needs to be paid out of a total income of £1645.

I assume that OP is currently receiving over the new benefit cap, else she wouldn't have posted.

So when the cap comes in, her HB WILL be reduced. Her rent will remain the same.

If she pays less rent, she will be entitled to less HB. But she won't actually receive less HB because her HB has already been reduced by the cap.

Another theoretical amount then- her rent is £900, she is entitled to £900 HB. The cap comes in and she is £200 over the limit per month, so her HB is reduced to £700pm and she has to top up her rent £200 pm.

If she gets the theoretical house for £600pm, her income is now £100 under the limit. But she's now receiving all the HB she's entitled to, and not topping up £200pm as she was on the £900 rent.

So she WILL benefit from the lower rent.

Dawn. I see I hadn't looked at it like that. The way she said it was that it's a scam. I stand corrected.

AndNow. My post wasn't to offend. I was too ill for so long to even focus or have the energy to fill in the forms for DLA. Now I'd struggle to get any kind of disability benefit as my symptoms wax and wane and the state doesn't understand my illness. I pay for all my treatment, which keeps me mobile. So I do tend to be rather touchy about hearing about benefits to the scammers.

Not that I'm still saying these people were scammers in this case. More of a misunderstanding. Posted too soon.

Hmmm maybe

Not by the full £300 it's true, but she'll be £100 pm better off (£100 lower income but £200 less expenditure). And when you only have £272 spare each month, that extra £100 makes a big difference.

Perhaps rents should be forced down. This is the crux of the problem.
I would be pleased if rent controls were introduced.

Keeptrudging - exactly! Infact I would go as far to say if it was going to help situations like that I would happily pay slightly more tax! The reasons I moan about tax is because it is going on people who can't be bothered and then moan about it!

That's more than what our household income is

Maybe what is needed is some kind of bridging fund between unemployment and work or to help people move? Then again , credit union is an option for people who don't have access to normal loans. As long as OP stays in a house with such high rent, working will continue to look unattractive, as her rent would take so much of her income. That's why moving would be short-term pain for long-term gain.

"The reasons I moan about tax is because it is going on people who can't be bothered and then moan about it!"

I'd stop reading the Daily Mail if I were you, get out there and actually learn something.

those saying she should move

she's on HB.....so its proportionate. she won't still get £1645 if she moves to a cheaper place....they'll take the cheaper element off her benefits

moving solves nothing

I gave up on the Daily Mail a long time ago.

Hahaha I don't read the daily mail! And actually I have known many people who live off of benefits by choice because they think it it their right to do so! And when cuts come in its oooh evil how dare they expect me to have a job? ME! I love how you demonise the people who think tax should actually be spent on people in need.

Yes we both work and get good wages, but when I go back after child care for our 2 will be £1100+ yes I won't have much more left after this. It won't be worth working part time and I have a good job and don't want to loose it. It would be hard for a few years. And no we don't any help apart from child benefit.

I work with someone who gets full disability benefits including a car and free taxis and earns the same as me. How does that work???? I can't afford taxis have to pay for my own car.

Sadly it's life. People have to make changes all the time. Hence I have to go back full time.

Many people working full time have less to make do with. I for one am pleased about cuts, hopefully now the elderly will get proper help.

OP can apply for a budgeting loan of £812 if that's any help. It takes about 3/4 weeks to get the money in the bank and it's deducted from future benefit payments.

Of course I top up my rent. Sorry I thought that was obvious. They pay £650 a month. I pay the other 250.

Nobody gets full HB

Yes they do. It doesn't cover service charges or water so you'd pay for that but you can get 100% rent.

kennington yes, the high rents are a big part of the problem. It seems ridiculous to me that renting is more than the equivalent mortgage. Hopefully the cap will help in that there will be less demand for more expensive houses and supply and demand suggests that prices will be lowered or stabilise as a result.

Firsttheworst*
Go back to uni

Well YOU don't pay the remainder do you OP

You could use the bugdeting loan to pay for a course to help you get back to work.

Her rent will be cheaper, so IF she goes back to work (which should be the aim), she can afford it. Plus she can lose the car. Instant saving. Plus she could have all her children at the same school, therefore easier to find childcare. Living rurally is a luxury.

"Today 20:27 CrohnicallyAspie

Not by the full £300 it's true, but she'll be £100 pm better off (£100 lower income but £200 less expenditure). And when you only have £272 spare each month, that extra £100 makes a big difference."

Yes if she saves it up for 2 years it will cover the cost of her moving in the first place lol

Op - I think you have the wrong "villain of the piece". The person that you should be really angry at is not the state but the man who helped create the children, is well off enough to afford holidays yet who doesn't pay a penny to raise them.

But I'm an extreme pragmatist and ranting about your ex (or the state) is not going to help feed your kids. (Much as it may be satisfying.)

So pragmatic advice:-

1. School run - is there another school nearer? (Other than the village school your son can't get into?)Because a quick google tells me that of your child is at the nearest suitable school and it is more than 2/3 miles (depending on whether child is over 8) then the council has to provide free transport. So you should either get a place at the village school or get free transport. Get back onto the council. Make sure they tell you why you are not eligible. Get it in writing. Check it against the government website. Be the squeaky wheel. (That gets the oil.)

1. School run. Can you park the car about a mile or so away and walk / bike / scoot the last bit (depending on what you own / your dc like doing / what fits in your car). Particularly if the last mile is going into town so the sort of stop-start-first-gear driving that guzzles the petrol. (Personally I'd just say "sod it" and all cycle at least one of the journeys but we are a "cycling family" so I would say that.) Try and cut your petrol down - just a little.

1. Does your ex ever have your kids overnight? If so - could you do some occasional (paid) babysitting? Earning £24 for an evening of eating someone else's biscuits, watching their telly and using their electricity wouldn't affect your benefits but would make your life that little bit easier.

4. You haven't said (or maybe I missed it - there's a lot of posts!) whether your youngest is in school or not? Advice on jobs varies depending on whether you would have to pay nursery fees or not. Either way - obviously you will need a plan for when your youngest turns 5 and you are no longer entitled to income support.

you know what is just as much of a problem as high rents? People not training to do jobs that will pay a decent wage, one that'll make it worth while working when all the DC are in school at the very outside. Why would you expect to get paid lots of money if you don't have good marketable skills?