Universal Credit won't be paid in months with 5 weeks. (WTF?) AIBU to think no one realises

[raisinsarenottheonlyfruit]

If you get paid weekly, and there are 5 weeks in a month, in those months your pay will likely go over the Universal Credit limit and your UC will be stopped. You will have to go without that month and apply again.

WTF are they thinking?

Have they never heard of averages FFS? (That's how Tax Credits works). This is going to screw over so many people. It's ludricous.

The people claiming UC aren't any richer that month, they get the same amount of money as if it was paid in 12 monthly chunks.

This will happen to thousands of people every time there's a month with 5 weeks. (I guess they mean 5 Mondays?)

This is farcical.

There's 5 weeks in January, so if you get paid weekly that's you fucked for February.

April, July, October and December also have 5 Mondays.

This is utterly farcical and just plain callous.

Employers already do this. It's called Real Time Information. Every time we pay someone a return is submitted to HMRC. Universal Credit was one reason the system was brought in (cost us £££ in expensive software.

Akire they get the info from HMRC

Just to chuck the cat among the pigeons, where I work many people are supportive of UC.

Why should working people who are just above the threshold for claiming any benefits are pissed off to read people get several hundred pounds a week in benefits for doing less work?

Bring it on I say, it’s about time people stopped leeching the system.
Can’t pay your rent? Then buy, a mortgage is far cheaper than rent. Can’t pay your child care costs, then don’t have children if you can’t afford them.
Food banks? Never donated and never will. Nobody ever gave me free food, if I want it or my children need food then I go out and buy it. That’s what ctc and cb is for not to pay for Sky or expensive mobile phone contracts.
Keep voting Tory so the UC will be rolled out sooner rather than later

Wow.

I've never claimed any benefits but always think there but for the grace of god go I.

Helena TA's? Can you find anymore obscure examples of misery. Your persistence in finding the worst case in everything will frighten people. People will be prepared and get through it, the majority will not be homeless, hungry, have their kids taken into care, schools will close whilst TA's phone the help line. FFS stop being the Harbinger of doom and try finding example where you can help and advise those going through the system and not cause unnecessary panic.

Oh yeah WellDone, I forgot about that 50 grand house deposit I had down the back of the sofa. Silly me.

Welldoneme what a delight you are

As I've already said (as have others) when people have children they usually do so at a point where they can afford it. People's circumstances can change through no fault of their own.

Where would you like people to find the money for a deposit to buy? Plus, mortgages don't tend to be cheaper than HA rent so that's bollocks.

Food banks aren't somewhere you can just turn up to and go "blew my benefits on sky and mobile phones so give us some food cheers" you have to be referred. The people who end up there are people who have no spare money. Do you think people would turn to foodbanks if they had any other viable option? Would you rather the children of those families starve?

Other than your don't-have-children-if-you-can't-afford-them statement (which, as I've pointed out above is void in lots of circumstances) how do you suggest people work full time if they end up paying out more in childcare than they earn? Also, as I've asked a few times on this thread, where are all the full time jobs that would be needed for every unemployed person/part time worker in your fantasy land?

These people that get hundreds of pounds of 'spare' cash that they can blow on luxuries are people I've never come across other than in the media or on shit telly programmes designed to turn people against the poor. I know plenty of people (myself included) who rely on top ups from benefits. All of the ones I know work. Every. Single. One. They live frugally and the money goes on bills.

The poor are continually punished and kept in poverty. Look at the fact pre paid metres for gas and electric are far less cost effective than the alternative and yet, to get off them, you'll be charged a bomb. If direct debits bounce because there is no money, you are charged, giving you even less money. It's a knock on effect and this is just another way to stop people from becoming upwardly mobile. It's disgusting and I despair of anyone who doesn't see it.

And I say this as someone who will only be affected for a few months and who will then be qualified enough to open the doors needed. Even then I will continue to be disgusted with policies such as these because I hate the attitude of people who only care about number one and fuck everyone else. Anybody can end up on hard times with a healthy dose of bad luck. The top up effect given by the current benefit system isn't designed to put people in the lap of luxury and it doesn't - often the people you see where it appears that way are buying on finance or using credit cards not using benefits. Which is another issue entirely.

Why chase the poor to fix the financial troubles of the country? The people least able to afford it? It's asked time and time again but why not chase the massive companies avoiding paying tax? Who will be blamed next once the poor are poorer and nothing is any different? They don't have the money to fix the predicament we're in so the country won't be any better off. You will just see homelessness rise, there will be even more strain on the NHS because people's health will suffer through not being able to afford to eat or heat their homes, crime will rise because people will feel like there are no other avenues available to them - where does it end and what does it solve? What are you hoping will happen? What do you think will be achieved by such archaic policies?

Welldoneme, did you have to take classes to get that ignorant or does it just come naturally?

Well
I hope you're not one of the people who have 1-3 wage packets between them and homelessness.

How do you feel about the NHS?

Excellent post cake. I could only think of two words to respond to Well andvthe second one was "off".

Can't pay your rent? Then buy

That made me snort tea out my nose! My god this must be what the Tories sit around saying to each other when they come up with these fantastic ideas to get those low income sods off the streets

@cakedoesntjudge - excellent post

So worried about how UC will affect me - and how badly if affecting so many people already.

It is shameful and disgusting

Well said Cake

Actually I will give Welldoneme her full title because her name says it all.

I love the stereotype that people who get benefits, do nothing but smoke, drink and watch Jeremy Kyle on their huge HD tellies.

I dont drink, dont smoke, dont have sky, dont have holidays and I work in the NHS. I even volunteered in a charity shop when I wasnt working. I did that of my own back, nothing to do with the jobcentre.

And should anyone fancy giving me a huge deposit to buy a nice little two bed in Essex, I'm sure I could find a way of paying it back.

I hope no one gets well's post deleted. She needs to stand by her vile opinions.

Oh and do you want to loan me the mortgage to pay for my much cheaper own home well because as a single parent (circs beyond my control as mentioned upthread) on a relatively low income no-one else will it seems!

I've found a house for £200k. Anyone want to loan me the money?

Well done, what a goady fucker you are. Another great article I am sure has been referenced by someone in clergy. Uc assumes people have savings pot to dip into to tide them over the weeks when no money is there. It's clearly simply not workable and I think everyone needs to forget everything else on the table right now and focus on this issue and kick up a stink about it. Thankfully touch wood I don't need this benefit or any at present but I know what it's like to be destitute and need money. It's a mistake and needs urgent tweaking halting stopping now.

Tali I also volunteered when I wasn't working because I wanted to give something back (won a local volunteer of the year award at the time) and I still volunteer now because I strongly believe in community and making things better for everyone. And I have made a difference....despite being scum apparently!

The poor get poorer
The rich get richer
Some poor got a bit rich because of property prices, good pensions, baby booming times, etc. so now they'll weigh in on the other poor that weren't clever enough to get to be part of that system

@welldoneme sound like you!?

I hope your children and grandchildren are cleverer than you. Or they're going straight back to the bottom of the pile from whence you came

Well Sassy, it seems scum can be rather useful.

Kath i never said schools would close. Please dont gaslight.

When MNer Huntycat posted about UC and in work conditionality 5/6 years ago she got told to stop scaremongering and being the harbinger of doom. Twas ever thus.

The boss/owner of Next can see it.

@carolinemumsnet

Brilliant after all stories about penis beakers lifted and mils in hospital grabbing grandchildren it would be great if power that be in mnhq uses full weight to kick up massive fuss about this. Stories lifted all over place, this morning, wright stuff etc ect.. Independent and the mail...

Use it, not one single person should be worse off because of this for one second.

Well, I'm so sorry, it must be really hard going through life the way you do. How the hell does someone with a chip that big manage to bend over and tie their shoe laces in the mornings.
Nobody ever gave me free food either, and as a child my mother would deliberately ensure I went without. That's one of the reasons I donate to food banks when I can. As for your other tripe, I had children before I needed to go on benefits. When I was earning I wasn't jealous of people on benefits because even when I was on the threshold I was bright enough to know that they weren't getting hundreds of pounds more than me. For goodness sake do some research before you make yourself look so bloody daft in public.