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.

Look for your own county councils welfare numbers etc and get in contact for advice

*why are we being punished when we contribute to society, i really fear for my family if we change to UC

MargaretMary - Why doesn't your DH find work around your hours? You work up to 66 pw, but theres over 100 more hours pw where your DH could work. You are not being punished.*

I agree, you can't moan about the government wanting to stop funding your SAHP. It's a luxury you can't afford so why should it be funded by others?

With three children, one working adult and claiming benefits then there is no way you are contributing as a net tax payer like you say.

How on earth is someone on NMW supposed to pay childcare costs upfront and then wait for someone to decide whether they're worthy of reimbursement? How long does that take- days? Weeks? As if working parents don't struggle enough.

Yes - all working parents struggle but they deal with it the same way everyone else has to. Budgeting, saving - even a little, talking to childcare providers and forewarning them of the situation and, perhaps, being able to negotiate a payment plan during the difficult period . Even high earners have to budget if there is a change in their circumstances (change jobs/illness/etc). People need to stop blaming everyone else and start taking responsibility for themselves.

Whilst I'd agree that it's not up to the tax payer to fund the choice of being a stay at home parent, it's also very unrealistic to expect anyone who wants it to be able to access suitable employment with hours that suit them. If you have one adult working shifts and another adult who also needs to work shifts in order to work around the first adult, because childcare is unaffordable, then it's an almost impossible task. How long would anyone hold down a job if they kept saying 'no, I can't work that shift?'.

I work three days a week. My earnings are low so I don't actually pay income tax because I'm below the personal allowance. On my days off, I take care of my elderly parents because they are so frail that they can't wash and feed themselves safely. This includes helping to the toilet, showering them, dressing them, feeding them, not just doing a bit of housework. The government in it's time of austerity has declared that they are able to take care of themselves, they don't need carers or a nursing home. So my siblings and I do it. It's frustrating to be viewed as a 'taker' in society because I don't work full time. I'm saving the government the cost of caring for two very vulnerable members of society, and that would cost a lot more than I'd be paying in income tax even if I did work full time.

MargaretMary - Why doesn't your DH find work around your hours? You work up to 66 pw, but theres over 100 more hours pw where your DH could work. You are not being punished

You're not serious? Surely to Christ you have more compassion than that?

Are poor people not entitled to a relationship now?

People's callousness never fails to astound me.

MargretMary, I am sorry for your situation. I hope things get better, somehow, for your family.

Slarti if Labour had shown more bloody compassion when they were in government then maybe we wouldn't have the tories right now.

People voted for the Tories out of compassion?

Come on, you don't expect anyone to believe that do you? By and large they successfully peddled the myth that labour had "crashed the economy" when in fact it was a global economic crisis caused by the banks. They also claimed they'd have done things differently yet their voting record proves they supported all the measures they claim exacerbated the downturn. And finally they convinced the public they were the economically responsible party despite their history of mismanagement, debt and recession that is repeating right now.

The only thing the Tories excel at is managing public perception. At everything else they are abject failures.

I'm astounded by the ignorance of some of the posters on here. Despite many, many examples being given here about circumstances completely beyond individual control that might cause someone to rely on benefits/external support they are continuing to berate people for their 'choices'. How are disability, accident, caring needs, illness, breakdown of relationships, rising cost of rents/living anyone's 'choice'? Being a SAHP parent is always a luxury is it, never a necessity like, say, if your child is disabled or the cost of childcare is too high compared to the pay for any kind of job you could get? It's your choice if you can't find work to fit around your partner's hours (even those who work shifts that are subject to change all the time)? It's your choice if you have to escape an abusive partner and end up a lone parent with no home? It's your choice not to save even though you barely have enough money to survive day to day as it is? It's your choice if you can't find a childcare provider who is happy for you to pay when and where you can afford it? (This one is so ridiculous it's laughable.) Seriously. I hope none of you ever fall on hard times because a) you will be in for a rude awakening, and b) frankly your attitude stinks, and you will be deserving of as little kindness and compassion as you are showing here.

Yes - all working parents struggle but they deal with it the same way everyone else has to. Budgeting, saving - even a little, talking to childcare providers and forewarning them of the situation and, perhaps, being able to negotiate a payment plan during the difficult period . Even high earners have to budget if there is a change in their circumstances (change jobs/illness/etc). People need to stop blaming everyone else and start taking responsibility for themselves.

If the money isn't there in the first place it can't really be budgeted for. If you're working part time because that's all you can find, earning nmw at £120ish pw and your childcare costs are £5ph and it takes you an hour each way to and from work that's £120. Wages are gone. How do you eat? Or pay for travel fare to work? Or heat/light?

Every childcare provider I've dealt with in the past is very fixed on their payments- pay and your child can stay, don't pay and there is no place for your child here. Childminders often can't afford to wait weeks for payment because they are self employed, nurseries are just too rigid and don't want to be seen as soft.

Its very easy to say 'take responsibility' when that's all many many people try and do and all they get in return is grief.

Perhaps if lots of absent fathers were made to pay for the children they created instead of being able to swan off and live the life they want after finding out children isn't all sunshine and roses there wouldn't be problems of this magnitude. But that's another thread entirely.

It’s yet to be rolled out in our area. Me and DH get WTC (childcare element) and CTC, he works 40 hours and I work 18 hours in the nhs in a job I love with a view to taking on more hours once youngest is at school (she’s 2). The whole thing seems to be a shambles though and I’m dreading navigating it! Wishful thinking it’s stopped by then I’ve signed petitions etc

Frequency

You're not serious? Surely to Christ you have more compassion than that? It's nothing to do with compassion but common sense. If you are able to work and need to then get to work. Do not then complain the state won't give you enough to live on.

Are poor people not entitled to a relationship now? What do you mean? The tax payer should fund someone to stay at home and cuddle up on the sofa?

Your arguments are ridiculous and I find it hilarious you think the state/myself and my DH should fund peoples lifestyles so they can work a few hours, at a time to suite them of course, and play happy families whilst me and my DH spend most of the week at work, earning, saving and paying into the system, my DC come home to an empty house, to support the truly needy.

No, if you need to work and are physically able, then work you must do.

Well I agree that absent fathers should be paying for their children, and if they did then a lot of people (single mothers mainly) would come off benefits.

Maybe MN should be campaigning to the Government about that instead.

'Every childcare provider I've dealt with in the past is very fixed on their payments- pay and your child can stay, don't pay and there is no place for your child here. Childminders often can't afford to wait weeks for payment because they are self employed, nurseries are just too rigid and don't want to be seen as soft. '

EXACTLY! They are not running a charity. They are those self-employed some have scorned on here. 'Oh, let me 'forewarn' you that I won't be able to pay you for your services.' 'You'll need to find another provider then.'

High earners have access to many things poor people don't, like credit and cheap credit, for example.

How do you prepare, budget and save with nothing? When there is NO money?

KathArtic as far as the government are concerned they've done their job re absent fathers by doing away with the CSA and coming up with the Child Maintenance Service who apparently have more power.

Our case was moved over at the beginning of the year and I'm yet to see this power, or any money for that matter.

All they've done so far is encourage me to write off the arrears my ex accumulated under the old system as 'he deserves a fresh start'. What about what my son deserves? Does he not deserve the many thousands of pounds my ex owes in child support.

Anyway I went off on a tangent there, its a bit of an emotive subject for me.

'Maybe MN should be campaigning to the Government about that instead.'

Instead of the expensive, inefficient and punitive policy that is UC? Non-paying non-resident parents is a separate issue.

Lady I hope you have the strength to pursue your ex, and don't write-off his debt.

Lets hope one day men will be shamed if they don't look after their families, there will always be a few but it seems most know they are untouchable and the only ones who do pay do so because they want to.

Expat that's exactly my point.

I wouldn't walk into Asda and say 'yeah sorry I haven't been paid this week, can I give you a fiver now and pay the rest in a couple of weeks?'.

I have a feeling this may have a knock on effect and some childcare providers may be very reluctant to give childcare to parents who need help from universal credit.

Okay, let me spell it a little more clearly for since my initial post required you do some thinking of your own.

If one partner is working 66 hours per week and the other partner 35+ hours per week, how do they find time to

A) rest between shifts? Say, one person works nights, the other works days, which is the only way such a split would work how does the person on nights sleep without utilising childcare which they've already stated they have no money for.

B) If they did manage to find a way to sleep - how do they carry on a relationship? I don't mean snuggling on the sofa each night, I mean communicating over the children, household expenses and financial management?

And yes, are they not entitled to spend a few hours relaxing together?

I haven't and I won't agree to the write off even though I'm confident it will never get paid.

He does the same dance many absent parents do- works until the CMS catch up and put an attachment of earnings in place then quits. They have to give notice of a deduction which I do understand, but it then gives him plenty of time to walk away from his job and thus start the whole process again.

Their 'powers' only apply if the person has assets- he is very careful not to have any.

I came to reply to the latest posts by people with all the compassion of a stone but I just cannot be bothered trying to explain common sense to people who are all "I'm not paying for you because my life is so much harder." Instead of focusing on them and losing all faith in the human race I'll focus on the fact that they are few and far between on this thread and the vast majority of people that have commented can see the problem.

I do think it's interesting because I highly doubt that if the tories lose at the next GE that a successive government would keep these policies in place as they currently stand. By which point the damage will be done for thousands of people who will possibly be homeless and in crippling debt. It's going to cost a lot more to reduce poverty than it would to rejig the new system to make it fairer now to avoid pushing people into poverty in the first place 🤷🏻‍♀️

Sorry if someone’s already said this but why the fuck aren’t people rising up and rioting about this 😡

It doesn’t even affect me but I am constantly hearing about how people are being fucked over by it and it makes me so angry

It'll go round in circles Cake- the next party (assuming the Tories don't get in next time) will spend millions and years trying to sort out the mess, then the Tories will get back in again and things will start again.

Well I agree that absent fathers should be paying for their children, and if they did then a lot of people (single mothers mainly) would come off benefits.

I very much doubt they will. Since Labour changed the system so that child support isn't counted in any benefits it's all extra money on top. If they get more they aren't going to suddenly change their moral compass and stop claiming.

Exactly Lady, I just think it's such a waste of time and resources. They aren't going to cut the budget in other places once they've reallocated it so they'll increase tax or freeze people's pay again or cut funding for schools or the NHS. As long as the powers that be get away with vilifying the poor so those more fortunate are busy turning on them rather than the people who could actually afford to make a difference, things will never change. It's making me feel thoroughly miserable at the moment as it is many others.

But it's ok I'll just go start my savings from the literally £0.22 I have in my bank account right now. I'll cut back on the heating that I already can't afford to have on this month because I need to pay off the standing charge on my meter accrued over summer first. I'll cut back on the food shopping; oh wait, I'm not doing any this week because it's been one of those months of unexpected bills. I live such a luxurious life me 🙄

I think it's laughable you're judging us for our moral compass yellow.

Sorry if someone’s already said this but why the fuck aren’t people rising up and rioting about this

Because too many people are naive enough to fall for the Daily Fail/Tory rhetoric of 'it's all the poor people's fault'.

Google, Starbucks, Amazon et al owe billions each in tax but it's benefit claimant's fault that there is no money for the NHS. MP's claim ridiculous expenses on top of their already generous pay but it's the benefit's claimant's fault that higher earners have to pay so much income tax.

There is money for the NHS btw but the government spend it elsewhere