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.

I'm not even on UC yet and already struggling. A situation has arisen today which has left me really stuck and by me I mean me and dd (16). I am VERY lucky to have family who can help out (in a ltd way). If I didn't have family who could help we'd be sitting in a cold flat with no hot water and having dry crackers and water for dinner! And I'd be short for the rent next week!

This IS the reality for FAR TOO MANY FAMILIES in the 5TH RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!

It is disgusting! The money IS there tax payers have paid it but the govt is giving it to FUCKING MILLIONAIRES WHO DO NOT NEED IT

'^ If I was in this person’s position, I’d put away a tiny amount each week so if I’m eventually left in the shit my UC, I’ll have a small back up.'

Are you simply unable to understand that many, many people like this do not have even 'a tiny amount' to put away each week? In fact, a lot have already cut back to the bone and are still struggling badly, especially the disabled. Is it really that incomprehensible when everyone knows inflation is now at 3% and rising?

Exactly. And what if you are left in the shit for 3 months instead of the 6 weeks, or are left in the shit multiple times a year - how are you supposed to recover?

The sob stories are not stories.
They are real accounts of what has happened to your fellow human beings.

I won't hate. That will make me hard hearted like you.

"This makes me ask the question; would employers be obliged by law to allow their staff paid time out to attend meetings at the nearest job centre, and also time out for interviews with a prospective new employee? I can’t see that going down well somehow"

Which is what a few of us have been saying all the way through this thread. Simon Wolfson (Next) can certainly see it. And its not going to go down too well in his stores when the Next shop workers/UC claimants cant afford to get in on Boxing Day!!!

Wait till ppl start getting served their morning lattes by someone who hasnt showered for a week due to no money to put in the electric/gas meter.

Kids going to school without being able to wash for the same reason.
Norovirus will spread even easier than it already does.

I've got a question?

If your in a ha property currently receiving hb it gets paid every 4 weeks in arrears.
So would uc still be paid every 4 weeks in arrears?

It won't just be Noro, I've a good few friends who are nurses, hca's, teachers and TA's who are ALREADY seeing a rise in d&v, asthma incidents, bronchitis, tb, poorly controlled diabetes, pneumonia, dehydration, malnutrition etc etc

Graphista

A point ive just made on another thread.

Universal Credit is being rolled out to a lot more places and a lot of claimants will be tenants some of whom are IN work. They will/are being told to look for extra hours wherever they can. Those hours could be with short/no notice If they dont they will be sanctioned = no money to pay rent.

Landlords AND their workmen will have to be more flexible if they dont want to risk this. They wont be able to piss tenants about over work being done. or gas safety checks .......not unless they want to risk the tenant getting a sanction which means they wont be able to pay the rent!

There are a few posters on here who sound like they would get immense enjoyment out of sanctioning people...

Yes but what they don't realise is desperate people will do desperate things. As poverty increases so will crime and lawlessness and it'll be their homes being broken into and their cars being stolen, street crimes and muggings will increase too, bet they won't be so smug then. I'm a law abiding citizen, wouldn't dream of commiting a crime, unless my child was hungry and I had no choice.

Yes Helena so in short despite what SOME posters might think it affects EVERYONE

If I was in this person’s position, I’d put away a tiny amount each week so if I’m eventually left in the shit my UC, I’ll have a small back up.

Do you not understand the reality of poverty?

What if you ALREADY can't afford to turn your heating on in winter? Already living hand to mouth? Where the fuck are they supposed to find money to squirrel away?

People being left without any money to sustain themselves is a problem of the government's making, do not shift the blame.

I support a family of 4 on two part time jobs with crap wages (adding up to more than full time). DP has one very part time job but is desperately job hunting for something better, has been for over a year now. He's applying for everything but he's over-qualified for the crap jobs and there's fierce competition for the jobs he is actually qualified to do. It's demoralising and he's depressed. No amout of stick is going to make him job hunt harder. We are both university educated people with decent CVs. I hate to think how hard it must be for those without.

We ususally run out of money for the last week of the month. Not because we're feckless, but because we do not have enough money to cover our costs. We have already cut everything to the bone. We don't own a car or a TV. We've never taken the DC on holiday. We cook from scratch.

If we have to wait 6 weeks for UC we'll be fucked. I can't save anything for it - I have nothing to save. Or should I turn my heating off and let the DC freeze this winter? Should I forgo my meals and just feed the DC? This is the reality of this govenment.

Scrabble i really think some will turn to sex work.

That is what women did before the welfare state.
Casual prostitution was very common.
The Golden Age of family values and rosy cheeked self sufficiency is a myth.
Ordinary mothers went on the game of a friday night to pay the rent and feed their kids.

Scrabble i really think some will turn to sex work

What a depressing thought, I suspect you're right though.

And then be vilified in the press/real life for her career choice.

No win situation.

And then will prompt more well meaning liberals to campaign for decriminalisation of sex work rather than the Nordic model.

And then men can abuse women legally, pimps will get rich and the women will be traumatised and stuck in a 'job' they don't want.

Bluelonerose my housing benefit is paid 4 weeks in areas but when we move to UC it will stop then take 6 weeks at least. This last year HA have made us all start to pay towards 6 week rent (me £50 a month I can’t afford) this is supposed to stop us being so far behind they can start eviction.

'Yes but what they don't realise is desperate people will do desperate things. As poverty increases so will crime and lawlessness and it'll be their homes being broken into and their cars being stolen, street crimes and muggings will increase too, bet they won't be so smug then. I'm a law abiding citizen, wouldn't dream of commiting a crime, unless my child was hungry and I had no choice.'

This ^^

There was a thread on here recently about inflation and food prices. Lots of 'get an allotment', grow in your garden blah blah blah. Not considering that if you can't get an allotment, you don't have a garden, you might be driven to steal food from said allotments and gardens. People were looting whilst bombs were falling during the Blitz. That is a known fact. When shit hits the fan, people start to do desperate things. This has always happened. It's why castles had walls and gates, why kings like Alfred the Great spent vast amounts of time and resources building and garrisoning burghs, walled defenses against others who will come and take. And that's not even touching on food fraud, which still goes on, of course. Penalising people for being poor just doesn't work, you only have to look at history to see this.

And why the fuck should we be tightening our buckles ever tighter and growing food to survive when we're one of the richest countries and there isn't enough work to go round? Why not? What are the government doing about creating jobs?

Austerity is a lie.

This is scandalous.

Raisins I don't know what to do, I want to do something in my area to help people/make them aware of what's to come so they can at least attempt to prepare themselves.

Our MP has said that there isn't the time to organise town meetings so I'm at a bit of a loss.

I'm not an official or an expert, I'm just a mam worried about other mams, their children and anyone else that is going to be affected by this over the Christmas period and beyond.

Has anyone got any ideas other than donating to food bank which I already do?

I am already thinking about offering anyone I know personally to come over for tea as and when- we never eat anything fancy, usually pasta or similar but its always filling and plentiful.

Its also already a threat to public health as Graph and i pointed out upthread. The knock on effect to the NHS will be disastrous.

I already donate to food bank and already include sanpro but will try to donate a bit more of it.

Akire thanks for the clarification

i really think some will turn to sex work

That and more women will feel there is no other choice but to stay in violent and abusive relationships.