To ask for help with universal credit? As a sahm

[CallingPeopleACuntOnFb]

I honestly cannot find the answer to this anywhere 😩

I work in a support role helping parents and i have a service user who’s very worried about UC coming in. She has depression / anxiety anyway and it’s really getting her down.

She’s a SAHM to 3 dc, 3 year old twins and a 6 yo. Her dp earns 26k a year working long and irregular shifts. He works 45-50 hours a week. so being a SAHM is her only option atm as they also both have zero family support.

They have a mortgage so wouldn’t need or be eligible for the “housing benefit” element. She’s in Leicester. At the moment they receive tax credits but will move to UC at some point (no idea when)

She wants to know if she will still be able to be a SAHM as work isn’t an option for her while the DC are so small.

I have no clue, I don’t claim myself, we don’t even get TCs anymore and as I said I can’t find any info online other than the benefits checker on entitledto. Which says she’s eligible for UC at a similar amount to her tax credits. but says nothing about whether she’s going to have to job search as a condition of getting the money.

It’s so bloody complex ! Hope someone can shed some light 💡 x

Secondly, the threshold for earnings will be 2 X 35 hrs at minimum wage, which will be about £27,300.

I might be being dense here but I don't have enough faith in the government for this not to be as ridiculous as it sounds. Does the above mean that if her DH earnt £27, 301 that she could continue to claim benefits and remain a SAHM but because their family has less income they will not be eligible for benefits unless she goes to work?

Bibliomania got there first, but I want to say that I think it's unhelpful, both on an individual and on a societal level, if we see and accept depression/anxiety as condemning the sufferer to a life of dependence (and being on state benefits is a kind of dependence, unfortunately) and inactivity.

This is so true. Im.not going to mention the benefits, if people need them they need them.

But please please please if you truly are a support worker do not underestimate the importance of occupation in recovery. Nobody ever recovered from mental illness by staying home. One of the areas I help my service users is by supporting them to find occupation. And I'm not talking paid employment (although that is obviously one option). Anything that gets people out into the community around other people. Be that volunteer work, paid work, classes, support groups. Routine and occupation are a massive key to recovery.

DP earns 31k and we get a small amount of tax credits.. They overpaid us a few years ago which we are paying back gradually, but they still send us new tax credits!

@bibliomania that's assuming that your job isn't damaging your mental health. A job where you're decently treated and can cope with the work is good for your mental health, a job with unrealistic expectations or where you're treated like shit, not so much.

I would honestly be concerned that your manager has endorsed you posting for advice on a public forum like this. I wouldn't do it and I'd be subject to disciplinary action in my company if I did.

I'm very concerned about the impact of UC on our service users but wouldn't post specific details like this.

It's a shame that so many people share the conservative view of work work work.
Tax credits never were considered as benefit and you could be a sahp and still claim as a couple as it was assessed on a household income.
A sahm was valued by past governments, but this one just wants your kids earlier and earlier.
it's sad that society sees the need to pass their children over to the state, rather than allowing for a parent to care for their own children during their partners working hours.
We aren't planning any changes yet so should be ok for a while, just hoping we manage the next 5/6 years before dd leaves ft education.

Op get your client down to the CAB for a benefits check. They will be able to inform the client on the roll out of UC in your area and their options in different scenarios. The CAB is being paid a fee to help people apply for UC because it is so easy and straightforward I know that people are being misinformed by the Job Centre and HMRC on what benefits they need to apply for so go to a welfare rights charity or CAB for a reality check.

As for the benefits of work. It needs to be a supportive, managed, return to suitable employment, not the equivalent of being thrown in the deep end to learn to swim!

I have found that people are all different and that just because you think someone should be able to manage, cope, do something, doesn't mean that they are able to. That should not come as a surprise to an adult with functioning empathy.

Yes gillybeanz 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

And yes to TCs not being previously considered a “benefit” 👏🏻👏🏻

it's sad that society sees the need to pass their children over to the state, rather than allowing for a parent to care for their own children during their partners working hours.

Yes because being in employment is passing your children over to the state

What's sad is the amount of parents who feel it's ok to not provide for their children and believe the government should pay instead.

Tax credits never were considered as benefit and you could be a sahp and still claim as a couple as it was assessed on a household income.

^ this

it's sad that society sees the need to pass their children over to the state, rather than allowing for a parent to care for their own children during their partners working hours

^ and this

So yes, IMO it is household income that should matter. And 3 is tiny.

What is sad is how SAHMs are so vilified

Why was it acceptable til recently to have a ft working partner and stay at home and receive tax credits !? (Which btw are hardly a fortune! I have claimed them myself in the past!)

If somebody chooses to be an SAHM then I don't think they can expect help from the state from other working people's taxes. If somebody has a disability then of course that's completely different and they would be entitled to extra help.

What is sad is how SAHMs are so vilified

They are not vilified at all, it is just not realistic to be a SAHM if you can't afford it.

Your kids are not too young for you to find work. I said 'you' because of the level of emotional investment in the OP. You don't sound like the support worker, you sound like the SAHM. You also sound quite entitled.

🤣🤣

Ah here we go- ‘handing children over to the state,’ ‘giving your children to be raised by strangers,’ and the usual emotive shite

Bet these (small minority of) posters are just when they see other mums with careers and children who are emotionally well adjusted, happy and successful too!

To recap: your SAHM probably won't need to worry about UC for at least 12months by which point the twins will be school age. I would gently encourage her to look for some voluntary work in the meantime, to build up her confidence and secure references and a recent work history for when she does apply for a paid position.

I had to give up my job due to my mental health. I disclosed to my boss exactly why I was suffering and could she please help me.
She did for 2 weeks.
Then the business came first.
I was lucky my dh was at that time in a good enough job for us not to need tax credits for my 3 dc so I could leave.
I sobbed my heart out when I left I loved that job.
Should I of continued to work with no support from my boss?

blue what did HR say?

Aww bless you Blue that sounds awful

And no you shouldn’t have continued in the job with no support from your boss / company 😔

I hope things are better now

I just left. Like I said I was lucky with my dh. I didn't want to keep explaining myself to a bunch of strangers higher up.
I just wanted to go to work and do my job.

Just pisses me off that some people think everyone can work through depression.
Ide still be working there now if ide had support.

Hi op. Just high diving you for bringing out all the hand wringers ;-)

Before and after school care 5 days a week for one child here is £55 a week. £220 a month would surely knock out any income if you have 3 children.

I would like to read some studies soon about the effect on children of being constantly in childcare and not at home during the primary years.

Mine go on average 2 days a week. I know I’m lucky it’s only that. Dd1 is 8 and it probably doesn’t affect her much but dd2 is 4 and she finds I exhausting and it pushes bedtime back.

Do people get benefits when earning £26k?

Yes they do. And if they have 3 kids they can claim ctc until they earn 40k. Higher if any kids receive dla. Even two working parents still need help sometimes.

From the money advice service op
www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/who-is-affected-by-universal-credit#moving-to-universal-credit-from-child-tax-credit
She won't be expected to work until the youngest are 5 and only what fits in with her responsibilities i.e. school hours. Full time work from age 13.