To think that bit is impossible to live off of benefits?

[Rolf38]

So Universal Credit rates are £498.89 an adult couple over the age of 25. This is meant to last them one whole month. So £250 per adult which works out at about £60 per week or just £8.57 per day.

How is someone meant to buy food, pay their bills and maintain a jobsearch at these rates?

I understand that some may think that by setting benefits at a low rate, there will be a greater incentive for recipients to return to work. This I understand and agree with to a point.

Surely though that danger of setting benefit rates too low is that it has the opposite effect. Claimants may reun the risk of getting in to debt, depression and lose the desire to maintain an active job search, along with any ambitions and aspirations they ever had.

Is met ting benefit rates too low a precursor to the increase of long term benefit claimants, simply by affording claimants less resources and willpower to maintain their job search?

After all, say if have been unemployed fir or three months. In this time, you have been so cash strapped that you haven't even been able to go to the cinema or meet an old friend, as bills and increasing debts have taken priority.

Without just a bit of enjoyment to boost morale, how less determined would a claimant be to give their job search their all as they would be if they could take their mind off of it for a bit.

For the couples payment too, I wouldn't be surprised if such a low payment to sustain two adults for a month may cause friction in the relationship, adding further restrictions to morale and job search.

Of course taxpayers money should be treated with the utmost respect.

However, is keeping benefit rates at such a low level proving more costly in the long run?

Why not add an incentive for job search for claimants? Increase UC payments by 10% for those who continually do all they can for their job search over a sustained period (say three months).

Such an increase, just form he most committed in their job search, would act as a continued incentive for the most determined to find work quicker (thus reducing long-term burdens on the taxpayers). Restricting an enhanced payment to just the most committed would also ensure that those not committed to athe or jobsearch and envisage a long-term existence on benefits find that this, beyond subsidence level, is not sustainable.

If you are doing everything you can in your jobsearch, why should you be unable to afford very basic enjoyments (even on a very occasional basis)? Why are those who put in the effort, in testing times, not differentiated from those who show no desire to come off benefits.

Perhaps in addition to sanctioning claimants who do not fulfill their commitments, the government should do more to help and reward the positive attitude to do all they can to get back to work.

The money is for survival only and not to give anyone a lifestyle.

Therefore should only buy things a human needs to survive food (rations) heating & shelter

You shouldn't budget for Wi-Fi, mobile phones or sky tv or a mini weekend break at butlins which many budget for within their benefits.

People should just be grateful that they're born in a country where such system exists .

Idk if this is accurate.. but say someone earn minimum wage and have to pay rent and bills out of that. It's unlikely they would have much more money than the person on benefits.

Minimum wage works out at £300 a week, almost exactly what JSA or ESA pays per MONTH. If you own your own house, no housing assistance. You still have bills to pay (more in fact, due to insurance, maintenance etc).

My sister thinks it's too high (benefits) and should be cut more. She always ranting on about it.

You shouldn't budget for Wi-Fi, mobile phones or sky tv or a mini weekend break at butlins which many budget for within their benefits.
Except for the fact that you have to log in online daily.

People should just be grateful that they're born in a country where such system exists
Oh, and whilst we're at it. I'm not grateful that I live in a country where such things exist. Not that I don't want to, I do, but I'm not doffing my cap to those who think I should. I'd rather monies were spent giving people a fair chance at a touch more than an existence. You obviously know nothing about benefits, about the way the system works, about how people are treated, about sanctions, if you did you wouldn't have posted such nonsense. Disabled people are dying in this country because of the benefits system. Dying. Here. Now.

I appreciate my situation isn't really the focus of this thread but I am a full time student with children and I am better off on Universal Credit with my student loan (which gets taken into account as income) than I was working full time. Which doesn't make a lot of sense.
I have to say though that I have found the online system very smooth, I have had no difficulties with it and I do think it is a lot clearer than tax credits was. I can accurately predict what my UC would be on a given income and I certainly couldn't do that with tax credits.

@Gilead where I come from it's one man for himself ..mothers sleeping on the streets with new born babies because the government won't do nothing. You don't know how privileged you're. This sense of entitlement is why people don't come off benefits.

And I'm frankly not against benefits just against those who complain that they need more when they do nothing to help themselves. Benefits are meant to be last resort and they are lower so that people can be motivated to get out the situation. If we are all on benefits where are the taxes going to come from to keep dishing out the Benefits?

WiFi or data is an absolute ESSENTIAL for the vast majority of people. There are loads of places with no free internet or libraries and you can't apply for the VAST majority of jobs without it.

It's essential according to the job centre.

I was relying on benefits some years ago. I'm a single mum and could not find a job that suited me i.e to work around school pick up/drop off times, also couldn't do anything physical like cleaning due to back problems. The only way I managed was because I am lucky enough to have family. They would give me their unwanted items which I would sell on ebay and my mum/dad would occasionally help out with buying ds school shoes or whatever. Can't imagine how it is for those who don't have family to support them. I re-trained, found a job and ds is older now so less childcare issues.

Shen Of course I know how lucky I am to live in a country where benefits are available. You're attitude though is that I should be grateful. Why? Because I'm not elsewhere. Surely you should be more concerned with bringing others up to a level?

You say you're concerned about those who don't come off benefits, how many are they? Have you looked at the figures? Do you know ow low fraud figures are?
I do not have a sense of entitlement, I have a sense of justice, of fairness. I do expect a government, all governments to look after those least able to look after themselves.

@Kath no it's not seasonal. There can just be more work one month to the next.

And since you asked I fell pregnant by accident when I was working full time. I fully planned to go back to work full time.

I will be going back to work full time.

@Gilead of course I am concerned about those less privileged/lucky hence why I mentioned them in the first place. But I was sticking to topic and discussing those on benefits.

Maybe the government need to crack down on benefit fraud and give the money from that to people who actually need it! ( Not saying anybody on this thread is committing fraud) but it's a real problem.

I'm a single dad of two young kids relying on benefits to survive. My son is turning 4 this month and I found out I was being medically discharged from my well paying and secure military role 3 months before he was born. My wife decided 2 years later it was too much hard work looking after a disabled husband and two kids, one of whom is also disabled.

So I am left in the position of being my kids sole carer, getting my daughter to school and supporting her learning while dealing with her younger brothers, thankfully less then in the past, physical needs and his ever increasing development needs. All the with dealing with my own serve pain and mental health problems which are made worse by being on benefits.

On tuesday this week I went out to the car with the kids to take my daughter to school, I have to use the car as I am unble to walk any distances, only to find it wouldn't start. I broke down in tears because I had no idea what to do, I couldn't walk my daughter to school and I has no money or way to fix any problems with the car.

Luckily my parents were able to help and it turned out to be the battery but even still my retired parents had to help pay to replace it as without the car I'm housebound. I have never felt so low as to be unable to get my daughter to her school just a few streets away without a car.

I wouldn't wish being disabled and on benefits to my worst enemy, though I think the experience would benefit those in government to see the realities

I'm on UC at the moment, it's a nightmare. After deductions are taken for rent arrears and previous budgeting loans I get £490 a month for me and my son to live off. I have to pay for my wifi and mobile phone as I have to be searching for work and contacting employers. Once I've paid for these and my other bills (utilities, c.tax arrears etc) there's hardly anything left.

Luckily I've had a job offer to start in the new year. Just need to scrape by for a few more weeks. Definitely not possible to survive long term on benefits.

Maybe the government need to crack down on benefit fraud and give the money from that to people who actually need it! ( Not saying anybody on this thread is committing fraud) but it's a real problem.

Again, people need to get up to date and realise it's not 2008. It's been hugely cracked down on since 2010, especially with sickness benefits. It's not like under Labour where you could say you felt a bit sad last Thursday and a twinge in your back and get signed off for a decade for depression and chronic pain with no questions asked. They make you jump through huge hoops to just get the benefits and hang on to them. There's also been a crackdown on those in relationships claiming as single and cash in hand working.

Really, these attitudes that people are choosing it as an easy life and committing widespread fraud are so, so out of date and haven't been true since we had a Labour government.

Shen, I too am sticking to topic and discussing those on benefits. There are very few people fiddling or being on benefits as a perceived 'lifestyle choice'. There are a huge number of people being harassed on a daily basis. There are people on JS who shouldn't be but they're weak targets so useful for those who choose to wield a little power. There are people desperate for jobs but can't make them work for them due to childcare costs etc. There are people who are disabled, but apparently not disabled enough for any extra allowance.
A woman died last month. She was found at home with her coat on. She'd only have the heating on when her children were in the house. Government gets it wrong

You can't have people on benefits being better off than employed people. I agree wages should be higher and the income tax personal allowance should be put up to at least £15K. There is still an imbalance between entitlements on benefits and people struggling on not very high wages and having extra expenses like travel to work costs and other costs which employed people have.

Vivienne, that is not the situation. If you are on a low wage you're generally entitled to benefits. If you're unemployed, disabled or a carer; you get bugger all.

I've lived off JSA before, it was alright actually living on a tenner a day. My clothes were scruffy and I had to say no to just about everything. But I was close to a breakdown and did like the time off to recover.

I used to get pretty good at just living off the 5p reductions at the end of the day. Long term its not for most people in a consumerist society.

Unfortunately scroungers have given good people a bad name and the response to this is to.set benefits low to create the incentive you mentioned.

It pleases most tax payers I guess. The government wants to keep the taxpayers happy and I guess aren't as bothered about the people who don't contribute to the economy.

The government wants to keep the taxpayers happy and I guess aren't as bothered about the people who don't contribute to the economy.
Only we do contribute to the economy, we still purchase food, clothing, gas, electricity, etc. And benefits are taxed at source.

No. If you are on a low wage you are not always generally entitled to benefits. Say two people earn around £30K between them and have one child and will have two lots of travel expenses and perhaps a mortgage. I think the people on benefits are better off especially if they get Housing Benefit. .

I know I am very lucky to get my rent paid for me. I didn't even know I could until the housing officer told me. Up till then I was paying it fully and on time even on mat pay at 500 a month.

I think uc and the 6 week wait etc is shocking. They also talk about getting people back to work, how are they meant to when childcare is so high?

I was very naive when I found out I was pregnant and had no idea about childcare costs etc. I also had no idea I would lose more than half my wage a month on mat pay. We did save some money but we've ended up spending it on the months I got no wages.

Some people can have a very good life on benefits though, if they just work two days a week nmw so get full working tax credits and housing benefit and mantaince.

Then a couple both working full time on nmw with a mortgage get nothing and really struggle.