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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU To think universal credit are cf

161 replies

laura6032 · 03/06/2018 11:56

Just been looking into universal credit. Family's on low income would claim child tax and working tax credits, renew annually and thats it.

Now with universal credit your expected to sign a work commitment, and have meetings with a work coach to find better paid work. Like what, retail, catering and other industries have paid low wages historically.

Seems to me that this government is making low income Family's jump through hoops to get their benefits rather than go after the multi million pound employers that don't pay their employees a decent livable income.

Jus me or is this really fecking out of line. Is our government happy to subsidise low paying employers while making hard working families on low income have to hump hoops.

OP posts:
WhatisaNarwhal · 03/06/2018 16:49

The issue for many in receipt of tax credits is the cost of childcare, especially single parents. It’s astronomical, and even “reasonable” salaries don’t cover these costs plus the cost of living.

HelenaDove · 03/06/2018 16:49

@Starry
"
In most cases, especially where both parents are highly skilled, it is more economically beneficial for the country that both parents work full-time while other people who don't have the same earning ability are paid to look after the children"

User and yet ppl on this thread are saying those low paid nursery workers should just find a better job So who would wipe Jemimas nose while Mummy is at work then.

RoadToRivendell · 03/06/2018 16:52

The issue for many in receipt of tax credits is the cost of childcare, especially single parents. It’s astronomical, and even “reasonable” salaries don’t cover these costs plus the cost of living.

It doesn't make sense that on the one hand, nursery workers are paid a pittance and on the other, childcare is astronomical.

I sense the time is ripe for an OFSTED regulation upset.

HelenaDove · 03/06/2018 16:56

o
"Scenario B - you don’t look for work and the assessor can see that your current employer is advertising for people for 20 hours a week doing the job you are currently doing - stop your benefits or limit them as you can reasonably increase your own income but have chosen not to"

a, its likely there will be several ppl on UC in this workplace They cant all be given the extra hours. Are you seriously suggesting that the ones who arent "The Chosen One" should be punished for not being chosen. How are they supposed to make sure they are "The Chosen One" Offer sexual favours perhaps. Would you be happy with this scenario if this employer was your husband.

Employers also dont pay out as much for part timers Why do you think they make the jobs part time in the first place.

hmmwhatatodo · 03/06/2018 16:57

So are we saying that someone working full time but sadly not earning enough to cover the cost of private rent will have to take time off work to attend meetings telling them to work harder/longer/whatever?

HelenaDove · 03/06/2018 17:01

hmmm its already been happening. There was a report on the BBC a while ago,

Parents are having to take time off to take childcare paperwork in.
Because they have made claiming it complicated You have to pay upfront and claim it back and in some cases they are not getting it back.

chasegirl · 03/06/2018 17:02

Vikkibee UC does pay a disabled child addition. But... UC is very tough for self employed people if it's considered they are not earning enough I. E. 30 hours at min wage. If a self employed person earns less than that amount UC will take the amount into account regardless of actual earnings. This is called the minimum income floor

lapenguin · 03/06/2018 17:06

Maybe if minimum wage matched the cost of living, with a little left over for savings, then we wouldn't need universal credit.
I am a nurse and my OH is an instructor yet we are barely keeping ourselves afloat. Mainly due to the cost of childcare. We got into an impossible circle, you have to wait five weeks to get your first payment, OH had to do overtime to make ends meet, which meant we were just over the threshold and got nothing, he then had to do overtime the following month and we carried on in a horrible cycle.

SickofPeterRabbit · 03/06/2018 17:08

@KarinVogel Thanks for that. I'm guessing you're putting us Disabled people into that disgusting 'Low life' category of yours?

SickofPeterRabbit · 03/06/2018 17:09

@Xenia Some of us don't have a choice!!!!!!!! Angry

Gilead · 03/06/2018 17:14

Sick, I rather think that Karin was being sarcastic and is in fact on our side. Flowers

hmmwhatatodo · 03/06/2018 17:14

Ok so I just had a look at some rules, it says that if you are earning what you would get working 35 hours a week on minimum wage then you won’t have to attend any meetings. That’s about 7.50 an hour x 35 give or take. So something like £14000 a year (my calculations are rough) to not attend meetings though it says there are instances where this wouldn’t count like caring for someone or having a 1 year old.

freegazelle · 03/06/2018 17:25

@hmm

Yes. The problem is when people are unable/ can't find full time work. Or when they are on zero hours contracts or self employed and sometimes they fall bellow the monthly threshold.

HelenaDove · 03/06/2018 17:37

YY ivykaty There are enough shortages in the NHS as it is without nurses having to take time off to go to the Job Centre or CAB. Or having to forego sleep to attend these appointments

Anyone fancy being treated by a very tired and worried nurse?

rainingcatsanddog · 03/06/2018 17:37

It's a fucking disgrace that you can work full-time hours but need government top ups.

I understand that it's not as simple as raising the minimum wage as everybody's wages would have to rise and inflation would occur and that would mean a fresh set of problems.

Austerity has created a climate where wages have barely increased while the cost of living has gone up a lot. The people at the bottom have paid the most for this as they are the ones using the Surestart Centres, paying an ever increasing percentage of income on utilities etc It is regularly implied that the people at the bottom are getting too much eg the free funding for 2 year olds.

The government don't want all people moving to more lucrative jobs. They need cleaners, baristas, supermarket staff, assistants, nannies etc to help them earn their big bucks.

ThisMustBeMyDream · 03/06/2018 17:44

I have an awful lot to say about UC.

Lots have been covered by others on here.

I'd like to add something new.

Did you know that under UC, student LOANS are counted as income? So, for your low paid worker, who needs to better their chances in order to earn enough, they will be hit by a double whammy of having their monthly income reduced because they have a student loan which is repayable!!!

Personally, I find this shocking. Currently, student parents can claim tax credits. Their student loan is not income, as it's a loan. Under UC, suddenly that loan is treated as income. It's like they are expected to pay twice over for education needed to get them those better jobs!

BoxsetsAndPopcorn · 03/06/2018 17:47

Given how many don't ever pay back their "loan" it's right that it's classed as income.

Most study and get that part of their life over and done with before making the huge financial commitment of a child. Studying after children was a known get around to avoid swapping from IS to JSA when a child turned five.

Thehogfather · 03/06/2018 17:49

Yy to banning zero hours. And if the shortage of social/ affordable housing was addressed it would solve a lot of the problems.

hmmwhatatodo · 03/06/2018 17:51

Is that including the fees that just goes directly to pay for the course or is it the maintenance loan part they class as income?

ThisMustBeMyDream · 03/06/2018 17:54

How do you get people off UC and in to higher paid work then boxsets?

I was a 16 year old single mum who by 20 was a fully fledged tax paying member of society, having gone straight back to education and university. I'd be in the benefits trap if I didn't get the financial support to see me through it.

I'd have been a low paid worker all my life if UC had been around back then.

ThisMustBeMyDream · 03/06/2018 17:54

It's the maintenance loan. Although there have been documented cases of UC fucking up and including the portion for fees as income too.

freegazelle · 03/06/2018 18:06

@this

"Although there have been documented cases of UC fucking up and including the portion for fees as income too."

Yep.

freegazelle · 03/06/2018 18:09

They do that with the Masters loan, even though in most cases the masters loan only covers the fees. And they take it into consideration even if you don't take the loan out.

Happypuppy · 03/06/2018 18:10

Im on the fence but I’ve known so many people in min wage jobs just work the bare minimum to get tax credits top ups and it all seems so easy, so on that side of it I think there should be a few more hoops to jump through.

SluttyButty · 03/06/2018 18:13

The hog the new social housing going up here is expensive to live in. I went and had a nose last week and was shocked that a new build (and bear in mind these won't have any extras mortgaged ones come with) are, for a 3 bed, £220a week and a minimum income of £2300 a month I think it was to be in with a chance.

I was mind blown because that's not really going to help a lot of people.