To rant about universal credit

[rollingonariver]

Universal credit have fucking let us down again.
We only claim childcare but the whole process is ridiculous. You have to call them every time you make a childcare payment (even though we pay the same amount, on the same day each week). it's at least 45 mins on hold to get through and I have a boisterous toddler to look after!

You then send them 'receipts' every now and then but when you call them they can't give you a straight answer about 1. What those 'receipts' are and 2. How often I need to send them. We also can't send them receipts by email and we live in the middle of nowhere and don't drive, so I have to find a postbox - a harder task than people realise.

We get paid the same amount each month and pay the same amount of childcare and yet this month they've decided to only pay us £100, we have bills that come out today and they've fucked us. It's not the first time either.
I'm so. So. Stressed and upset. We don't need this. It's so fucking depressing they can't get their shit together and just pay us what we need to survive. Fuck.

Boxsets every time I see one of your comments on threads like these I'm a little bit more 😱 at your total lack of understanding. You really need to have a word with yourself about your lack of knowledge and empathy.

Thank you everyone who said to look into vouchers and other childcare help. I will do! :)

I live in a country where the government subsidises everyone’s child care on a sliding scale and it all works relatively easily.

I’m bewildered at the idea that people should be happy to spend an hour on the phone every week just to receive a subsidy. The UK seems to be happy for probably millions of women to leave the workforce and abandon their careers and future income prospects in order to look after their children, leaving them extremely financially vulnerable, and THEN to do sweet fuck-all if the children’s father fucks off and refuses to support them.

And apparently lots of people approve of this policy and think anyone who hopes to receive any financial assistance with child care at all should be fucking grateful to be messed around and have their time wasted in return

It is much easier in a full service area yes you literally just take a pic on your phone and upload It, it takes about 5 or 10 minutes and you have to do it once a month.

@Frequency
If she didn't claim her 'free money' her childminder would need more 'free money' to top up her wage and OP would need to leave her job so wouldn't be paying any money into the 'free money' pot. And would also be entitled to more 'free money'.

Agreed! Seriously worries me how people don’t understand that claiming a little of the benefits available to support you while you work is better than being out of work and claiming much more just to survive.
Also suggesting people simply shouldn’t have children if they would need to receive benefits after they’re born is just fucking awful.

There are some terrible people on this thread,i can understand what the op is going through, and its NOT free money,
My son has only just got his UC sorted out and this has been going on since December
He has disabilities and was trying to pay bills and rent etc, i had to subsidise him until he got money through,its a disgusting system,
I am so sorry for what you are going through op
Try to get your local MP involved too

So sorry you are having to go through this.
Also sorry there are such nasty, jealous, petty and spiteful folk about. Do try to ignore them and remember they wouldn't do it in real life.

@stealth take some of the videos lightly as some of these people have been minimalist for years and no longer wear underwear lol.

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I hope i don't get addicted and get that OTT, considering I like wearing skater dresses.

wrong thread sorry :/

I can't help regarding childcare but wanted to sympathise with you regarding universal credit. We haven't been on it long (a few months) but it was a god send in the beginning when we found ourselves in a position we never thought we would be in (jobless and homeless at the same time due to our accommodation having been tied to work).

Since then I have gone on maternity leave. I was never informed that my maternity pay would be deducted totally from UC each month so got a bit of a shop when I looked at our last statement and it was nearly all gone! Wouldn't have been so bad if anyone had said something through the whole process but they didn't.

Its the process that seems like a complete waste of money

All the woman/man hours spent and paper work to go through

I would be driven mad by the whole thing

Very frustrating for you

Of course it's free money, but regardless of what people think is fair or not, it seems like a very disorganised and COSTLY system badly managed.

Someone is paying for the staff who has to deal with monthly paperwork, and let's face it, that someone is the tax payer. Why would anyone think that's a good idea?

I read is costs a fortune each time they set it up for someone, due to the paperwork. Over 600 pounds or something! Crazy.

Not money going to the person I mean, admin costs..

Is it free money like all these emails I keep getting from supply companies?

Dear Frequency,

Congratulations. You have won a free tinting bowl worth £2.99. All you have to do to receive your prize is spend £99 in store or online before the end of July.

Terms and conditions apply. Post and packaging will be applied to your order.

I don't like those kinds of freebies. They always seem so costly. I'm sure OP would prefer the kind of free money where you don't have to go out to work and spend an hour every month on the phone to UC.

frequncy

You know you get childcare payments if you work

I think you pretty much HAVE to work to get them as thats the point if childcare

I think you pretty much HAVE to work to get them as that's the point if childcare

Precisely my point. The 'free money' pps keep whining about is money OP gets towards the cost of childcare in exchange for working and paying tax and national insurance. Last time I checked that's not what free meant.

Oh abject apologies frequency

I obviously misread completely!!!

Be thankful they are giving you free money for a choice you made. You can always not claim if you begrudge the phone calls

How tucking helpful is that?!
I presume she is claiming what the government has deemed to be what she is entitled to claim.
They expect everyone to have a job and they help with childcare.

Fucking....not tucking!

Yanbu. UC seems to be one costly system that probably won't save much in the long run. It is a truly disgusting system.

I'm sorry you're going through this and also sorry that you've had some unhelpful comments from some folk on here.

Thanks to everyone who has been helpful on this thread, I'm very glad to hear it'll be so much easier when my area finally goes full service!
I think my main issue is that however many times I speak to someone on the phone, they don't seem to know what they're talking about! I've asked about receipts so many times and they don't know what counts as a receipt and I can't even get a straight answer out of them about how often I have to report childcare.

I get universal credit and I don't work (have 2 kids under 5 and no income after leaving an abusive man)
I do wonder if boxsets and her ilk would rather my kids saw me black and blue until they turned 18 rather than me having to run and rely on the social welfare system.
Anyway OP I sympathise.
The waiting times, the needless red tape and constant contact with them is quite wearing and I don't even contact them once a week (I'm not expected to look for work yet, though I am looking, and I don't claim for childcare).
I'm hoping to find something, either work or study (looking at various study options) before I'm forced to look for work as I know a couple of people unemployed and expected to job search and they're treated worse than shit.
It's really fucking shit and while I see universal credit was a good idea (in its infancy) as its come in its become a stick to beat people with and a crazily inefficient system too.

UC is an absolute shambles!

Whether you're on full benefits or only receiving top ups, it's a disastrous, overly complicated system that costs the taxpayer far more than the previous systems ever did.

UC needs to be scrapped ASAP!

i mean, its free money lol at least youre lucky enough to get it.