AIBU about people moaning about UC!

[Lemoncurdkid]

NC for this and sure I’ll get the backlash. I’m also aware there have been other threads. I’m hoping that people will help me see the other POV.

I’m not a stranger to claiming benefits but have never claimed UC.

I seem to see so many articles on how UC have ruined my life. This article annoyed me...

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/money/8014429/universal-credit-campaign-poverty-nicola-mclean-mum/amp/

This lady was claiming over £1600 a month in UC. That’s how much I earn monthly on a full time wage and I earn £26k a year. I don’t pay a pension either otherwise it would be £100 less.

I’m comparing my life to others on UC and there doesn’t seem to be reason to complain. Maybe that’s my issue, not to compare!

Along with UC there are many other benefits you can claim for which most don’t speak about. For example, free childcare, free travel, free dentist etc.
I know a lot of people who work 16 hours or who are unemployed, they may struggle but they are not in debt and they seem to live a much happier life than mine. Once again I’m comparing, but I’m struggling, living off credit cards after our bills are paid.

I guess my complaint isn’t that they are entitled to UC, but why complain about it? Shouldn’t we be grateful that we have this option in the UK. Rather than declaring poverty. A person on UC (depending on their circumstances) can actually ‘earn’ more money than a person working full time?

@tinyteatime
Someone if UC wouldn’t have my costs. As someone said previously they receive an 80% reduction on childcare costs, which equate to £7 a month. Quite a big difference from my £1000 a month.

@dvg did you not receive a redundancy payment?

NC for this

How surprising.

YABVU. What would you have done in a situation where you were forced out of the marital home with no money, had to find social housing which was too far to travel from your job and had to get children into new schools and weren't eligible for legal aid to get any assets from the marriage and had no credit cards or money?

I receive beniffits but mainly for my dc’s who are both disabled, I work part time but receive some housing beniffits. I am prepared for the switch over, over the past couple of years I have managed to be in credit with my rent (as advised by my HA), I will struggle a little with other bills but my rent will be ok.

I don’t think it’s your place to judge that someone is claiming more than what you earn each month, it really does depend on their situation and how many kids they have (if any are disabled etc..).

I am a single parent, I would love to work full time but I can not get any child care for my disabled children during school holidays, I am in the process of trying to get direct payments to pay for specialist childcare which will cost the government more than paying me beniffits to stay at home and care for my children. It really sucks and people judge me all the time, I have been called a scrounged and lazy (I am far from lazy), if I could change my situation I would and I am trying.

Being switched to UC is very stressful for some, some are unable to save any money in preparation for it, going a month or 2 with no money coming in is really worrying, if you are disabled or have disabled family members there’s not much you can do other than go into debt and use food banks.

The biggest problem with tax credits/universal credit is that it has distorted things. It has suppressed the wages of the lowest paid, they've not risen as much as those of the highest paid despite the min wage requirements. It's given businesses a cushion so they don't need to pay more to get good workers, their lowest paid are able to claim tax credits to bolster their income.

Consequently the rich have got richer at the expense of the poorer (generalised statements here, do feel free to criticise)

For those who don't want to read The Scum the woman in the article works and she works part time because she has a child with a medical condition and she needs to work around the appointments.

OP,

I get where you're coming from in terms of the media. It's a whole new system that is hard to understand. Much is made of the 5-week payment wait. It used to be that a 50% advance was available, but now it's 100% that can be paid back over 12 months.

That said, the biggest casualties are the disabled and lone parents who work part-time.

Those that are unable to work have in many cases had a double-barrelied hit with the change from DLA to PIP. Many of whom have lost awards and are unable to manage financially.

UC benefits people in work. The two wages in a month malarkey is not a loss of income but there's a flaw in the system. It's a matter of people and doing some housekeeping. Managing their dates and knowing how to budget.

There's also a lot of poor advice around. From supporting services.

The flaw in the application is vast. Many people are unable to manage the identity requirements.

When 'vulnerability' is used, it's rather arbitrary. The rise of food banks is a concern in that people have now began to rely on them. People aren't 'starving'

I read yesterday that someone had put their last £5.00 on their gas meter and they were left with no money. Not one person advised to call up the gas company and discuss the issue. There are also local authority schemes for crisis whereby help for such costs can be claimed.

There's a lot of bad press about vulnerable people being unable to manage. It's not great, granted but people also need to learn to manage their finances better.

I’m a single woman living on Universal credit.
I get £431 a month and that includes my housing element.
I’ll have your 26k a year salary if you’re offering, OP.
The problem isn’t just the amount (which may/may not be enough depending on exactly what you’re claiming. Couples, families etc get different amounts) it’s the waiting time and stupid claim rules and identity verification required. They’ve tightened up on everything and between losing my job and getting my first payment was actually 10 weeks because it was slowed down so much by their new UC rules (with regards to identity and address verification) I previously claimed jsa and hb with no issue even though I did have to supply some ID/address verification it was nowhere near the amount the DWP forced me to supply this time and I was paid within under 3 weeks.

You earn 26k but "we" bring in 40k, therefore your partner is basically on a minimum wage job in London with 3 kids? Thats why youre struggling, it's not that benefits are giving people the high-life, its that your partners entire take-home salary is going on childcare.

@lovemusic33 my complaint isn’t with anyone on UC but who complain about how much they receive. Surely we should be grateful. Any other country would not offer what the UK do. I feel like we live in a society where we expect more money from our government. Tbh I’m guilty of this too as I expect more support for my childcare. Which I guess is a contradiction to my original post. Why do we all complain so much in the UK?

@broken11girl

She signed on for Universal Credit in 2017 and started to receive £1,640 per month for her family-of-three.

Yes it does......

I disagree with the op, but it's quite normal to have to wait 6 weeks (or more) for a payday when changing jobs. I've done it more than once. I'm surprised people say it isn't. However, I am fortunate to have the skills and money to budget for this.

@stormtreader my partner is self employed, he works 50 hours a week. His taxable income was just below £15k. This is due to his expenses. His expenses are £1500 a month. Before anyone says anything he is now giving up this job that he studied years to do to go back to his old job as he can go back to earning 26k a year. But him doing so will mean I can’t claim the £600 from tax credits (if it comes through)

£1640 is a lot more than having a min wage job.

I don’t pay a pension either otherwise it would be £100 less.

Do you intend to be supported by the state in your old age then?

I am doing a degree and would be eligible for a maintenance loan, which I have not applied for because I don't want to be in more debt. Even though I have not applied for it because I would be eligible universal credit people have said they will still need to count this as an income. Which is ludicrous.

Its not ludicrous. You are a student. Fund your own degree.

I had a year on benefits when i left my job to look after my DC who became epileptic.

Tbe biggest share of the welfare bill is pensions and associated costs for the over 60s. If i was making the decisions, there would be big changes to all the over 60s free transport, tv licences, prescriptions, winter fuel.

I wouldnt reverse all the UC changes though.

Namechanging goady thread: I don't claim UC so know fuck all about it yet will pontificate.

FFS.

@fairenuff absolutely not. I’m hoping to start paying my pension in 2 years when all my children are in primary school. I’m still in my early 30’s so I’m hoping that will give me enough time. I just can’t give up that extra £100 yet.

She has a child with a disability. She is at home during the day, more cost. She has rent and she is paying back what should NOT have been a loan. She is left with 140 per month for bus fares to medical appointments, clothing etc. Her 12k a year job is obviously pro rata but it doesn't read as well like that does it.

Lemoncurdkid Fri 04-Jan-19 09:45:17
broken11girl I did say it depends on the circumstance. I’m assuming having children bumps up the payments.

You are wrong to assume that. You admit you've just made up a number to start a benefits bashing thread.

@echt I did claim to know fuck all. I NC as many of my friends are on UC.

@userscoozer nope! It’s in the article, many have also seen the figure. That number wasn’t made up, I got it from the article.

What has OP made up?

Your problem is not people on UC not being sufficiently grateful, it's the fact that despite earning a good wage you're struggling to make ends meet. There are things the government could be doing to help with this that don't involve making other people destitute. It doesn't have to be a race to the bottom.

You might want to remember that most people "on benefits" are either working or have worked previously, meaning they pay or have paid their National Insurance contributions. I would argue that there is therefore no obligation to be grateful - they are receiving money they are entitled to due to having paid into the scheme in the first place. Do you feel grateful if you have to claim on your car insurance?