Better off on Benefits? How did it work out for you?

[TheQueef]

AIBU to ask those who are better off on benefits to tell me how it worked out when they sacked off work?

Not anecdotal 'someone I know' but real first hand experience?

Has anyone honestly given up work for benefits and how did it pan out?

Bump.

Bit goady but... I'm about £100 better off and will be returning to work when DD is at school.
I can have a job back in my department if there's a suitable vacancy and I have a good reference if I apply elsewhere.

I'll bite. I gave up work when my children were 4 and 6. I did a 9mth teaching assistant course but was technically out of work and able to claim income support. Guess what? It was the hardest 9 months of my life. I was far worse off than in employment. So it felt pretty shit.
There you go.

I am being a bit goady because I simply don't believe it.
So many people absolutely KNOW someone who's better off etc it's bobbar.
Being dependent on benefits is (imo) hanging on the edge, not some cushy lifestyle choice.
The myth that you pop in the job centre and cash out is widespread.

My experience and those I'm close to is it's harder than work.

If only DH is working, as has been the case for the past few years, when he was on minimum wage we were definitely better off when he was unemployed.
We are still poor, but not as stressed on benefits cos (once we'd lost the house during his second redundancy) we got the rent paid. The council tax was less, the DC got free school meals so we knew they were guaranteed a meal each day.
I am going to work now, and DH hopes to start soon too, and with us both full time, just over NMW, we will be about £200-£300 a month better off than on benefits.
That said, it was pretty shit whether he was working or not, nobody should go to work for 50 hours a week and still not be able to buy food!
When I think what we had when we met, it's ridiculous, we were so much better off a few years ago but shit happened...

It's not cushy at all but being in work, paying nursery fees and claiming UC was getting me into debt so I had to leave.

It's easier to economise when you have all day to do it too rather than trying to fit everything in.

not exactly the same, but I was only £10 a month better off working full time than I was part time because of the nursery fees/tax credits. It really made more sense to be part time for a tenner less and let tax creds pick up my childcare bill but I wanted a promotion so went full time anyway.

Queef I misunderstood the tone. I'm a private renter btw. If I'd been paying local authority rent I would have been about the same as before. Not better off.

I'm a single parent, I was made redundant about 5 years ago, it took me a year to find suitable work. Within that year I claimed housing benefit, single parent benefit (income support) and child tax credits, I now work 25 hours a week and im no longer entitled to HB or IS (understandably) which is more or less what I earn, I still receive WTC/CTC. Unfortunately, the system is wrong, why would people work if they are no better of because of it? I want to work, I want to show my children you can't and shouldn't just sit back and let it come to you, also, there is only so much Jeremy Kyle you can watch without going stir crazy 😁

Dh was made redundant 4 years ago (before uc) we looked on the entitlement website and it said we would get loads. We couldn’t believe it. The figures showed we would be down about £150 a month. It made us question the point of working a 40 hour week.

The reality is when we applied for everything we got about £70 a week and were up shit creek. The gentleman at the job centre told us if we didn’t own our own home we would of got more help. Thankfully Dh started a new job after a month.

@Lollypop27

No help for us as homeowners either. I can see both sides of that argument.