Benefits - AIBU to think this is impossible?

[josephinebonaparted]

I’ve just been reading a different thread about single parents and benefits, and I’m confused.

I was told by a single mum friend that she was receiving £2k a month in benefits (3 kids, all live with her). She lives in owned house mortgage free, works around 10h a week, received £500pm maintenance for kids. No disabilities in family (at least as far as I can see). South of England.

Is this even POSSIBLE? I don’t know if she’s on universal credit or old style benefits. If it doesn’t sound right, could she be misclaiming? I’m worried that she’s committing fraud or passively choosing to ignore errors, and may have to pay it all back...

Before anyone starts this is not meant to be goady or judgy. I know I am lucky that I don’t come across the benefit system much.

2k a month, with no housing element? I doubt it.

Not without housing costs I doubt it no

I only get housing because I live in SE and tax credits is minimal for me

If you own you don’t get the housing element

You're worried she's committing fraud? Or do you just want to be spiteful and snide and have something to feel better about and feel gleeful when you report her?

I agree that sounds too much if she owns her own house and there are no disabilities.

Ok, I was curious enough to plug in the numbers on entitledto and it came back as £314.50 per week. No housing benefit and no childcare to pay for. As she works 10 hours a week, perhaps she gets childcare tax credits that bump it up to the 2k mark?

Beyond that, I can't get worked up. Looking after 3 kids by yourself is not easy and most of the money will be going on the basics such as food and clothing.

With childcare I can well imagine it's around that mark - it's not cheap to feed, clothe and house three children and as a single parent of three there's very little you can do that would allow you to pay out 3 lots of childcare per month and still be able to live.

As some of the posters on the other thread said, if I thought this is so great then I’d quit my job and claim the same!

No - I’m absolutely not being snide or mean. I am not judging if it’s too much or too little (in a moral sense). It seemed a lot relative to the numbers I saw in the other post, and of course she owned her own house I didn’t know if it should make a difference. I only know NHS old people care taking into account value of property so wondered if that had some impact on her benefits (eg she failed to declare her house so she gets a housing allowance in addition)

I will NOT be reporting her

Maintenance is not taken into consideration on UC, nor is owning a house that you live in. As PPs have said you wouldn't get the housing element though.

I'm a single parent of two children. I work 35 hours pw in a low paid job and my salary (after tax) plus tax credits comes to around 2k per month, without any housing allowance as I own my house, so it makes sense that your friend, who has more children than me and works a lot fewer hours would get that amount in benefits.

I don't see how she would get a housing allowance just by not declaring she owns a house, though. She would need to show proof of rent to claim it.

“Sue” was living in social housing on your other thread. When did she move?

@MyDcAreMarvel

@MyDcAreMarvel possibly around the time she acquired her 3rd child (she only had 2 on the first thread)

Well assuming she's over 25 and all 3 of her children were born before April 2017 she'd get (UC):

£317.82 standard allowance
£277.08 child 1
£231.67 child 2
£231.67 child 3

That's £1,058.24

She'd have no deductions for earnings on the higher work allowance with no housing element.

She is also eligible for childcare costs of 85% up to £1108.

So if all children are in childcare then it's possible.

Busy woman Sue @DanielRicciardosSmile

@MyDcAreMarvel she sure is... quick mover too.

I’m not the poster on the other thread.

Daniel and MyDC, what exactly are you trying to prove?

It was reading the other thread about ‘Sue’ that made me think about this situation. Otherwise I wouldn’t have a point of comparison.

I don’t like the daily mail don’t post this journalist penis beaker...

Thank you to those who posted. The children go to their neighbour’s when she’s working outside the school day. Perhaps she’s a registered childminder (though since the youngest is 9 it’s a bit strange).

It is what it is. I should probably leave it here now as I’m feeling like I’m encroaching on someone else’s issues and privacy.

Sue is that you back again

I can only hope that was a joke! Taking myself back to the other post.