AIBU to understand our benefit system at times?

[JacketSpud55]

Dh has started a new job on more than double what he was earning previously, which is great and I am very proud of him. He use to earn roughly £24,000 per year and we would get £1367 a month universal credit plus £200 every 4 weeks child benefit, so a grand total of £3152 a month (including wages.) Fast forward to now £57,500 a year with a take home pay of £3360 and we are still entitled to £248 universal credit. Which seems crazy to me especially when they claim back a large chunk of the child benefit back through an adjusted tax code at the end of the year. Why not raise the child benefit limit to £65,000-70,000 and let us keep the £200 child benefit in my case and scrap off the £248 universal credit, it would be much simpler.

Before anyone asks I have contacted DWP through my journal and we are definitely still entitled to the £248 UC, I contacted them as I was 100% sure they must of made a mistake.

I have 3 dc and live in the midlands so not even crazy London rent prices involved.

I don't understand, are you complaining because you think they shouldn't be paying you universal credit?

How are you getting anything on that wage

I know you say no mistake but I really think there must be, even if this is an error on their part.

You can’t even get child benefit on those wages so I honestly think there has been an error somewhere.

Oh hold on do you mean the tax free childcare?

I’m shocked that you were entitled to £1367 uc per month whilst your husband was earning 24k?! I am a single mum with 2 dc (one of whom is entitled to dla) and I get £1250!

YANBU. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, I cannot fathom how you're still entitled.

No child care element in the universal credit just the standard allowance, child element and housing element. My point is it is crazy to remove the child benefit but still give us universal credit.

That doesn't sound right to me, have they based the new figure on a full universal credit cycle of the new cycle?

I wouldn't be surprised if it went down.

All in I earn more than your DH, however even when I earned less we would not have been entitled to any sort of help (and we have a disabled child too).

Unless you have very high childcare cost I would be wary that there has been a mistake, which you will be liable to pay back.

@TiredSloth

I’m shocked that you were entitled to £1367 uc per month whilst your husband was earning 24k?! I am a single mum with 2 dc (one of whom is entitled to dla) and I get £1250!

Yes I'm also surprised, I have a child and am out of work ATM and I get £1250

We do get 1 disabled child element as well. I have contacted them twice and twice I have been told it is correct.

Another vote for very confused. When DH earned £25,000 and I didn't work at all, we were entitled to no UC at all with one DS. How were you entitled to so much?! Expecting a drip feed here tbh.

Is it just the 1 payment you have had?

If so it could change in coming months (due to the way the UC time periods work out).

@JacketSpud55

We do get 1 disabled child element as well. I have contacted them twice and twice I have been told it is correct.

I do t k is how it all works but I think this is the reason you are still getting something, your allowance with a disabled child is higher.

That is a huge amount! Be prepared for them to suddenly decide they made a mistake and you now owe them thousands

Is it based on last years earnings? And then next year will be based on this years? I know with tax credits that’s how they worked it out.

Quite jealous as a single mum of 3 working full time and on TC of less than half of what you’re getting as UC!

Lone parent, mixture of working and self employment, not entitled to any UC when I made a claim last year, claim closed but now I have to pay back the last three months of tax credits we received before DH died two years ago, nothing make sense in the benefits world

From my statement Friday

Take home pay £3360-293(work allowance)=£3067

£3067x0.63=£1932.20

Universal credit allowance £2180-£1932.20=£247.80

That sounds crazy, when my DP was made redundant he was only entitled to six months of payments then they decided my salary (£36k) should support us and we never got offered anything else at all and yet how can you get universal credit if your DP earns £57.5k

This doesn't seem accurate to me

My partner brings home around 1300 a month and we get roughly 3 - 500 depending on wage fluctuations, that's including housing, child, and disability element ..... I think there's some major mistakes happening in your claim here and it would be best investigating so you don't end up having to pay back a lot of money

That is the first month since he started the new job, it is a full month and live from the tax office. Maybe it will change next month, I just don’t see why you pay back one benefit to receive another one.

@CopperBear

Another vote for very confused. When DH earned £25,000 and I didn't work at all, we were entitled to no UC at all with one DS. How were you entitled to so much?! Expecting a drip feed here tbh.

Same here.

The same thing happens with Carers allowance. You don't get it with some other benefits, but you count as getting it and it all works out the same because of 'elements' . They couldn't change the entire benefits system, so had to do it that way.

It's a shame that UC never worked the way it could have.

That’s correct because as you don’t rent you have a higher work allowance added to the disabled child element especially if it’s high rate but even if not the figures still add up.

Renting and home owning make a huge difference to universal credit payments. I rent and although being on what I consider a good wage I am still entitled to a considerable amount, without any childcare element. If I bought a house I wouldn't be entitled to anything as my wage would cancel out any remaining entitlement when rent element was removed.