To ask how people will cope with Universal credit cut.

[ponyexpress22]

Surely they aren't going ahead with cutting it by £20 a week? I'm shocked that the government could stoop this low. What the hell are they doing.

"Getting £1,000 every month in addition to full time earnings would add up to a decent chunk"

You wouldn't get 1000 in UC if you worked.
For every £1 you earn, they take away 80p of your UC money (or something along those lines)

Basically if you earn over a set threshold, you get no UC.

Also.
Of you get a job that pays weekly and there's 5 pay days in one month, they close your UC claim and you have to reclaim the month after. If you get paid weekly that happens about 3 times a years. If you get paid 4 weekly, it happens twice and if you get paid monthly, it doesn't happen.

Their solution, instead of fixing it, is to tell you to just be aware and budget for having no UC that month..

@Gimlisaxe

A lot of people are going to be fucked this winter

Just a reminder on this for anyone who might be struggling, make sure you check your gas supplier for the warm home discount, that you might be able to get, they normally open applications about now

Thank you so much for this - I've just applied.

Earnings reduce the whole award not just the housing element. but if you have a child, then a significant amount of wages is disregarded before earnings reduce the Uc amount.

Some of the responses on here are shameful. It's disgusting we allow children to go hungry. The Tories love a race to the bottom, happy for lower paid people to do jobs to keep society going but expect them to choose between eating or heating.

I for one would be happy for the £20 to stay. I can't stand the thought of what some families have to go through to get the basics. It's not as easy as getting another job when you are a single parent or you know actually have to look after your kids

I am fortunate I work as a nurse, am married and have 2 DC, we will cope with the NI increase, I don't feel it's fair but that's the Tories for you as long as their rich mates continue to benefit from covid it's all good.

We should care for our fellow human beings I would love some on this thread to live a week as some of the families who need the UC uplift have to. Shame on you all.

@UndertheCedartree
Glad it helped at least one person :)

@PalmarisLongus

"Getting £1,000 every month in addition to full time earnings would add up to a decent chunk"

You wouldn't get 1000 in UC if you worked.
For every £1 you earn, they take away 80p of your UC money (or something along those lines)

Basically if you earn over a set threshold, you get no UC.

Also.
Of you get a job that pays weekly and there's 5 pay days in one month, they close your UC claim and you have to reclaim the month after. If you get paid weekly that happens about 3 times a years. If you get paid 4 weekly, it happens twice and if you get paid monthly, it doesn't happen.

Their solution, instead of fixing it, is to tell you to just be aware and budget for having no UC that month..

This is nonsense. It's perfectly feasible for people to still get £1000 in Uc when working, especially if they have high rent and childcare costs or a few kids born before the 2 child cap. It is 63p that is taken off Uc for each pound earned not 80p and everyone with a child on the claim will get a work allowance meaning a significant amount of wage sis disregarded before deductions even occur. They do not close your claim because you have 5 pay days in one month, it would depend on the amount earned and you get paid more Uc on the four week months which balances out. Even if they did close your claim it is very easy to do a rapid reclaim.

And there is no set threshold. the threshold will vary for each individual situation.

@PalmarisLongus

"Getting £1,000 every month in addition to full time earnings would add up to a decent chunk"

You wouldn't get 1000 in UC if you worked.
For every £1 you earn, they take away 80p of your UC money (or something along those lines)

Basically if you earn over a set threshold, you get no UC.

Also.
Of you get a job that pays weekly and there's 5 pay days in one month, they close your UC claim and you have to reclaim the month after. If you get paid weekly that happens about 3 times a years. If you get paid 4 weekly, it happens twice and if you get paid monthly, it doesn't happen.

Their solution, instead of fixing it, is to tell you to just be aware and budget for having no UC that month..

That doesn’t mean people shouldn’t work or aim to get off benefits.

That doesn’t mean people shouldn’t work or aim to get off benefits.

Did I say it did?
Where did I say that people shouldn't work?
Are you reading words I didn't write?

They do not close your claim because you have 5 pay days in one month, it would depend on the amount earned and you get paid more Uc on the four week months which balances out. Even if they did close your claim it is very easy to do a rapid reclaim.

Cool cool.
Best let the DWP know.

Threshold as in you get to appoint where you earn too much to get UC

How your earnings affect your payments
If you’re employed, how much Universal Credit you get will depend on your earnings. Your Universal Credit payment will reduce gradually as you earn more

"work allowance meaning a significant amount of wage sis disregarded before deductions even occur."

The work allowance
You can earn a certain amount before your Universal Credit is reduced if you or your partner are either:

^responsible for a child or young person
living with a disability or health condition that affects your ability to work^
This is called a ‘work allowance’. Your work allowance is lower if you get help with housing costs.

Your circumstances
You get help with housing cost £293
You do not get help with housing costs £515

@simitra

We are told there are staff shortges everywhere now. Lorry drivers, retail. hospitality, warehouses, etc. Some of these jobs (apart from lorry drivers) are low skilled. So if physically fit (and instead of being on benefit or a low wage and claiming UC at the tax payer's expense) people should be doing what they would have to do in the USA where there is no welfare state. Whats that? Work 2/3 jobs to provide for themselves or find a better paying job rather than looking for subs and handouts.

And if we can't work?

"It's perfectly feasible for people to still get £1000 in Uc when working, especially if they have high rent"

Rents only pay up to LHA rates and deduct for extra bedrooms. UC is Dependant on the LHa rates, not what your rent is.

@PalmarisLongus

"It's perfectly feasible for people to still get £1000 in Uc when working, especially if they have high rent"

Rents only pay up to LHA rates and deduct for extra bedrooms. UC is Dependant on the LHa rates, not what your rent is.

Yes of course it does, but LHA can be pretty high especially in London and the south east so it is perfectly feasible that someone could get £1000 Uc a month. Really not sure what your point is?

@vivainsomnia - we were cold but luckily didn't starve because of FSM and the food bank.

@sleepygnome

It was only ever temporary and seeing as workers are now going to be paying 1.25% extra, it seems reasonable that everyone needs to take the hit.

I started claiming UC at the same time the covid increase was introduced. My reason for claiming had nothing to do with covid. I also work. Luckily for me I have been able to work as normal for the last 18 months so my earned income hasn't changed. From now on I am not getting the covid increase in my UC and I will also be paying the increased NI. Therefore I'm 'taking the hit' twice.

This is nonsense. It's perfectly feasible for people to still get £1000 in Uc when working, especially if they have high rent and childcare costs or a few kids born before the 2 child cap

No, your post is nonsense.

Don't you remember what happened in 2010 when the coalition got in? They set LHA at an 'average rate' this basically meant that a lot of people had to relocate from expensive areas like London, even if it was a 'poor' area. I remember people posting about this on here.

It was obvious that by giving people an extra £20 for over a year they would become accustomed to having it and complain once it was over. It would be wonderful if we as a country could top up everybody's pay but to he truth is as a country we spent far too much during pandemic and now we are in very deep debt. We have to put up NI and cut the £20, which was only ever temporary, and I would not be surprised if VAT had to go up as well. Today I read mortgage rates would probably rise by end of 2022. During pandemic many people gained as did not have to pay travel costs and could WFH. Others got furlough or grants from government. I think in general the government did help put as many people as they could but now the country has reopened we have to pay down debt. A tighter Xmas for many I think.

Really not sure what your point is?

That's good, I'm not sure what your point is either. Seems like you're posting from a position of authority on UC so I assume you've been claiming it and jumping through all these hoops for the last few years of your life?

I simple said someone earning full time wages won't get £1000 UC.

I could have gone into great detail about how some certain circumstances with a particular address or number of children of child care bill etc etc etc could get more, as you seem to be pointing toward, but as.my.post was a response to another, a succinct and simple response was more than enough.

But obviously it's offended you enough to call it nonsense so I'll leave you to your googling 'expertise'

@caringcarer

It was obvious that by giving people an extra £20 for over a year they would become accustomed to having it and complain once it was over. It would be wonderful if we as a country could top up everybody's pay but to he truth is as a country we spent far too much during pandemic and now we are in very deep debt. We have to put up NI and cut the £20, which was only ever temporary, and I would not be surprised if VAT had to go up as well. Today I read mortgage rates would probably rise by end of 2022. During pandemic many people gained as did not have to pay travel costs and could WFH. Others got furlough or grants from government. I think in general the government did help put as many people as they could but now the country has reopened we have to pay down debt. A tighter Xmas for many I think.

They didn't 'help' people to be kind. They did it because otherwise our economy would have crashed.

It's going back to what it was. They only increased it due to the pandemic as people were home more. It was only ever a short term thing.

@WhoIsPepeSilva

I know in some cases people have been told completely incorrect information by the UC. I was not informed of the COVID increase but when my payments increased and I queried it I was told it was a band increase due to a recent health assessment.

The first I heard of the COVID increase was when they told people in a generic note sent to all claimants journals I'd be losing it two weeks ago. So they can send out a memo to everyone apparently.

I don't have a problem with being given a temporary extra and them taking it back, what I do have a problem with is that some people have fallen through the cracks, been given misinformation and suddenly are getting a large whack of cash wheeched out from under them. But there seems little point complaining.

To add insult to injury I was told by one operator that "It was all over the telly so I should have known" Well that's excellent, but I don't have a telly and avoid the news because it exacerbates my depression but I should have known of course. The UC doesn't need to actually get in touch with their service users, we should just watch the telly for important updates! Perfectly sensible and a lovely bit of "victim blaming" from that operator. Was (still am) a bit pissed off about that comment.

I know there was a global pandemic and things will go wrong, but I can't imagine I'm the only one who was missed in the newsletter, given very wrong information and is will now have to do some quick foot work to keep things from crashing around their ears, all on top of dealing with mental/physical health issues.

Sadly I can see there being another big uptick in suicide stats in the coming months because of the way this has been handled.

Given incorrect information by UC - doesn't suprise me in the slightest, sadly! And honestly some of them have so little empathy, it's an eye-opener!

I think it was great they increased payments. It really helped people during a horrible time.

@caringcarer

It was obvious that by giving people an extra £20 for over a year they would become accustomed to having it and complain once it was over. It would be wonderful if we as a country could top up everybody's pay but to he truth is as a country we spent far too much during pandemic and now we are in very deep debt. We have to put up NI and cut the £20, which was only ever temporary, and I would not be surprised if VAT had to go up as well. Today I read mortgage rates would probably rise by end of 2022. During pandemic many people gained as did not have to pay travel costs and could WFH. Others got furlough or grants from government. I think in general the government did help put as many people as they could but now the country has reopened we have to pay down debt. A tighter Xmas for many I think.

No, we don't have to put up NI (at least not across the board) or take away the uplift. There are other things could be done. Wealth tax being one thing.

I think it's ridiculous that people on benefits got a raise when the rest of us got pay cuts 🤷‍♀️