£20 per week Universal credit changes

[FlatteredFool]

I've been worrying about the £20 a week extra stopping for a while although I can't say I noticed an increase in the amount I was given. Today I've looked at the breakdown of the benefit and discovered that the extra was taken off me anyway due to the benefit cap. If I didn't get child maintenance, not that he pays the right amount, then I'd be scraping by at best. The benefit cap takes £380 a month off. During the top up times it was £460. So the actual amount I get hasn't changed. How can the government say they are helping when they aren't at all?

At least you get to keep some of the maintenance payment, when I was a single parent in the mid-nineties every penny received in maintenance was deducted from your income support as it was then known.

Grant shapes was on tv saying now is the right time to end the £20 as theres so many jobs out there.......
presumably if you get a high enough paid job you wouldn't need UC at all, so that bits irrelevant
A lot of people in receipt of UC are working anyway, so again irrelevant

I thought you are not subject to the cap if you worked?

I find the 'count yourself lucky' brigade so strange. Surely after a struggle it's a good thing to see people get more help
I work, I get UC, I get no maintenance for three children and the slating people like me get is disgusting.
When I started UC the 20 boost was in place and I barely have enough, now I'll be down 87 a month. And people look down at me for it.

I didn’t get it because I am on the old system of income support, it annoys me to see so many people moaning about not getting it anymore when some of us didn’t get it at all!

Maybe you need to ensure the father pays the correct amount for the children he chose to have.

Well you should be making sure you get what maintenance you should be getting, via csa. That's not the governments fault.
The £20 was temporary. Everyone knew this. Yes UC is ridiculously low, but I don't know why everyone's still complaining when it's been explained over a million times.

I started claiming while the uplift was in place and honestly have been scraping by. I don’t really know how I’m gonna do without it. Unfortunately I live in an area where the cost of living is high.

@JasonMomoasgirlfriend

Maybe you need to ensure the father pays the correct amount for the children he chose to have.

Oh yeah, make that the mother's responsibility! You know, the one that does ALL the caring, financially and practically. Of course the father taking responsibility and supporting his children financially shouldn't be upto him? Ffs

Fabulous empathy on display already.

@Mumoblue

Fabulous empathy on display already.

Because complaining on mumsnet won't solve the issue. They need to write to their MPs. They need to kick off at the right people. What's the point in complaining if your not going to do anything about it? No?

@Mumoblue

I started claiming while the uplift was in place and honestly have been scraping by. I don’t really know how I’m gonna do without it. Unfortunately I live in an area where the cost of living is high.

What do you mean? How can cost of living be higher where you live?

Your rent is paid?
Same with council tax?
Tesco/Asda/etc prices are the same all over
As are gas/elec/water

What's so much higher that it's so much worse for you?

Well if she wants the money she might have to do something to get it if he is being an arse to give it to her. Yeh.

But if the opportunity is to get money that's rightfully hers from the father why wouldn't she?

I think getting extra money isn't up to the government if it can come from somewhere else first (job, child maintenance or whatever)

I knew the £20 was temporary so I am not stressing about it.

However, I am an IDVA full time. I get UC. I don’t see how Johnson can simultaneously say they want violence against women sorted out but also tell people paid to do that to leave their jobs and get better paid ones.

@gardeninggirl68
I’m not saying it’s “so much worse”, but I do live in an expensive area. I don’t drive, and public transport is a cost I can’t really afford. My ex also left me in debt with the energy company and cancelled my TV license, meaning I had to take a new one out and pay more for a bit.

Honestly I’d prefer to live in Scotland with my family, but circumstances don’t permit that, so I was having a little moan about it- didn’t realise I owe you a rundown of my finances.

I thought some people even on full UC had to top up rent and C/tax depending on area?

I’m sorry for those having troubles.

Banana, that’s right. I get UC but pay full council tax.

Shitty answers on here today op ignore them.

The uplift has covered the rise in prices for utilities and food for most I know and they've not gone down in price but up.

The spiteful comments of how lucky you are to get it obviously come from some bitter people that have no idea in these times how hard it can be.

As a poster up thread has said a lot of people on universal Credit already work.

Clearly earnings are too low for people to get off the breadline which is why they're claiming in the first place.

Not everyone was born into a comfortable lifestyle eh

For the record no I don't claim any benefits but I'm the bracket where I earn too much to claim but it's always tight each month so god knows what it's like for people who do need to claim.

Higher the living wage accordingly and stop robbing people left right and centre.

And yes we are all luckier than others but the op is well within her rights to be worried about the drop eh so no need to give her shit.

If you can't be kind say nothing.

Jesus Christ, some of these responses.

Some areas are more expensive to live in than others, why is that so hard to understand?

Tesco/Asda/etc prices are the same all over

Is that true? It never used to be. When I was at uni, I had a job price checking Tesco’s & Sainsburys etc across a county… recording the price of the same thing in different stores. They definitely varied then!

@TakeYourFinalPosition

Tesco/Asda/etc prices are the same all over

Is that true? It never used to be. When I was at uni, I had a job price checking Tesco’s & Sainsburys etc across a county… recording the price of the same thing in different stores. They definitely varied then!

No it's not true, even restaurant chains have different prices in different locations.

There's one particular chain with cheaper prices in Basildon compared to Chelmsford 😂

My point was that the government were claiming they were giving extra help but actually it was taken straight back via the benefit cap so I didn't actually get it.

My rent is not paid fully, I pay part of it and I pay council tax at a reduced rate. House prices here are high and rents are ridiculous. Fuel bills are painful and I'm cutting fuel use as much as possible.

Sorry for causing a derail, OP. It’s ridiculous that the uplift was taken off of you.

Supermarket prices vary. Whenever friends come from up north to London, it's something they always comment on how dearer things are here. Which makes sense because businesses like residents pay more for rent.

JasonMomoasgirlfriend

Maybe you need to ensure the father pays the correct amount for the children he chose to have.“

Genius! Bet she hadn’t thought of taking that oh so simple step ….