Benefits

[Shasha17]

Posting for traffic!

I am an expat and just really don't understand benefits at all and have no idea of how much people get (I moved pretty much right after uni and my kids were born abroad so never really was entitled to them).

One of my good friends here is planning to move back to the UK with her two children. She has been living abroad for a few years but is British. She wants to claim benefits until she gets herself sorted with a job and we have just used a gov.uk benefits calculator and it tells her she can get almost £1700 a month 😳 This can't be right, can it? It seems like a awful lot more than we were expecting! She filled in her details accurately (twice!) and this is what it came up with. Is this an average sort of amount? I always assumed benefits like like, a third of this maximum!

(Please be kind, she's leaving due to a very sensitive situation and needs to leave urgently so doesn't have time to find work etc first. But will get started with the job search when she's safely back.).

If she's really set on coming back to the UK she could contact religious organisations.

She probably won't even get help from any big charities because most of them use public funds, which she's not entitled to.

That sounds about right. After rent she'll have £225 a week to live on. Life in the UK isn't cheap. As said she'll need money on arrival or declare herself destitute.

@LanaDelBoy

Gosh, there have been a lot of people recently posting on here who are surprised about the amount of benefits their friends and neighbours can get. Maybe have a look for one of those threads for some information?

Haha, this.

1800, minus rent, minus council tax even at the discounted rate, minus electricity, gas and water, munis food for her and the kids on top of that will leave her with NOTHING.

All you you who are sitting on your middle class thrones saying 1700 is plenty can fuck right off unless you have actually lived it and had to make the choice between paying the water bill or feeding your children. You all disgust me.

Re public funds. You make an application to access them, it's always granted, even for non EU citizens if children are involved. Some departments will deny that you are their problem and want you to try another way, but emergency help can be given if the person has good reason for returning quickly.
I've had no recourse to public funds overturned for people who have British children but are from Africa etc.

She will need a HRT test, should be fine as long as she registers with a G.P and looking for work.
£1700 is a bit random, does she have children? Presumably she will claim universal credit and a big portion of that will be housing costs.

Even after she passes the HR test she will have a 5 week wait for her first payment of UC and she won't be entitled to anything for those 5 weeks, so she's looking at min 7 months before she will get any income. Definitely read up on the HR test and contact an advice agency for help with eligibility rules

"Must be resident for 6 months to pass habitual residency test"

That can be overturned. Your friend could start contacting charities or email the citizens advice in the area that she wants to relocate to. They have immigration solicitors in some branches.

"Even after she passes the HR test she will have a 5 week wait for her first payment of UC and she won't be entitled to anything for those 5 weeks, so she's looking at min 7 months before she will get any income"

She would be referred to SS because of her children and they would make interim payments. That's if the situation was an emergency. Either way the children won't be left on the streets.

It’s not huge amount after housing £900 month so £209 week or /4 people £52 each.

The actual housing allowance in your area may be lower so she may only get £700 based on post code so have top up rent out of £900 plus depends on council tax rules of her council if they fund it for low incomes from 70-100% it varies a lot.

As others have said claiming out country is hard then another hurdle of trying rent on benefits as even if very well off and massive deposit and fantastic jobs it’s very competitive. By time she gets UC and finds a place she’s going be in lot debt with outgoings. Can she sort a credit card before hand or have family will support?

We have £1742 to live off a month. I work fulltime and bring home £29k but I'm the sole wage earner. DH was made redundant during the height of Covid, struggled to find a job that matched or was opposite hours to what I worked. So now he is a SAHD and we don't have to pay for childcare. After bills, we have £21 a month "spare". If I have a bad month (unexpected costs) then it becomes very difficult and we take it out of the food budget. It's a constant worry, living pay day to to pay day. I checked, we are also not entitled to claim anything to help us.
Life on £1700 a month isn't luxurious.

I hope your friend is ok. I'm afraid £1700 isn't that much at all given how much life costs in the uk, especially with £800 rent. £800 rent, £200 council tax, £200 bills (really expensive at moment), £100 Internet/phone/tv, £200 low budget food. That's £1500. £200 pm left and I've included nothing yet for transport/clothes/school stuff/insurance/anything at all.
It might sound a lot if you're not used to cost of uk living, but I'd be very careful of getting too excited if I was your friend.

After 20+ years working for ‘as’ I have NEVER seen an HRT being overturned. Even with children.

@MadameGazellee

She entered £800 which seems to be the cheapest rent for an apartment in her area.

I don't think she has any idea about availability of rentals etc. That might be a problem to conquer another day with help from her local friends and family as I don't know her area

The cheapest private 2 bed apartment in my area is nearly double the LHA. Has your friend worked out what the LHA is?

‘SS’*

Just to add OP she has to show strong ties to where she wants to settle and the local MP can be helpful and at least sign post her.

@ThanksIGotItInMorrisons, I've known families to be funded via SS and given hostel accommodation, but it's been an absolute crisis. That's why I said that departments argue whose responsibility it is.
Were the families who you dealt with put back on a plane?

As others said housing allowance is MAX of 30% local rents. So mostly only covers the social council housing stock. Great if you have one but private rents are often double council rates. If you go on the council website and follow links it will give max amount per area which may give you more realistic idea.

She won’t get benefits, if she is entitled to then, straightaway

She may not be entitled to benefits having been abroad

It’s not as simple as coughing up £800 for rent, as she has no history references may be required, a guarantor may be required, private renters don’t always like benefit recipients. Added to which she will need deposit and rent money up front, never m8 d furniture etc

Surely she is better coming back and staying with family first

Really it's much easier to get a job than it is to claim benefits.

I mean it is anyway full stop LOL, but especially for people coming from outside the UK it's crackers to come here without work.

Can't she just apply from where she is?

We have just found out that she is immediatley eligible for everything, without giving away too much details, due to the nature of her being abroad. What a relief!

To the melodramatic person who called me ridiculous - in what way is anyone being ridiculous? My friend has had an absolute crisis and needs some help to rebuild her life due to escape abuse. She isn't able to access her finances here due to said abuse and needs to exit quickly and discreetly for her safety. I can't go into more detail as it's not my story to tell, the whole situation is pretty outing, and frankly it's none of your damn business. She thought she'd get NOTHING, so knowing she will get SOMETHING while she and her children rebuild their lives is a HUGE relief for her and yes, compared to nothing 1700 is a HUGE amount. Okay?

If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything, as you don't know what other people are going through.

Just checked mine give you an example
Council rent £80 week one bed
I’m in housing association mine is £125 week
Local private rent around £270 week

Max my council pay is £212 a week so I would have find extra £232 extra per month.
Out of other benefits, luckily I don’t have to but for many people huge struggle.

We have just found out that she is immediatley eligible for everything,

Handy.

Thank you for the helpful posters. I wasn't looking to enter into a debate with anyone about whether the amount is big or small. Like I said, compared to nothing, 1700 is a huge amount and will allow her to set herself up and get sorted with her own work etc. If her payments dont come in for 5 weeks it's no problem, my husband snd I can support her for a while/give her some money for them she first arrives, and she has close friends and family at home who will also help.

All we wanted was an idea of if this amount the caculator came up with is accurate as we have no history with or knowledge of this sort of thing. I don't want to start a debate about food banks or the bloody tories so save it for another thread please. It's not the time or the place. This is about helping a woman and her children out of a horrible situation. I couldn't care less about any else that's been mentioned snarkily, just need to help a friend.

Genuine apologies as it seems you are a regular poster, but really you could have realised that your post and thread title is worded almost exactly like the benefits outrage troll posts we see very often.

Thank you for the apology, I'm sorry to be snappy but I'm worried for my friend and we are trying to get as much info as quickly as possible with very little knowledge, so thought MN would be a good place to turn. I have no problem with anyone on benefits (or why would I be helping someone to try and get them?) and I obviously didn't mean that 1700 is enough for a luxurious lifestyle, but it can really make the difference between escape being possible or being impossible. We genuinely thought she'd get far smaller of an amount and so were obviously pleasantly surprised to find she can rent and live, however frugally, she can physically survive, and for now, that's enough.

I am a regular poster and have actually been on MN for way longer, with many name changes. If anyone doubts me please as MNHQ to verify. But what a sad thing this would be to lie/troll about 😢