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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How do the government expect people to cope on SSP!

76 replies

Bee4229 · 07/12/2021 17:34

Even if it just for a short time.

Dp usually earns £500-600 a week. I'm not working currently. Both my children have sen and I'm finding it hard to find work around dc and Dp's hours. Own our own house etc.

Anyway, Dp has tested positive for covid. His workplace has always paid full sick pay but apparently not for covid isolation reasons. So pretty much 2 weeks worth of pay gone and SSP of what £90 something a week? I mean £90 a week?! Dp has worked since he was 12 and barely had a day off.

The worst thing is there's been an outbreak at his work his due to their lack of caring about covid. People are encouraged to come in with symptoms whilst waiting for test results, they don't notify other staff members when someone they've been in contact with had tested positive. It's a shambles. Now the staff are paying the price.

We will be £800+ worse off this month, at Christmas.

I still have gifts to buy. What the f**k am I gonna do.

We do have some money coming in. £30 a week from my eldests dad. Also, my eldest gets DLA and child benefit but that isn't going to go far. We also get £25 PW child tax credits.

So aibu to tell family we really can't be buying them much if anything this year. Thankfully the kids have been sorted for a while.

Doesn't help our car has just gone wrong and cost £400 to fix so that's also put us at a disadvantage.

Thankfully mil has given us a butchers voucher (gave it to us weeks ago) to get our Christmas meat. I am more so grateful than I was before she's done that (as our Christmas gift).

We have a small amount of savings that won't last long and that's our back up plan if things go wrong in the house.

I appreciate there's people in worse situation but right now I feel like Christmas is gonna be crap. I know it's not about the money but it helps especially with food and needing to put fuel in the car to visit family (once our isolation is over).

Not sure what this post is going to do. I just want to rant and vent at the measly £90 a week people are expected to live on.

After our mortgage and bills are paid we aren't going to have anything left.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 07/12/2021 17:37

Do they not still have that £500 payment you can apply for? Was he vaccinated?

LuckyAmy1986 · 07/12/2021 17:37

No YANBU to say no gifts this year, surely they will understand the situation you are in? As long as your Kids Christmas will be nice, and you will be together and healthy, that's all that matters. Fingers crossed for you that everything gets better for you very quickly.

DeepaBeesKit · 07/12/2021 17:39

Yanbu. There should be a few weeks on full pay (capped at a salary like 40k or something) before it reduces to ssp. Covid should maybe be a special situation where perhaps employers could get a tax rebate or something if struggling with a lot of sick leave.

However I dont think it should be indefinite full pay, or people would abuse it, you'd have people going off on sick right left and centre without good cause.

HeyFloof · 07/12/2021 17:39

The government had to be shamed into feeding the children who would otherwise have gone hungry. The only thing they give a shit a is lining their own pockets and staying on top.

The reasons you have outlined is why a lot of people are avoiding testing unless absolutely necessary.

I'm sorry you find yourself in this position Flowers

dementedpixie · 07/12/2021 17:42

Can he double check with his company if it's different if you actually have covid rather than if you're just isolating through contact with a case?
I know some places have different rules if you're unvaccinated too

RaininSummer · 07/12/2021 17:43

Are you sure his company don't pay when actually covid positive rather than saying won't pay when isolating for other contact reasons?

Original poster
Bee4229 · 07/12/2021 17:46

@dementedpixie

Do they not still have that £500 payment you can apply for? Was he vaccinated?
He's double jabbed, you can still catch it with the jab. His symptoms are very mild!
OP posts:
Original poster
Bee4229 · 07/12/2021 17:47

@RaininSummer

Are you sure his company don't pay when actually covid positive rather than saying won't pay when isolating for other contact reasons?
They've never been clear but it seems full sick pay for non covid illness, but not for covid reasons - both if you have covid or isolating! He has covid 🤯
OP posts:
Suzanne999 · 07/12/2021 17:49

Yrnbu to not buy family gifts this year. As long as your children have presents and you all eat, you've covered the essentials.
Use the links given previously in case you’re entitled to more than you think.

Original poster
Bee4229 · 07/12/2021 17:49

I don't think we are eligible for the £500 payment. He earns too much I think and don't get any of the benefits listed. We get child tax credits, not working! Plus because I don't work, taking time off atm, taking time off to look after kids doesn't count!

OP posts:
Original poster
Bee4229 · 07/12/2021 17:52

I don't really understand the £500 payment. At the bottom it talks about EHC plans. Both my children have EHC plans but I still don't think we are entitled!

Once again we are that awkward middle whne we aren't on a very low income nor are we well off either with only one income. Dp earns around £30000 a year before tax, maybe a little more with OT.

OP posts:
LittleOwl153 · 07/12/2021 17:54

If his contract states his sick pay is full pay, then they cannot discriminate based on what the sickness is otherwise they will be in breach of that contract.

Check out the £500 covid payment

Look into universal credit... whilst I can see you get some tax credits so it might not be that simple it is worth doing the calculation.

Presents - forget it. I'm sure family will understand.

Prioritise your rent/mortgage and bills and then food - use the foodbank if you need to there are plenty who do in this situation.

Maverickess · 07/12/2021 17:54

I hear you and it sucks, and I'm really sorry you're facing this.
I've had covid twice and was lucky enough to get the first bout at full pay which is shit but better than SSP but only because the LA paid for it and if it's not a national thing it's certainly local as all care workers I know around here have had the same, but second time I was on SSP, still picking up the pieces now. Caught it at work both times, first time was after a new admission, second time was when the SI rules changed and someone had a positive case at home but had no choice but to come to work as the rules had changed they would have received nothing for staying off and we were warned we'd face disciplinary unless we tested positive ourselves or had a dependent that had.

I don't think you're being U at all scaling back on Christmas and having a rant either! It's bloody ridiculous, especially when it comes to something like covid, people literally can't afford to be ill, there's something very wrong with the way we view employees and getting ill, it's like they think we should be punished or something.

timeforanewlife · 07/12/2021 17:55

@Bee4229

I don't think we are eligible for the £500 payment. He earns too much I think and don't get any of the benefits listed. We get child tax credits, not working! Plus because I don't work, taking time off atm, taking time off to look after kids doesn't count!
You should be eligible
Dithercats · 07/12/2021 17:57

Do tax credits know you get DLA? £25 per week doesnt seem much. There is usually a top up payment for a disabled child element if you tell tax credits you get DLA.

user1471543094 · 07/12/2021 17:57

Agree OP, it's very unfair. And people will just avoid testing because they can't afford to go off for 10 days.
Unhelpful for now but he's lucky he gets full pay when sick for other reasons. My company doesn't pay us anything, only SSP.
Meanwhile my public sector DSil had a bad back. Admittedly for a few weeks she was in a bad way but could have returned after about 8 weeks but was was actively encouraged by her line manager to not come back until her 6 months full sick pay were up (not officially I should say, they are mates too). She went back to work the day before the 6 month mark where she would have dropped to half pay.
It's insane.

Dithercats · 07/12/2021 17:57

Also if you don't work can you apply for carers allows for the child who gets DLA?

Original poster
Bee4229 · 07/12/2021 17:59

@user1471543094 yeah it's pretty good they do I guess but Dp has not had one single sick day in about 4/5 years so he's a bit annoyed! He's very rarely ill thankfully!

OP posts:
Original poster
Bee4229 · 07/12/2021 18:00

@Dithercats

Do tax credits know you get DLA? £25 per week doesnt seem much. There is usually a top up payment for a disabled child element if you tell tax credits you get DLA.
Yes they do. We used to get more but to an over payment (their fault as didn't update our claim after I let them know a change!) so we are getting a lot less to pay it back!
OP posts:
earlydoors42 · 07/12/2021 18:02

Just echoing those asking about carers allowance and the disability premium on your tax credits

nimbuscloud · 07/12/2021 18:05

Have you seen the company sick pay policy ?

PinkAndPurpleClouds · 07/12/2021 18:08

YANBU.

Original poster
Bee4229 · 07/12/2021 18:08

@earlydoors42

Just echoing those asking about carers allowance and the disability premium on your tax credits
I have applied and waiting for a decision currently. I assume because Ds gets DLa it'll be straight forward, I didn't realise I could claim before! I also need to apply for DLa for my youngest. They both have EHC plans.

I believe we do get the disability premium on TC but due to their mess up we were over paid so we are now paying it back with lesser payments each month. It's due to go up to £55 a month next March I believe!

Thank you 💕

OP posts:
PinkAndPurpleClouds · 07/12/2021 18:08

@Bee4229 I hear ya!

Some years ago when our (2) kids were at school, and DH worked in a job where he wasn't staff but hourly paid - like your DH - he had 8 weeks off after fairly major surgery. He got £75 a week SSP, instead of his £275-£290 wages... About 15 years back it was... We lost nearly £2,500 because of his 8 week drop in income.

It took us a couple of years to recover from it. We had to resort to using the credit card a few times, just so we could feed the kids and pay the bills. Thankfully our financial position is very different now, but yeah it's shit. EVERYONE should be paid in full when they are off sick.