Why do you benefit bash?

[greyblanket76]

My family and I are working class and always have been. My friends are too and so are the people that I tend to socialise with/meet in everyday life. I've only been on MN since last year but have seen so many comments bashing people who are on/depend on benefits and I'd really like to know why?

Is this because some people on here think everyone that's on benefits is lazy and doesn't want to work therefore claim benefits? Or is it something else?

I'll talk about my situation and will keep it as brief as possible as I already know people will come in the comments to try and shame me. I'm early 20s and a single mum (didn't start out that way but your whole life can literally change overnight and that's what happened to me). I have one DC and I'm expecting another so I've been on maternity leave back to back as I'll have 2 under 2.

I've worked full time since I was 17 right up until I went on my first maternity leave. Due to the rate of SMP, I'm entitled to benefits as SMP doesn't even cover my rent which is £1200. I'm entitled to £1670 of UC which covers my rent and all my bills. During the first 9 months of my maternity leave I was receiving around £1507 UC (due to deductions) + £638 SMP = £2145 a month.
Once I give birth to my second DC, my UC entitlement should go from £1670 to £1907. This isn't 100% accurate but due to receiving SMP, let's say the deductions would be due £1700 UC + £638 SMP = £2388 a month. That would be excluding child benefit for both children btw.

When I was working full time, I was earning £1383 a month. I do plan to go back to work after my maternity leave ends as I genuinely love my work and have my whole career in front of me. However can people see the huge jump in difference between the two amounts? Nearly a grand in total! When returning back to work, I would be entitled to some benefits however because I'd be working full time, it wouldn't be a lot. That's why it's advised that you drop hours to work part time in order to get the most help available.

I've read my post back and hope it isn't too confusing but I just wanted some people who benefit bash to understand that sometimes life on benefits seems better especially as you have kids because you get so much more help. My mum keeps telling me to consider not working for a year or two just because I need to consider the quality of life my DC and I will have. I wouldn't be able to pay for rent AND childcare so what would I do? There's a lot that comes into play when deciding if you should go back to work or just be on benefits and I hope some people got that from this post. Seeing as this is an anonymous forum, if you judge/bash people on benefits, I'd really be interested to hear why. Posting in AIBU because I'm prepared to be flamed and have learnt not to take nasty comments to heart

It’s insane to me that so many people are so mad at the tiny contribution they make towards benefits, that we all know would not disappear if benefits did- the Tories would just pocket it instead.

I’ve never been angry that my taxes pay for people to not starve when I worked, I think it’s a great thing to live in a country with a safety net.

If me and my kid not starving boils your piss that much, I’d rethink what kind of person you are.
If I could not be on benefits, trust me, I wouldn’t be.

I only get pissed off by the ones who could actually work and choose not to. Like families with two parents, multiple kids and both parents refuse to work, despite there being jobs available. But they aren't the 'right' jobs, because they aren't CEO positions 5m from their front door. I've seen people refuse to travel 2 miles for a job because it wasn't close enough, even though there was good public transport and you could also walk that distance each day. Those are the ones I don't like, the lazy ones.

Also don't like the ones committing fraud. Like having their partner live with them while working and not declaring it. Or work for cash in hand and not declaring it. People on here might say 'it's not your business!' but it's fraud, it's breaking the law. Of course its our business. And if we actually stood up against criminals, maybe we wouldn't voted a ton of them into power.

@Mumoblue

It seems like a lot of people here are actually mad at the cost of living crisis/low wages and are just misdirecting that at people on benefits, which I imagine has all the tax dodging millionaires and exploitative bosses laughing all the way to the bank. 🙄

This is so true!

Id also add that lower paid jobs have appalling working conditions, so although you may get some more money (or not) the job makes your life much more difficult.

Also more universal benefits like subsidised childcare would help everyone.

The mental load of being poor is huge.

@lucythejuicy

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

How rude! I'm not "well educated" (have good GCSEs and an access course at distinction) but am naturally intelligent. That doesn't make up for my shit childhood where I was physically, emotionally and sexually abused. So when I fell pregnant at 19 and knew it was my DPs baby not my abusive relatives damn right I kept it.

We don't know anything about OP other than she's in her early 20s and pregnant for the 2nd time. Let's not assume its because she's stupid.

Incidentally my mum had her 2nd child in her early 20s. As did most of my Aunties/friends parents. It wasn't considered unusual.

Imo benefits as a short term back up when life takes an unexpected turn = fine. As a lifestyle choice or people who play the system while other people work hard for 50 years NOT FINE.

The system is clearly broken but yes, I do judge those who take what they see as an easy way out. I also think it will come back to bite them; no job prospects / pension / fulfilment from paid work / adding value to society is a shitty waste of a life.

[quote Cheeseonpost]**@Avarua

I’d go as far as to say 20 year olds of either sex aren’t known for making the best parents. All things considered.[/quote]
@Cheeseonpost
@Avarua
🙄🥱

Oh, blah. Given OP refuses to talk about it I suspect that’s not exactly the case. She also hasn’t confirmed if both children have the same dad. Either way, I would be stunned if OP got pregnant while on the implant or coil, I think it’s more likely she’s been dicing it & now we are all here to foot the bill.

The actual ignorance in this comment

Cap rents also allow landlords to make a profit but again not an obscene one. We are literally keeping the wealthy in society richer and creating a divide.

This is a huge issue. The public are paying off mortgages for landlords. Landlords who can limit their own tax liabilities and buy up housing, stopping first time buyers from buying their own home.

Our taxes line the pockets of buy to let landlords and big corporations who don’t pay people a wage that’s enough to live on without claiming benefits. No amount of bashing claimants will make a difference.

If you don’t like people using benefits in this way, stop voting Tory, the party of big business. If we stopped giving taxpayer subsidy to big business and landlords, the advantage of working would be much clearer, and there would be fewer people doing as per the OP.

@Brefugee

Good wind up, OP. Single mother, tick. In your 20s, tick. Pregnant again, tick. Worked only a few years but get enough benefits to keep a roof over your head - I am not against that. But you say it as though you've been hacking away at the coalface for 20 years 6 days a week.

What contributions do your children's fathers make? did you plan the 2nd pregnancy? Are you going back into the workplace?

@Brefugee I haven't said anything as if I've been hacking away at the coalface for 20 years. If you could read, you'd see most of those questions have already been answered. No one's on a wind up

@Brefugee

oK so I've zipped through OPs posts. I'm still of the opinion that it's a goady post. This bit stuck out: It seems that people have this mindset that they 'pay' for those that are on benefits.

People who pay any kind of tax (and, yes, we all do) are paying for benefits. That is not a mindset that is reality. They pay for lots of other things including government waste, but don't pretend that if the overall tax take went down, benefits wouldn't be cut.

You may not mean it so, OP, but your posts do come across as full of entitlement and you barely acknowledge that of course people feel hard done to when they struggled to save up to have a child.

You are also being a bit disingenuous with spilling a whole life story about how life can upend in a moment (sure, i know) but very very coy about why the father of your children isn't paying. Have you gone to CMS (or whatever it's called now)

It is not easy. We are a rich society and we definitely should be looking after people. The disabled, the elderly, children. But the flipside of entitlements is responsibilities.

And sure - everyone's ire should be on an incompetent government with unfair laws and tax systems. But in the UK you keep voting for the tories. So what else are you going to do?

@Brefugee why do I need to write my life story about what's happened with my kids dad. Is that your business in any way, shape or form? Do you want me to carry on writing about my situation so people can carry on judging whether I'm worthy to be on benefits or not? I haven't written about it because it's simply not your business.

There have many times when I and another poster have dropped the percentage of taxpayers money that has actually been spent on welfare. The amount that went to unemployment was the lowest of the welfare spending. Yet you're here telling me 'well yes people who pay tax pay for your benefits.' Maybe do your research first then come and comment

@greyblanket76

Do you love how some morons just skim past the fact you have a job but you're on maternity leave?
I picture some of them responding with gritted teeth and rage...

"That's only 136 pahnd n 26 pence less than I get for working dahn t'pit for 25 hours a day"
They'll say you made bad life choices... But they won't think that their life choices are why they're working and being miserable fuckers for a shit wage that's close to benefit amounts. Bash the benefit claimant, not their employer... It's easier that way. Their employer might sack them and then they'd be claiming benefits too... Of course it'd be different for them, they'd be worthy... 😜😂

@lucythejuicy

You are properly angry. Maybe waiting til later didn't work out for you that well because you sound very unhappy.

The problem is that most people on benefits complain how they can hardly afford electricity and food, how its one or the other, how life in benefit is so hard, yet are on the fir many years.

Then you have posts like yours which reflects my knowledge of single parents, who get twice a much in benefits than of they were working and have a much better lifestyle than many who work FT on low income. It makes it hard to have sympathy.

Then you get the usual 'things can happen in life in a second. Yes it can, but you have those who make decisions in life taking into account these possible changes, and those who don't and expect others to pick up the pieces.

Ultimately you chose to have 2 children at a very tough age whilst working on a very low wage, with limited education behind you and unmarried. By this decision, you've already set yourself to find it much much harder to become self sufficient and able to support our children.

Personally, I wouldn't judge you as it is very possible that you can tun things around and indeed become self sufficient in a few years, but the reality is that for 10 women in your situation, 9 will remain dependent either on the state or men to support her and her children.

Do you love how some morons just skim past the fact you have a job but you're on maternity leave?

Well tbh that’s one of the bits that irked me. On maternity leave I got less than £600 a month by the time tax was taken off. If I’d been getting £2388 I might have been able to actually take the full 9 months.

@BobbinHood

Do you love how some morons just skim past the fact you have a job but you're on maternity leave?

Well tbh that’s one of the bits that irked me. On maternity leave I got less than £600 a month by the time tax was taken off. If I’d been getting £2388 I might have been able to actually take the full 9 months.

That's the systems fault, not OPs or Maureen's from No32.

You should question why you only got that.

Maybe your situation was different. Perhaps a mortgage. Perhaps a partner. Perhaps other reasons.

But anyone earning £18,771 who has one child, or more, receives top up benefits, so their net income will be similar to someone earning around 30k. They aren't living in poverty.

The top ups are relatively low once you start earning a fulltime wage and the amount of hours a single person with kids on NMW or just above would have to work to not be entitled to (or need top ups) is unhealthy and unmaintainable.

The problem is that most people on benefits complain how they can hardly afford electricity and food, how its one or the other, how life in benefit is so hard, yet are on the fir many years.

Long term u enjoyed figure is very low as I've detailed. So you're wrong there.
People claim in work beenfots to raise them out of poverty. Poverty is detailed above, call it £19k. Some on £19k will struggle so you're wrong.

Misconceptions, wilful ignorance or whatever you want to put it down too.
Of people's wages were such they didn't need too ups, they wouldn't need top ups. I know,.crazy right...

There have many times when I and another poster have dropped the percentage of taxpayers money that has actually been spent on welfare. The amount that went to unemployment was the lowest of the welfare spending. Yet you're here telling me 'well yes people who pay tax pay for your benefits.' Maybe do your research first then come and comment

The number the other poster and you have quite are misleading though.

Even if they are true, they don't take into account the fact that you don't pay NI, so automatically your costs for using public services are picked up by someone else.

That's the systems fault, not OPs or Maureen's from No32.

That’s why I’m criticising the system that allows Maureen from No32 to take home 4 times what I did on maternity leave. Good to know I didn’t have to pay my mortgage while on maternity leave, should have tried that one on the bank.

[quote MaryAndHerNet]@greyblanket76

Do you love how some morons just skim past the fact you have a job but you're on maternity leave?
I picture some of them responding with gritted teeth and rage...

"That's only 136 pahnd n 26 pence less than I get for working dahn t'pit for 25 hours a day"
They'll say you made bad life choices... But they won't think that their life choices are why they're working and being miserable fuckers for a shit wage that's close to benefit amounts. Bash the benefit claimant, not their employer... It's easier that way. Their employer might sack them and then they'd be claiming benefits too... Of course it'd be different for them, they'd be worthy... 😜😂[/quote]
@MaryAndHerNet can I just say thank God for you Mary🤣 continuously coming through with ACTUAL facts and figures and pointing out that I am actually working. Or is maternity leave considered unemployed now? People are literally bending the truth to fit their agenda, it's crazy! And haha so true right, maybe we can all do with a bit of self reflection ey

The number the other poster and you have quite are misleading though.

You claim the numbers from provided sources are misleading. Please do follow the links, do the research and provide accurate figures for us.

I'd welcome anyone challenging my maths and research.

I'm not sure why people bring up
"But what about tax avoidance by big companies..."
"But what about bankers and their bonuses..?"
"But what about tory landlords getting rich from extortionate rents...?
"But what about NMW being not enough to live on..?"

All are valid points but they're not mutually exclusive. It's possible to feel aggrieved at any or all situation(s) perceived to be unfair, or others having an advantage.
My take home pay for FT is similar to the OP but I'm fortunate that I'm in a 2 working adult household so my salary doesn't need to cover all outgoings.
Although at the end of the month they have no money for luxuries, it could be considered a luxury for the OP to live in zone 1?

What is misleading is that they don't take into account the lack of NI contributions.