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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be fucked off with this

103 replies

Bintymcbintface · 24/03/2022 10:38

I am a single parent to 1 and work part time whilst trying to increase my contracted hours to earn more and not be struggling. I do receive tax credits and housing benefit but not the max amounts, part of trying to move to more FT hours is so I don't have to claim anything. Coming up to Christmas I did some overtime and my housing benefit got cut drastically working out I'm about £170 a month down, this is being rectified as I was able to show the increased earnings over December were a one off and not a reflection of my usual take home pay.

Anyways, my dsis works part time, lives with full time working boyfriend and in all their combined earnings are perhaps 4 times mine. She casually mentioned that they'd applied for UC "just to see and boost their money". The application was accepted and now they're getting 80% of their rent paid and more money on top.

I know it isn't their fault they were awarded it but I can't help but feel really fucking annoyed by this. I did a tiny bit of OT and ended up properly screwed, they earn way more than I do, applied for a benefit they didn't need to boost savings and are pretty much getting everything handed to them and have bought a new car and are booking holidays... How is this right or fair?

I can't apply for UC as the legacy payments would stop and I can't afford to be down for 5 weeks, besides I don't want to, I want to honestly earn my way and want to get off benefits.

YABU - fair play to them
YANBU - It isn't fair

OP posts:
CiderJolly · 24/03/2022 12:00

I don’t blame your sister one bit for taking what she is entitled too- everyone but the high earners are going to need all the help they can get this year.

CiderJolly · 24/03/2022 12:01

Food bank- damn autocorrect

Babyroobs · 24/03/2022 12:01

She probably means they are being paid the rent element on UC but then the whole award is reduced by earnings so very unlikely they are actually being paid 80% of their rent ! It's just the way UC is administered.
There is nothing to stop you moving to UC, you could be better of on it. You would get an advance to tide you over until first payment and you would get a two week run on of housing benefit.

Thoosa · 24/03/2022 12:04

Anyways, my dsis works part time, lives with full time working boyfriend and in all their combined earnings are perhaps 4 times mine. She casually mentioned that they'd applied for UC "just to see and boost their money". The application was accepted and now they're getting 80% of their rent paid and more money on top.

I know it isn't their fault they were awarded it but I can't help but feel really fucking annoyed by this. I did a tiny bit of OT and ended up properly screwed, they earn way more than I do, applied for a benefit they didn't need to boost savings and are pretty much getting everything handed to them and have bought a new car and are booking holidays... How is this right or fair?

That’s not right.

Can’t possibly be right.

One of you is very, very confused.

UC doesn’t pay “new car and holiday” type rates. Not even close.

Babyroobs · 24/03/2022 12:06

@Thoosa

Anyways, my dsis works part time, lives with full time working boyfriend and in all their combined earnings are perhaps 4 times mine. She casually mentioned that they'd applied for UC "just to see and boost their money". The application was accepted and now they're getting 80% of their rent paid and more money on top.

I know it isn't their fault they were awarded it but I can't help but feel really fucking annoyed by this. I did a tiny bit of OT and ended up properly screwed, they earn way more than I do, applied for a benefit they didn't need to boost savings and are pretty much getting everything handed to them and have bought a new car and are booking holidays... How is this right or fair?

That’s not right.

Can’t possibly be right.

One of you is very, very confused.

UC doesn’t pay “new car and holiday” type rates. Not even close.

Agree. I think, as above that op's sisters Uc statement has paid her a rent element of 80% of their rent. After deductions for earnings this absolutely does not mean they receive that amount ! Either that or she has wrongly claimed as single.
Namechangehereandnow · 24/03/2022 12:09

Usually you’re better off on tax credits than universal credit.

My guess is your sister has not been truthful with her claim.

Katya213 · 24/03/2022 12:12

My friend and her husband combined salary is £38,000, their rent from housing authority is £500, £100 council tax. They get £65 a week in child benefit, £400 top up fee from working tax credit. All children on free school meals and free childcare in the holidays. She admitted they’ve never been so well off since she went full time.

Babyroobs · 24/03/2022 12:13

There is never going to be any way of making benefits entirely fair though. Someone with a 1k a month mortgage will get the same as someone with a £100 a month mortgage if they both earn the same, and have the same number of kids etc. There was a post on here a few days ago where someone had bought a house outright then was eligible to claim £500 a month Uc after using all their savings to buy the house outright. I say just do as many hours as you comfortably can as you will always be better off ( especially on Uc ).
It annoys me that a single parent has to work a certain amount of hours to claim Uc but then you can have a couple and as long as one of them earns above the earnings threshold the other seems to be put in the light touch group and rarely has to do anything much to look for work .

Babyroobs · 24/03/2022 12:15

@Katya213

My friend and her husband combined salary is £38,000, their rent from housing authority is £500, £100 council tax. They get £65 a week in child benefit, £400 top up fee from working tax credit. All children on free school meals and free childcare in the holidays. She admitted they’ve never been so well off since she went full time.
They will not be getting free school meals on 38k unless they were starting to claim them when they were on a lot less income.
carefullycourageous · 24/03/2022 12:18

@Bintymcbintface

It is not possible that your sister can be earning 4x more than you and entitled to more benefits, unless there are additional reasons such as disability or higher childcare costs.

Somehow you have your story muddled.

The benefits system is pretty hard to navigate now, the idea that people are being paid vast sums they do not need is not true.

Bluechinavase · 24/03/2022 12:19

It often never makes sense. When they did away with child benefit for all and means tested it, my DH (sole breadwinner) was just over the threshold so we got nothing. My friend and her partner both work part time and were both just under so they got benefits despite their combined income being waaaaay more than ours by about £20k and they only had one child. Not her fault at all and she said it was unfair. Can't blame her for claiming what she was due but the system is too complicated and unjust

carefullycourageous · 24/03/2022 12:21

@Katya213

My friend and her husband combined salary is £38,000, their rent from housing authority is £500, £100 council tax. They get £65 a week in child benefit, £400 top up fee from working tax credit. All children on free school meals and free childcare in the holidays. She admitted they’ve never been so well off since she went full time.
I am hugely Hmm when people claim to know the details of other families' earnings and it is always a tale of how much money they are getting.

The reality is our benefits system is considerably tighter than it used ot be and we have increasing numbers of working people living in poverty.

Thoosa · 24/03/2022 12:21

[quote carefullycourageous]@Bintymcbintface

It is not possible that your sister can be earning 4x more than you and entitled to more benefits, unless there are additional reasons such as disability or higher childcare costs.

Somehow you have your story muddled.

The benefits system is pretty hard to navigate now, the idea that people are being paid vast sums they do not need is not true.[/quote]
Exactly.

girlmom21 · 24/03/2022 12:23

OP who told you how much her boyfriend earns? Have you thought maybe they're exaggerating?

You said he has another child so bear in mind he's paying out child maintenance there too. That will have been included in the calculations.

Namechangehereandnow · 24/03/2022 12:24

@Katya213

My friend and her husband combined salary is £38,000, their rent from housing authority is £500, £100 council tax. They get £65 a week in child benefit, £400 top up fee from working tax credit. All children on free school meals and free childcare in the holidays. She admitted they’ve never been so well off since she went full time.
Not true. None of up those figures add up. And kids would definitely NOT be on free school meals. Either your friend has falsely claimed, or you have her circumstances very wrong.
girlmom21 · 24/03/2022 12:25

Don't all primary school children get FSM's now? Or at least KS1? I thought I'd read that somewhere.

FairyCakeWings · 24/03/2022 12:34

Stories like this are why benefits weren't increased in the budget yesterday. People should always be better off in work than they are on benefits, and your sister is probably being given the amount she is because both she and her partner work.

A two income household is nearly always going to have more to live on than a one income household.

Katya213 · 24/03/2022 12:36

She sat down and told me her finances over lunch, I didn’t ask her, she just told me. I’ve no idea how it all works or whether she’s lying, I’m just going by what she said, she said their wage combined is below the threshold so that’s why they get all this.

Skiornottoski · 24/03/2022 12:38

You’re on a low income and in receipt of benefits
She’s in a different set up to you but the two things you both have in common is …. A low income and correctly in receipt of benefits (unless fraud involved obviously)

LabelMaker · 24/03/2022 12:44

As long as she has claimed it honestly then she is just as entitled as you are

KnowingMeKnowingYouAhaaaa · 24/03/2022 12:45

Hmm I've never been on benefits but I'm not convinced what you are saying is correct. How can a couple with more earnings get more, unless they have disabled children or they've lied about their circumstances? It doesn't add up. I'm not convinced you'd be buying new cars with your benefits, if that was the case we'd all go part-time and get on the gravy train. Maybe a good idea to just focus on you and not listen to what other people tell you.

Skiornottoski · 24/03/2022 12:47

@Katya213

She sat down and told me her finances over lunch, I didn’t ask her, she just told me. I’ve no idea how it all works or whether she’s lying, I’m just going by what she said, she said their wage combined is below the threshold so that’s why they get all this.
Name change fail?
Skiornottoski · 24/03/2022 12:48

Oh sorry, you’re not the op

Surely you’d have a good idea whether your friend was “lying” to you or not?

Skiornottoski · 24/03/2022 12:49

@Katya213

My friend and her husband combined salary is £38,000, their rent from housing authority is £500, £100 council tax. They get £65 a week in child benefit, £400 top up fee from working tax credit. All children on free school meals and free childcare in the holidays. She admitted they’ve never been so well off since she went full time.
This is absolute and complete bill shit

Either from you
Or her

HailAdrian · 24/03/2022 12:52

It is a weird system, my friend works less than 30hrs a week, often doesn't at all due to childcare issues but gets pretty much everything paid for with money left over. Yes it does feel unfair and yes, I do like my friend.

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