People on benefits - how do you cope?

[TheGreatBobinsky]

I'm making plans to leave my relationship with my 2 children, I've used an online calculator to find out what I'd be entitled too and provided I could still work some hours at work I'd be getting around £2,400 a month total (including my earnings). Rent in my area is £1,300 on average for a 2 bed flat, I've added up council tax, water, gas, electric, Internet, subscriptions for Netflix/Disney (we don't watch normal TV so no TV licence) and food and it looks like I'd have around £400 spare a month for clothes, school uniform, emergencies, childcare, travel etc. But am I missing something obvious here? (I can't drive so that's not an issue?). I have no idea how I'm going to manage, embarrassing as it is I haven't been the one to deal with the majority of the bills etc. So I'm a bit clueless about certain bills. What about furniture and kitchen things, and everything we will need in a new home? That's if I even get accepted into a flat, I know a hell of a lot of landlords just point blank refuse to rent to someone on benefits. I'm terrified, and feel sick, but if I stay here it won't be good for any of us as things are escalating rapidly and he's very good at manipulating me, I feel like I'm going crazy I have to leave but how does anyone cope?

As a single parent claiming getting as much money as someone working full time you will be eligable for 80% off your childcare which someone on the same income not via benefits has to pay out their own pockets!

I have 2 friends in this situation both are better off than me and my partner working.

It just grates on people who work hard that people on benefits are as well off of not better it's not fair

So your friends are single parents that work full time, how exactly are you working harder? The fact that you have a partner doesn’t mean you are a harder worker, and you have someone to split the load with at home. I see the frustration about not being entitled to help but your friends single parent working full time situation ‘grating’ on you is a bit off too really.

But your eldest is in school and your youngest gets funded childcare from September so you can pick up a few extra hours in the day time potentially and make use of the childcare element of universal credit that way. Cafes, shops etc are usually family friendly, or even something like a lunchtime supervisor in a school could help. I’m not saying you won’t struggle but there are options out there that don’t require you moving or loosing family support. I hope it works out for you OP.

The 16 hours I will be working does include the 15 hours she will getting, but she would be getting the 15 hours if I wasn't leaving anyway so it's not like I'm getting extra because I will be on benefits

Have you thought of a 1 bed flat? Or would that not make any difference to what you get benefits wise? Also, you can get advanced payments from UC to buy furniture and also your council might have a fund that can provide reconditioned white goods.

But having access to Netflix and Disney Plus surely is a "basic" standard of life? I raised my son for 9 years alone without a penny from his dad. Of course we had less money than a two income couple. I worked full time for most of it as well. You cut your cloth accordingly.

A 1 bed is around £1000 and a studio £900 so slightly cheaper but not hugely cheaper. And I don't know anyone else who's children don't have any TV to watch to be fair, those things are no more expensive to a TV licence (that I don't have), obviously if I can't afford it then I can't afford it and they will have to go without but it seems really sad to begrudge children having some entertainment.

Landlords are unlikely to rent a 1 bed flat to a 3 person family.

The main challenge will be finding a home, with the competition at the moment someone receiving part benefit will find it tough going .

These are just two of the challenges OP will face.

It's irrelevant how much she gets in benefits - her housing costs are high- how many people criticising on here are paying £1300 in rent on one income ? The benefits are in part to help pay to keep a roof over their heads . (Which is much cheaper than paying for a hostel for them by the way)

I'm staggered by the ignorance and entitlement on this thread.

I think the amount that many receive in benefits is shocking and I'm not sure how the country affords it. However it is not the fault of the claimants. As many have said it is the extortionate private rents that people have to pay of which the claimants see none of this money. It is absolutely beyond me how the government are so short sighted that they would rather pay out thousands to each claimant to cover private rent than invest in affordable social housing. But we all know that this is because their second or multiple home owner tory voters are getting their mortgages paid off with this public money. It really is an absolute disgrace. I am honestly surprised that people are not rioting yet over the way this country is being run. One of my friends nieces who is a single parent living in surrey is paying £1800 a month in rent for an average 3 bed semi. It's appalling.

Yes totally agree private rents are off the scale and rising fast and a huge part of the cost of living crisis

@babyroobs is good at this stuff.

If you work 16 hours a week at minimum wage or above you will be eligible for 30 hours free during term time though so that’s something to look into.

Are you leaving your relationship due to abuse OP?

I hope everything works out for you. Xx

Honestly op I'd just leave this thread now and join one of the groups on fb who can do an actual calculation for you 'universal credit survival' is one of them
I earn about 300 a month, my partner earns about 550
We still get around 600 uc and our rent paid on top of that.

@TheGreatBobinsky what people aren't factoring in is you will be reasonably high up the social housing list with youngish children- at some point you are likely to get it - and if your rent drops to £750 or so you will be fine short term it will be painful but longer term you should be fine. For those having a go at the fact it seems a lot when vast amounts of it are rent maybe like the rest of us you should be campaigning for a huge push on good social housing or rent caps - so that not everyone who can't buy for all kinds of reasons isn't pushed into these situations. Otherwise you will find in your nice areas (and I live in one) there will be no one to staff shops, hospitals, pharmacies, schools etc.

Your best bet is joining a Facebook group for UC and getting a proper calculation and proper advice

What is your job - you say you work evenings - is that every evening ? What hours roughly

does /will you mum do childcare

or a nanny who babysits who is ofsted registered May work if uou can claim childcare

The problem isn't that benefits are soooo much as someone said, but that private rents are out of control, childcare costs are extortionate and earned income is shit.

In actual terms, the OP is only receiving £344.91 per month to cover her personal expenses and £489.16 to cover the 2 children. This of course will be adjusted as her earnings increase.

The rest of that the amount she's calculated goes to the landlord / childcare provider.

I'm reliant on benefits, we do OK.

@TheGreatBobinsky why can’t you work more hours straight away and your 3 yr old has more hours at nursery/childminder? You get a large contribution towards childcare from UC so it ‘May’ work out better for you to actually work more hours

i was a single mum forever and I had to put my toddlers into full time childcare so I could work and I very much saw it as an investment into our future ie making myself a career would mean a better financial outcome for us all in the years to come (which it massively did - we have an extremely comfortable life now and I’m still single Lol)

How can you say claimants are seeing none of the money? They are literally getting the benefit of housing that they don't have to pay for. The money is paid to the landlord on their behalf and they get a home in exchange for that money. If someone is in work and not claiming benefits, their rent is paid for from taxed income, that they have worked for. Those that are claiming housing benefit are getting access to a home in return for benefit payments, that does not depend on earned income. So the £1,800 rent is not something that they have to earn via work. It is paid for them. It is a very generous amount.

@vermicello I'm not sure where to start with this and I'm not in receipt of any benefits whatsoever and we are lucky and rent a lovely home in a nice part of the country

Housing element is limited to set amounts depending where you live and the size of your family. Quite often the amount is nothing near what the actual rent is - especially with private rentals. So if you are a couple with a young child the absolute maximum in the most expensive part of the country (London) for a 2 bedder is around £1250. In many other expensive areas it's around £780 (was roughly this when we lived in Bath) whereas the reality of a private rental was it was around £1250 minimum. Same goes for lots of Surrey/Beth's/Herts etc, in cheap areas allowance can be as low as£580

Please don't jump to the conclusion people are getting all their rent paid up to unlimited amounts! It simply isn't like that- the reality is many people are topping up private rent by using benefit money that really should be for food and utilities and hence why they have no money- that's why lack of social housing with social rents is a huge huge problem in many many areas.

Yes but some people who don't rely on benefits aren't left with as much as that! That's the point people are making

@Crikeyalmighty exactly this. There is a massive gap between local housing allowance and even the lowest rent available in many many areas

But OP is unlikely to in with a chance if getting social housing - this js very, very hard to get now.