Universal credit what my husband to go to the job centre, AIBU?!

[ImEasyLikeSundayMorning]

After a string off 'errors' that occurred out of nowhere, we have been kicked off tax credits, and we cannot reapply.

Both DH and I work full time and have not been out of work for many many years.

We can only apply for universal credit. We are entitled to a very small amount towards DC3's childcare but we are absolutely broke and desperate so need to apply.

Despite checking and double checking, during the application they did not ask for DH's income (self employed), but they did require mine.
DH had a phone interview today and has to go to the job centre next week to prove he is self employed and working.

We hare always just used his self tax form for that in the past.

Who can just drop work like that with a weeks notice?! I know I can't.

Is this a normal expectation?!

They get a bit of help with childcare! Do you think the child is going to stay the age they are now forever

The rule for self employed being gainfully employed is that they are earning at least the minimum wage per hour claimed ( there are relaxations of this for the first year) if they are making the minimum wage plus that is sufficient it is not to see if they could earn 20 an hour rather than 15

For the Site management yes you can get £25 ish per hire but not your average subbies.

I had this when I became a single parent to two young children. When I started work again 3 months later I started mid month so my 'months wage' that month was only £220. They had to wait for my first full wage to register from HMRC and wouldn't accept my offer letter or a letter from my work. So they wanted me to take time off of work every week to attend jobcentre meetings to tell me to get a job I already had. Ridiculous. In the end I managed to get most of them to be telephone calls. As the job centre is 45 minutes away from me so fuel costs and parking etc on top of time off. They really have no sense.

Are you a carer for your disabled children and do they receive DLA or PIP? If so you should look into being treated as a carer on UC. This would mean that you would have no work commitments - could not be considered gainfully self employed and the MIF would not therefore apply.

Your find that universal credit will want you randomly to go in and expect it to be okay. My partner got a new job working away and he had to miss a whole day's work so that he could attend the 5 minute appointment. They also had me go in at 35 weeks pregnant with a toddler to bring in my passport to prove my identity, a year and a half after we first started claiming, to top it off the lift was broken so 35 week pregnant me was left bumping a pushchair up stairs with a non walking toddler. The problems don't stop there, they have messed up so many payments saying we have earned alot more than we have and also deducted money saying we owe money from somewhere but then can't say where it is from then magicaly we don't anymore, then the faff of uploading childcare costs and they never tell you if it was approved or not so then you get your statement to find its not been approved and so you have to wait longer to get the childcare costs back after uploading it all again.

But why should they get help when they aren't willing to help themselves? I absolutely believe a benefit system should be in place to help those who genuinely need it but no, it shouldn't be used so some people don't have try better their financial situation. If I was a work coach and someone said to me 'yeah I've got the skills and experience to be a high earner but it just sounds like too much bother, so I'll carry on claiming my benefits please', I would be showing them the door.

Deja vu from your post Mfsf. Lost ££££ over the years as can only work part time to accommodate all the appointments for medical assessments/education/ehcp. Op you have my complete sympathies

I’ve to go in on Friday as I’m self employed. Doesn’t bother me, there’s so many people fudging their earnings that they have to check. He’ll be expected to be working at least 25 hours per week at minimum wage to reach the minimum income floor. I’m surprised you’re entitled to anything considering you’re a band 6.

You are a complete hypocrite. I was saying I didn’t want to take time off from covering someone at work because I want to progress in my job but I’m still a free loader who can’t be bothered to turn up to a useless interview!! Hypocrite

You didn't say that. You said "I've taken time off to look after my daughter and when she's sick. I'm not taking time off to go to an interview". That is what you said. Regardless, that post wasn't aimed at you

Does this apply if you earn too much to claim carers allowance?

"Just start your own business!"

Ha ha ha ha! Fuck me! Yep. Cos everyone can do that. Being self employed is one thing but setting up a whole new business is certainly not suited to everyone and it's arrogant as fuck to think otherwise.

My similarly aged, qualified and experienced sister could probably do it with ease. Me? I'd be fucked. Wouldn't know where to start, wouldn't know how to compete with already established businesses and build up a client base, wouldn't have a clue how to even start making a business plan for the loans, wouldn't be able to afford the initial outlay, advertising, machinery, tools etc.
What's the stats again for failure rates of new businesses? And burn out rates of new business owners working their arses off, hardly seeing their family and huge fall outs due to stress whilst trying to get it started? (Only to lose everything and end up back on UC with debts)
Being a self employed subbie is an entirely different thing. Keep your invoices, receipts, bank statements and the like and drop them off to the accountants once every quarter for your taxes. Owning a business also doesn't guarantee a good income.

That post wasn’t aimed at me but you made your feelings very clear towards me. The reason I can’t just take time off is because I need that time for absolute emergencies. Like picking my vomiting child up from school. I can’t at the drop of a hat go for a work search interview while I’m actually at work. Do you not see the insanity of this?

With respect, I'm confused as to how you've even entitled to it?!

Your DH is a self employed builder? And you work FT also?

My DH is a low earner, I work PT. We are entitled to nothing!

Whole system is broken let's be honest.

EveryFlight - you don't need to be claiming Carer's Allowance to be treated as a carer on UC. The person/child you care for needs to be in receipt of a qualifying benefit and have no other carer.

Thank you, that's good to know! I've just applied for a part time job and always thought that I'd be fine due to ds being on qualifying benefits

Just had a slight panic that the job centre would want me to be doing full time so it's good to know that's not the case!

All of that information could be found in an hour, maybe two tops. We live in a day and age where you can learn pretty much anything without leaving your house.

The start up loan forms are deliberately simple to complete. That said, you can also phone their helpline and they will walk you through everything step by step.

You don't need to pay for tools, advertising etc if you have a start up loan.

In respect of advertising, we also live in an age where you can advertise anything for free through social media. Social media is actually probably the most effective form of advertising. Again, it's really really not difficult to grasp.

I'm not sure why people are so bewildered at the thought of starting a business. If we take the OPs husband as an example. He could begin working weekends alongside his subcontracting and build up a customer base. Yes, this will be exhausting for a while but seeing as his family are in dire straits financially with no obvious way out, it makes sense does it not? Particularly as the cost of living is about to get a whole lot worse

At the end of the day it just come down to laziness. Having low confidence isn't a good enough reason to not try a maximise your earning potential. Being bad with numbers is not a good enough reason (again, research, learn, get and accountant).

Yes, businesses do fail but the building/construction trade is currently absolutely booming. The OPs husband could be making a small fortune and probably working less hours than he is now.

OP can't have it all. She can't say sorry DH can't be bothered increasing his earning potential (despite being able to do so with ease), so we want to claim top up benefits but we also don't want to go to meetings to prove eligibility for those.

My sons done exactly that, right now he's earning less than he was before. It can be a precarious position to be in when you have a family to support and are already needing help with child care . I'm surprised you can't see that

Oh, and the 3 monthly visits to the job centre loding him money

Have no idea what that last sentence was supposed to be

You're talking utter rubbish, the bloke is working.

Not everyone is able to just become self employed and own their own business, he is a subbie for a reason, some people will always be that, and thats actually fine. Some people will continue working the tills at the supermarket or packing in the factory and that is also fine

What is it with the people on this forum who seem to think that everyone is working their way to become accounts or surgeons or something and if not then they have somehow failed or are lazy?

Whats wrong with you?

His family are severely struggling financially. Severely struggling in a time where things are about to get significantly and overwhelmingly worse. He has skills and experience in a sought after highly paid trade. Why would he NOT want to help himself and his family? We aren't talking about someone on the tills or packing in a factory. This is a totally different situation

I can just imagine the responses to 'my OH insisted on going self employed despite not having the skills and now we are bankrupt'

It would be full of responses from judgey snobs like you saying 'well how irresponsible of him, doing something he didnt have the skills to do, letting his family down and now the whole family have to be bailed out by the tax payer'

I can see more people not wanting to take the risk as well with the cost of living crisis.

I wouldn't think it's the best time to start a business, especially the building trade . Its not like you can just rock up as a new business without contacts, word of mouth etc.

People don't seem to have a clue! If you are willing to pay a fortune right now with the way things are going are you going to give your money to someone who has been doing it for a while and can show you their work or a new started with no experience of running a project even if they are a bit cheaper

I know what most people would do