to be shocked at universal credit amount?

[oddsocksmatchifsamethickness]

I've just become a single mum of one, husband gone. So obviously I want to bring my earnings up. I'm self-employed and will be doing so. But I put in a calculation for UC to see if I could get help while I sought new contracts. I'm self-employed. I earned 1K this month and did the calculation and it says I will get another 650 a month from UC.

Can that be right? It seems a lot, it would take my income up to a wage of 28K/year, but I only work 20 hours a week.

Is this what people get?

This is exactly why I asked. I put this into a benefits calculator.

It told me I would receive 660 a month based on 400 rent and an income of 1K

I put in an income of 800 a month and it went down a bit. Those figures might be off.

My CT is 135/month
Rent 400/month

Income 800-1000/month

No childcare costs. I think the above includes child benefit also, £21/week.

I want to know what I will get so I can budget for the months ahead, my appointment is not until next week you see so that's why I am playing with benefits calculators. They did just give me £200 though as an advance on my first payment.

If you can indicate to me how much I will get that would be really helpful, thank you.

My child is 6 and in full-time school.

If you are earning that little for full time hours, then is your business viable ?

I've said I don't work full-time. I work around school and it is about 20 hours in average. I'm paid £20 per hour for some work and other work could be less as it can take longer for the same rate. I seek new work also and would take a job out of the home but it would just prevent me working at home and also there's nothing that I can do 10am-2pm so I can do school pick up. Or even 9am start and use breakfast club. I looked at TA, half my current pay but they won't let me finish until after my daughter needs to be picked up.

No healthy start vouchers if your income is above £450 a month
no help with dentist or prescriptions if your income is above
still have to pay full council tax.

It’s not as much as you think

What is it you're wanting to discuss exactly @oddsocksmatchifsamethickness

If the universal credit calculator is correct, or something else?

So maybe she earns 1261.65 or her rent is higher (On UC you need to earn 1.55 to take home an additional £1) Just saying if you add it all up it can get to just under £40K a year which is the equivalent to 55K. It's not implausible.

I don't personally begrudge someone with a disabled child having enough money for a nice existance, my son is good friends with a girl who is disabled and lots of things are much more expensive for her parents. Swimming lessons are 1 on 1. Physical therapy, lots of travel and time for hospital appointments and operations. It all adds up like a PP there is the opportunity cost for her parents. I hope that they are claiming all they are entitled to tbh.

The calculators are not always accurate and I was wondering if it was anything close to accurate the calculation I had done. It seemed a lot to me.

Also working comes with a work place pension alongside the state pension, other benefits (retail discount, workplace offers, training etc.) You need to look at the whole package of working, not just the paid figure.

what about being able to raise your child, free dental care, housing benefit and free school meals, pupil premium paid o schools, help with uniforms, council ax paid for, fuel bonuses!!

All adds up!

Why work?

How exactly are you contributing if you are taking more than you put in? You pay like 4k in tax and national insurance but take 10k in UC. Your math doesn't make any sense.

I agree. Time with my child is more important than absolutely anything else.

I've googled what I'll be entitled to as a single mother of two while on statutory maternity pay. It works out as £533 per week.

In reality, I am mortgage free in London and exDP pays £650 in maintenance per month. But for those six months, with UC being calculated monthly - and maybe something to do with DS1's nursery fees because they asked about those - that's >£2k coming in because my savings went on paying off the mortgage. I've had it checked out and looks right. Morally in torn - but I've been a higher rate taxpayer for years before having children so I don't feel that bad about utilising the system for a very brief period before returning to paying high taxes again,

I don't feel bad about it at all. There's a benefits surplus every single year. Politicians scam their system all the time with second homes for profit and expenses. My tax went towards children I never had for years and years, all fine, I'm part of society. It goes to prisons for people who are scum to keep them safe and away from the rest of us. Whatever it goes to makes no odds to me anyway if I don't see the money.

Even lazy people just using the benefits system as a lifestyle is a drop in the ocean in our money system anyway. could not care less and could not care less if people think I'm out of order for claiming UC.

I'll take every penny gladly, I've worked all my life and like the work I do but money for doing nothing is welcome. I paid in, and none of you truly care about us taking "your taxes" or you would be shouting from the rooftops about what MPs do.

There are 650 MPs and 5.6 million people on UC...

I'd take it tbh stick it in the bank if nothing else as it will come in handy at some point.

But I agree you should take what you can.

It's a reasonable amount and I am very glad you will be having it. I hope it is sufficient!

It has to go far for me - that's my entire wage! I can't afford £300 energy bills though so I have to be pretty frugal as I live alone so no other income

Take what you are entitled to take. If the system is wrong we should change it (and I would rather much lower taxes and a small state personally) but I don't begrudge people taking what the state allows them to take.

That is such bollocks !!!

A single person not working gets their housing costs if they have a legitimate rental agreement (nothing for a mortgage) and they will only pay the 'average' of rents in the area. That's if you can find someone who will rent to a potential tenant without a job.
If you are unemployed you get £334.91 a month. On that you are meant to feed and clothe yourself, pay your utilities AND get yourself to a job centre once a week and apply for jobs. (So a smart phone or an internet connection)

If you think that is ' it pays not to work' you are living in a parallel universe and reading too much Daily Mail.

I would suggest you try and live on £334 a MONTH without any access to credit. As most people in this situation are. Then think again before repeating such utter nonsense.
I work in the DWP . I deal with large scale fraud. I am more than aware that there are a lot of people out there scamming the benefit system. However, if you are honest and genuine, the money is not sufficient to live on without getting into huge debt.

Universal Credit is designed to make you better off working. Which is why the OP is pleasantly surprised.

Did you know there's a minimum income floor if you're self employed so if you earn 1K they won't deduct that much, they'll deduct more (minimum wage X 35 hours a week)

That's not true. I live in a private rented 3 bed house in a North East mining town in the 'colliery rows' and I pay £450 per month. Up until last year I was paying £400, I have lived in this house a long time and the rent has always been low. Many people in this area have low rent, even privately.

I think if someone was looking for a new tenancy now in the area the rents will be higher, but for those of us who have been in the same property for years, the rent is still low

@Xenia as would I, but we now have a large-state pro-spending Conservative Party so little chance of getting lower taxes any time soon.

How the heck would it be outing? More like you name changed so you can indulge on a spot of ableism as well as benefit bash.

I agree, look at Salary Calculator, its very accurate.