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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to be shocked at universal credit amount?

513 replies

oddsocksmatchifsamethickness · 01/12/2022 07:26

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
Tillsforthrills · 01/12/2022 21:03

How on earth could you survive on 1k a month with a child?! 1650 is not exactly a lot.

taxpayer1 · 01/12/2022 22:19

Tillsforthrills · 01/12/2022 21:03

How on earth could you survive on 1k a month with a child?! 1650 is not exactly a lot.

This comment is insulting to people that have to live on that amount.

oddsocksmatchifsamethickness · 02/12/2022 07:02

Tillsforthrills · 01/12/2022 21:03

How on earth could you survive on 1k a month with a child?! 1650 is not exactly a lot.

We could survive but be in debt. We have only just come into this position since my husband left. I still have to do all school drop offs and pick ups.

1650 is more than enough if you are able to budget and cook, even with a young child. They don't actually need anything expensive. Even our after school stuff is cheap.

People have to manage on less than this but fortunately we wouldn't have to.

OP posts:
bloodyeverlastinghell · 02/12/2022 07:58

I don’t really think the goal for children should be survival. Which is the point of having UC top ups.

SeenAndNot · 02/12/2022 08:04

You’re self employed- you need to be mega careful. I had tax credits whilst self employed, and despite telling them all the correct figures, they overpaid me and I had to give £5k back two years after I stopped claiming.

palygold · 02/12/2022 11:23

I still have no idea how you manage on maximum £25.00 a week for groceries for two people, even if cooked from scratch as you say.

oddsocksmatchifsamethickness · 02/12/2022 12:00

palygold · 02/12/2022 11:23

I still have no idea how you manage on maximum £25.00 a week for groceries for two people, even if cooked from scratch as you say.

Things go a lone way. I've been cooking this way for years.

OP posts:
jannier · 02/12/2022 15:48

oddsocksmatchifsamethickness · 02/12/2022 07:02

We could survive but be in debt. We have only just come into this position since my husband left. I still have to do all school drop offs and pick ups.

1650 is more than enough if you are able to budget and cook, even with a young child. They don't actually need anything expensive. Even our after school stuff is cheap.

People have to manage on less than this but fortunately we wouldn't have to.

You can survive but be in debt.....then after awhile things breakdown that need replacing fridge, cooker, heater, child outgrows shoes, utilities go up yet again....winter sets in....year later your debt is huge and the interest rates are up again so now it's more debt food banks and no heating. Everyone gets by the first few months

palygold · 02/12/2022 15:59

Things go a lone way. I've been cooking this way for years.

I know very well about cooking from scratch. Still no idea how £25.00 a week covers all your groceries fit two people. It sounds like you could do with some extra help then.

Ivyblu · 02/12/2022 17:04

palygold · 02/12/2022 11:23

I still have no idea how you manage on maximum £25.00 a week for groceries for two people, even if cooked from scratch as you say.

Cooking from scratch isn't cheap either. With the cost of food too.

palygold · 02/12/2022 17:23

No, definitely not cheap! @Ivyblu

Prettyinpink22 · 02/12/2022 17:39

You must live in a very cheap area if your rent is only £400!
we live in a very small 2 bed and ours is £1200, we are well outside zone 6 as well so we are in not London either.

Agnsch79 · 02/12/2022 17:46

This is based on your calculation but UC always turn to be less.And for self employment you have to earn £1270 and even if your monthly income is less then this , UC calculates from this amount.

vulvacious · 02/12/2022 17:47

There's a lot of weird maths on this thread Confused

Agnsch79 · 02/12/2022 17:53

Royals don’t need but claiming like crazy

ocelot1 · 02/12/2022 17:57

living together, even split up counts as being a couple for benefits.

PeloFondo · 02/12/2022 18:04

Prettyinpink22 · 02/12/2022 17:39

You must live in a very cheap area if your rent is only £400!
we live in a very small 2 bed and ours is £1200, we are well outside zone 6 as well so we are in not London either.

I'm in the NW and that price isn't unusual

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/129227990#/?channel=RES_LET

softpilllow · 02/12/2022 18:22

ocelot1 · 02/12/2022 17:57

living together, even split up counts as being a couple for benefits.

Nope. Not quite so black and white.

niugboo · 02/12/2022 18:26

@skerd wanna bet. This is what I would get.

details.
salary of £1000 a month.
childcare £100 pw
2 kids.

no other details to note.

to be shocked at universal credit amount?
OMGyoucantbeserious · 02/12/2022 18:29

My friend has taken in a Ukranian refugee and her son. She took her straight to benefits office and she received £650 UC. Must be a going rate?

niugboo · 02/12/2022 18:33

@skerd whoops I did 2 kids. Amended to 1.

to be shocked at universal credit amount?
AnonWeeMouse · 02/12/2022 18:50

MichelleScarn · 01/12/2022 07:39

Why are threads when people who work part time or not at all and say their benefits amount seen as 'goady'?

Because quite often they're not true or they're purposefully misleading to spread the Tory antibenefit agenda

There's usually miscalculations or things the OP doesn't admit to for a few pages, I haven't checked if that's happened here.

Ultimately. UC tops up workers wages to a benefit cap. It's influenced by rent, landlord status, number of children, childcare payments etc.

A parent of 2 kids with a rent of 600 in private rent and a childcare bill of 1k a month will get fat more than a single parent to 1 child with a rent of 400 in social housing and a childcare bill of £0 a month.
They also handily often forget the benefit cap and the LHA rates affecting Bedroom entitlement.
It's the same old tropes spread by biased morons.

If you post just the figures and not the details, it looks a lot and people kneejerk response with anti benefit hyperbole about how it's better to scrounge etc. When you look into the detail, it tells a different story.

Here's some UC figures:
Unemployment element for an adult £334 a month. To pay gas, electric, food, clothing, hygeine, rent shortfall, council tax etc.

If anyone here thinks that's a princely sum so you're better off unemployed... Go for it.. quit your job and claim.. put money where mouth is.

IWantAShitzu · 02/12/2022 19:03

OP, you’ve clearly had a tough time and I really hope the extra UC helps you for as long as you need it. You’re continuing to work but obviously need a top up - benefits are just that, for those who need it. I really don’t understand all these anti-claimers.

myself and my husband temporarily were in benefits due to his very poor health, we needed it. Thankfully we don’t any more and we managed to buy our own home, the benefits were used as a stepping stone for us while he got his health on track.

nannykatherine · 02/12/2022 19:11

Don’t forget the benefit cap Will kick in at some point

bloodyeverlastinghell · 02/12/2022 19:16

Benefit cap is 20k a year, op will be claiming less than 8k.