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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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
Gingerkittykat · 04/12/2022 05:22

People are eligible for help with their mortgage interest on UC via a loan which is secured on the property. It is very limited though, it only kicks in after 9 months of having £0 earned income.

In Scotland, there is something called the home owners support fund which gives help by the Scottish Government buying a stake in your house or having the local authority buy your house and you rent back from them.

palygold · 04/12/2022 08:21

Merryweather80 · 04/12/2022 04:20

Family of five.

Disabled adult three children I can claim for. Carers allowance deducted. No working adult. Rent £600.
We get £1654.

We are not surviving.

How can you get that much?
The system is screwed and unfair

That doesn't sound enough for five people.

I don't understand how UC works, but I'd take the OP and her being able to manage on £25.00 a week groceries for two with a pinch of salt.

CellophaneFlower · 04/12/2022 08:51

@Ivyblu They won't give her £565. They'll give her £65, to top up the £500 and bring to the amount they've decided she needs to live (565).

bloodyeverlastinghell · 04/12/2022 09:18

Merryweather80 · 04/12/2022 04:20

Family of five.

Disabled adult three children I can claim for. Carers allowance deducted. No working adult. Rent £600.
We get £1654.

We are not surviving.

How can you get that much?
The system is screwed and unfair

Was the last child born after 2017? From the looks of your figures you’re a single adult with three children plus rent getting no additional entitlements due to disabilities. Get help from cab or a charity and fill out forms for everything you could be entitled to. Be prepared to appeal as many claims are denied but given on appeal.

Does the £1654 include child benefit? I ask because You are at the £20k a year benefit cap. If you were able to claim for your or the children’s disabilities the cap would be removed and you could be a lot better off.

Hooverphobe · 04/12/2022 09:55

There is NO benefit cap if you work or if anyone on the claim is disabled.

lookersnoopy · 04/12/2022 09:59

Hooverphobe · 04/12/2022 09:55

There is NO benefit cap if you work or if anyone on the claim is disabled.

That's not strictly true. You have to be assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity or you or a DC claims PIP/DLA.

Millions of disabled people do not get either of these benefits.

bloodyeverlastinghell · 04/12/2022 10:03

@Hooverphobe That’s true I think merryweather is perhaps been judged as “not disabled enough” for additional help and so the benefit cap still applies.

bloodyeverlastinghell · 04/12/2022 10:04

Crossposted

Merryweather80 · 04/12/2022 10:04

@Hooverphobe I do get child benefit on top.

I just can't believe carers allowance is deducted. It's stupid to give it to then deny it. Last child was born in 2020. There's a circumstance which means I can claim for all three.
I can't leave the house at the moment. I will try and get a charity or CAB to look into it. It can't be right.

I'm barely eating to save money for Christmas. I have saved our milk/ veg tokens for Christmas food.
Heating has been on twice is far for an hour.

PlungedInk · 04/12/2022 10:29

Would you rather women keep their DC under the influence of, and the same roof as, an abusive A hole? Or get less UC so their DC can grow up in poverty as a result of stigma and vitriol?

What exactly is your point OP? This sounds more like a reverse OP coming from a DV perpetrator or DM journo.

Wiluli · 04/12/2022 11:24

Merryweather80 · 04/12/2022 04:20

Family of five.

Disabled adult three children I can claim for. Carers allowance deducted. No working adult. Rent £600.
We get £1654.

We are not surviving.

How can you get that much?
The system is screwed and unfair

Are you sure you sure you are claiming for everything ? Do you get pip , carers element , disability element ?

Florenz · 04/12/2022 11:34

Benefits are far too high in this country, people don't seem to appreciate that if you're getting money you haven't worked for, someone else is working on your behalf.

lookersnoopy · 04/12/2022 11:43

Florenz · 04/12/2022 11:34

Benefits are far too high in this country, people don't seem to appreciate that if you're getting money you haven't worked for, someone else is working on your behalf.

Benefits are too high, yet we have a massive issue of poverty in the UK, how does this work?

palygold · 04/12/2022 11:46

Florenz · 04/12/2022 11:34

Benefits are far too high in this country, people don't seem to appreciate that if you're getting money you haven't worked for, someone else is working on your behalf.

I disagree that they're too high. I couldn't manage on those amounts of money, even temporarily would be life changing as I have a lot of costs.

palygold · 04/12/2022 11:50

And unless they're in ill health people are expected to work, or seek work, or are otherwise sanctioned.

It's not money for nothing as presumably, at some point, they'll have previously paid tax and national insurance.

AnonWeeMouse · 04/12/2022 12:38

Florenz · 04/12/2022 11:34

Benefits are far too high in this country, people don't seem to appreciate that if you're getting money you haven't worked for, someone else is working on your behalf.

Bollocks.

£334 unemployment element of UC for an adult.

If you can live on that a month, go for it.

Wages are too low, thats the issue.

A company can pay their staff £9.50 an hour knowing the government will top it up to a liveable wage.

You want too lower benefit bill?
then push employers to pay properly and convince everyone to pay higher prices for goods and services.
And scrap pensions... that's the biggest chunk of the welfare bill.. unemployment makes up less than 2% of welfare, pensions is over 40%

Feel free to Google and fond the exact figures.

Benefits too high is a ridiculous and misguided assumption based on the Tory propaganda used to demonise the poor instead of putting focus on employers and the wealthy, don't fall for it.

bringincrazyback · 04/12/2022 12:48

AnonWeeMouse · 04/12/2022 12:38

Bollocks.

£334 unemployment element of UC for an adult.

If you can live on that a month, go for it.

Wages are too low, thats the issue.

A company can pay their staff £9.50 an hour knowing the government will top it up to a liveable wage.

You want too lower benefit bill?
then push employers to pay properly and convince everyone to pay higher prices for goods and services.
And scrap pensions... that's the biggest chunk of the welfare bill.. unemployment makes up less than 2% of welfare, pensions is over 40%

Feel free to Google and fond the exact figures.

Benefits too high is a ridiculous and misguided assumption based on the Tory propaganda used to demonise the poor instead of putting focus on employers and the wealthy, don't fall for it.

Show quote history

This 100%.

Ivyblu · 04/12/2022 12:52

Florenz · 04/12/2022 11:34

Benefits are far too high in this country, people don't seem to appreciate that if you're getting money you haven't worked for, someone else is working on your behalf.

What industry do you work in? People who DO WORK are still on benefits!

Because childcare is extortionate and my wage is low. Do you understand its the wages!! Its not possible to survive off of £900 a month, pay child care and all the rest.

PeloFondo · 04/12/2022 13:38

@AnonWeeMouse that's presuming you have children. Otherwise companies are paying £9.50 an hour and if you're single with no children, that's what you have to live off...
I'm lucky as in my mortgage is fairly cheap but it's still not an easy wage to live on

Seymour5 · 04/12/2022 14:07

I live in a part of the UK where housing is reasonably affordable. There are always job vacancies. Even low paid jobs can lead to something better. Even a minimum wage job is surely better than benefits for adults with no dependents.

taxpayer1 · 04/12/2022 14:30

gbconfused · 04/12/2022 04:49

I hate these threads. It just turns into an attack on people who claim benefits. No one on benefits is living in a mansion and taking three holidays a year at the tax payers expense. Most people on benefits are struggling in the same way a lot of lower end income people are struggling. This person is not because her outgoings are unusually low. The system is working for her. Unfortunately a lot of people suffer at the hands of the system. And then get to be judged by middle class people who have no concept of being poor and struggling. STOP BLAMING DOWN. BLAME UP. And just maybe we might live in a fairer society.

You are ignoring the fact - mentioned in this thread multiple times - that people who rent and have children are better off not working or working reduced hours. That is the problem. There should be no option to choose to work or work part-time. At the end of the day, we all pay for that decision with more tax and fewer services. Everyone should work at their maximum capacity (unless they have private means to support themselves). It is not fair for the rest to pay for someone's decision not to work.

taxpayer1 · 04/12/2022 14:34

lookersnoopy · 04/12/2022 11:43

Benefits are too high, yet we have a massive issue of poverty in the UK, how does this work?

Show quote history

It is high for single parents who rent and have children. For people without children is not adequate.

Harmonypus · 04/12/2022 14:36

@Ivyblu
I don't understand so this may be my mistake. Why will UC not give your friend any top up money of your friend earns over £565? Is that because she has a mortgage?
But is she earns £500 they will give her £565?
This is the same struggle but slightly different reasons of how generations of families are on benefits or single mums are not working full time. It's a no brainer isn't it??
I think the GOV have ALWAYS paid rents, the private rents are not like years and years ago where they would pay the vast majority of high rent it's capped.
I think if you took your mortgage before all these rule changes you should get a big chunk of help.... but everyone's mortgage differs in price so it is difficult perhaps they should have a limit? To what they would be on UC.

It's nothing to do with the mortgage.
No, if she earns under £565 in a month, they will top her up to the £565, so if she earns £500 they'll pay her £65 but if she earns £565 or more, she gets nothing from UC.
Yes, the Govt have always paid rents but give absolutely no help (except as a loan) to people with mortgages. We work and pay into a mortgage for years but then lose our jobs or our health deteriorates and we can't pay the mortgage out of our basic benefits but someone who rents their home gets their rent paid, where's the fairness in that?
I took my mortgage out in 2000 and haven't been able to work since 2011 and I originally got £12.34/month towards my (£600/month) mortgage until they changed the rules and decided any help would be in the firm of a loan and I've received no help with it from the DWP whatsoever since then and my friend is in the same situation where she took on her mortgage in 2004 and has claimed UC in the last few months and they're not giving her anything towards the mortgage either.
Yes, I agree, they could cap how much they'll pay towards rents or mortgages (even if it was to be £500/month) but people with mortgages need the same amount of help as those renting.

CrossStichQueen · 04/12/2022 14:38

taxpayer you are ignoring the fact that the alarming costs of childcare, zero hour contracts and very low pay are the main contributers to people working part time/reduced hours and claiming benefits. It should not cost people more money to work than they will earn but it does once you factor in the above.
Instead of blaming those who are put in this impossible situation maybe look at those who are in charge and need to put a stop to unaffordable private rents, zero hour contracts, low pay and provide more affordable childcare then we may find we have more people in full time work.

CrossStichQueen · 04/12/2022 14:39

It is high for single parents who rent and have children. For people without children is not adequate

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