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?

I've used the benefits system many times and come off it many times.

Why are you suddenly so shocked by it then?

It's been a while I suppose.

I really hate statements like this. Of course it doesn't pay to not work. £600 won't go far (it's 14 hours ish a week and £7200 PA at minimum wage). That would barley cover rent in most of the UK.

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.

That is take home
As in once tax has been taken out with any other deductions, what actually goes into your bank account

Your take home pay, otherwise known as net pay, is the amount you receive each month after any deductions which have to be made, like Income Tax and National Insurance.

Yes, as are many other people in the country. I also pay pension contributions for a private pension. But as I said, it isn't far off what I take home after deductions and I'm on 28k. Not that that's an issue, I don't think UC is excessive I was just stating a fact.

Sounds about right to me, as your self employed and a single parent. It will go up and down depending on your monthly earnings.

Wow how do you get rent if £400 can't get a room in a shared house for twice that

Have you considered politics as a career?

If you're earning 28k you'll be taking home around 1900

Sounds right. I work 25h a week and receive £1000. But my rent is £1100 a month and although I revive a council tax discount, it’s still £175 a month with discounts.

Live up North.

Maybe read my first post and understand my second.

Feels like this site has seen an influx of people suddenly feeling like they won the lottery once they went onto benefits It always sounds like disingenuous bullshit. Are Russian bots an actual thing in real life or have I been watching too much TV drama?

This

Sounds like the OP has paid into the system and now needs it because times are tough.

She would struggled without it, why begrudge her what she is entitled to?!

If anyone lives in Scotland don’t forget to apply for the Scottish Child Payment, it’s now available for children under 16

So they're stealing from tax payers and everyone who is on benefits then? Really. That's disgusting!

But back to your point OP, benefits, if they provide rental payments etc encourage the long term unemployed not to work because those people can't earn the amount they get as take home pay. However, it might in the short term keep you afloat, which is what the benefit system is for.

Good luck making your way out of it. When my hubby died I couldnt work and received c£5k of UB and CTC, after a few months I got back into full time work and paid back the CTC. Of course I didn't then get CB so no Widows Pension, which is crappy. Effectively his death meant they paid just 6m of pension cos I earnt too much to claim child benefit and they tried to chase me to pay that back too, then realised their mistake wtf.

I wouldn’t like to have to pay rent, all bills and have to live off £1650 a month with children.

Hardly a life of luxury is it? I won’t be rushing to hand my notice in…

You’d get that on 28k if paying back student loan and paying into a pension and possibly with some taxable benefit.
If you are on UC there is a childcare element built in so you wouldn’t be doing the childcare vouchers for example and you’d likely put less in a pension.

You're obviously living somewhere very expensive! You can rent a flat (not studio) here for under £600.

I don't.
I do hate all the "omg how much I can't believe I'll get this much money for not working surely this can't be true" posts we've been getting recently that triggers the what's the point in working live it up on benefits flat screen TV I work three jobs bring back the workhouse lot.
So I was sarcastic. My first post suggested she donated some. (That was sarcasm too btw).

So yeah. Hands up. I was being a grumpy cow fed up of all these "gosh how much oh my" posts and their living it up on My Taxes replies.

Says a lot about how it is on here that that wasn't actually obvious tbh.

Yes sorry when I earned 28K I was indeed paying back my student loan.

The cost of living is cheap here, I don't need much. I'll make some savings and carry on increasing my earnings.

I'd rather not work and care for my child for nothing than use any state funded childcare so I can work out of the house.

I can work from home around my child, when she is here. I work very early mornings and while she is at school currently.

I understand.

Sorry, the sarcasm wasn’t immediately clear and I do tend to jump straight on the defensive on threads like this!

£1650 won't go far not with bills rocketing. My energy bill alone is £300 a month.

Those calculators are never correct either:

If you are only working 20hrs a week and your children are a certain age, unless you have additional caring responsibilities you might feel the pressure from DWP to increase your hours or find additional employment to up them. Regular work interviews and threats of sanctions do not mean someone is sitting pretty. It’s very grim 😞