Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
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
YoSofi · 01/12/2022 08:31

Pineconederby · 01/12/2022 08:27

I’ve never understood why when people split up, the state suddenly becomes responsible for subsidizing their lifestyle choices.

Lifestyle choices like being able to eat you mean?

Are you really unable to work out why going from a two income household to a single income household may mean you are financially worse off? Would it surprise you to learn that not all fathers pay for their children and trying to claim through the CMS is almost impossible?

whatsup00 · 01/12/2022 08:31

As the other poster said the total am
ount of UC for her single daughter was something like 600 total a month? I presume thats if youre not working at all. If you're working it is 0 per month.

Ncgirlseriously · 01/12/2022 08:33

What’s the point of this thread OP. I’m glad you specifically will not struggle, but MN doesn’t need more reasons to vent all their shitty feelings about single parents on benefits.

Dweetfidilove · 01/12/2022 08:34

@oddsocksmatchifsamethickness Is your UC £650 or £1,650?

I see equivalent to £28k salary, but if £650, that would be £7,800 per year and the rest is your own earned income.

carefulcalculator · 01/12/2022 08:34

oddsocksmatchifsamethickness · 01/12/2022 07:53

Live up North.

Show quote history

Where exactly? 2 bed houses in many very low price areas in the area you call 'up North' Hmm are £550+ (just searched).

Oooh, I can't believe how much the state will fund me when my costs are sooo low in the north

Biscuit
Hooverphobe · 01/12/2022 08:34

whatsup00 · 01/12/2022 08:31

As the other poster said the total am
ount of UC for her single daughter was something like 600 total a month? I presume thats if youre not working at all. If you're working it is 0 per month.

No. It’s not. I work FT and get substantial UC.

Overgrowngrasslady · 01/12/2022 08:34

Pineconederby · 01/12/2022 08:27

I’ve never understood why when people split up, the state suddenly becomes responsible for subsidizing their lifestyle choices.

It helps prevents families in poverty . It’s not the state though. It’s the tax payer. Anyone who works, and pays tax they give that money to the government and the government then give it to benefit claimants. It’s simply how it works. So it’s not the state it’s the tax payer.

carefulcalculator · 01/12/2022 08:35

Ncgirlseriously · 01/12/2022 08:33

What’s the point of this thread OP. I’m glad you specifically will not struggle, but MN doesn’t need more reasons to vent all their shitty feelings about single parents on benefits.

The point of the thread is to generate more benefit bashing, with a faux naive OP based on bullshit figures.

Hooverphobe · 01/12/2022 08:35

Sorry, my mistake - you were talking about single/no kids people. 😳

Babyroobs · 01/12/2022 08:35

Pineconederby · 01/12/2022 08:27

I’ve never understood why when people split up, the state suddenly becomes responsible for subsidizing their lifestyle choices.

Largeyl because the men ( usually) decide they aren't going to pay ( not that chilm manitenance is counted in benefit calculations at all anyway) and usually decide to start a new family with another woman within a short period of splitting. My ds's girlfriends mum gets huge amounts of CM from her rich ex, is claiming large amounts of UC and barely works.

bloodyeverlastinghell · 01/12/2022 08:36

Babyroobs · 01/12/2022 08:25

I expect you are talking about the minimum income floor for self employed people where you can be treated as earning a minimum amount each month even if you don't. It is to stop people exploiting the system like they did on tax credits working a little hobby job , earning basically nothing much and claiming to work 16 hours a week as a single parent to qualify them for generous amounts of working tax credits. That kind of abuse of the system absolutely needed to end.

Show quote history

I don’t understand why in these circumstances why you wouldn’t get a job. There’s lots of work from home telesales jobs where you can get min wage plus commission. Then do your self employed stuff on the side (obviously report any earnings)Not trying to be mean just to understand.

carefulcalculator · 01/12/2022 08:36

Pineconederby · 01/12/2022 08:27

I’ve never understood why when people split up, the state suddenly becomes responsible for subsidizing their lifestyle choices.

Yes, the Victorians felt much the same. Biscuit

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 01/12/2022 08:37

I don’t think it’s a lot really.

BoxerMam · 01/12/2022 08:40

carefulcalculator · 01/12/2022 08:34

Where exactly? 2 bed houses in many very low price areas in the area you call 'up North' Hmm are £550+ (just searched).

Oooh, I can't believe how much the state will fund me when my costs are sooo low in the north

Biscuit
Show quote history

I rent a 3 bed in a mining town in Northumberland for 450 - up until last year it had been 400.

Admittedly it's not the nicest area of Northumberland but it's still not uncommon for lots of people to have 2/3 beds for under 500 in this area

Babyroobs · 01/12/2022 08:41

bloodyeverlastinghell · 01/12/2022 08:36

I don’t understand why in these circumstances why you wouldn’t get a job. There’s lots of work from home telesales jobs where you can get min wage plus commission. Then do your self employed stuff on the side (obviously report any earnings)Not trying to be mean just to understand.

Show quote history

The old system of tax credits allowed people to do some silly hobby job like making glittery wine glasses / selling Avon for 16 hours a week and get generously topped up with tax credits for years on end up until their youngest kid left education in some cases. UC is not so generous and rightly so. I'm absolutely sick of the whole system and the fact that people didn't work as many hours as they could in the first place without generous benefits to tempt them to do so is just a reflection of many claimants mindset.

Babyroobs · 01/12/2022 08:42

BoxerMam · 01/12/2022 08:40

I rent a 3 bed in a mining town in Northumberland for 450 - up until last year it had been 400.

Admittedly it's not the nicest area of Northumberland but it's still not uncommon for lots of people to have 2/3 beds for under 500 in this area

Show quote history

Exactly - it's similar where I live and many people are renting social housing/ HA for similar low rents long term secure tenancies.

PinkButtercups · 01/12/2022 08:42

What they say you get and what you actually get is usually different.

Poppasocks · 01/12/2022 08:44

We get literally double on UC than we did on housing benefit and tax credits. IME people who work do better out of UC which is great but not if you have genuine reasons why you can't

Closuretime · 01/12/2022 08:47

I do not know why you have posted this OP. Its not a lot of money? How many KIDS do you have?

Because rent £450 and council tax of £110. Leaves you with £1,080. This also includes child benefit.

It's no high life is it? Because you have KIDS!

Andypandy799 · 01/12/2022 08:50

@oddsocksmatchifsamethickness Sounds right to me and it’s there to give you a basic standard of living so just relax and enjoy the help. You can also get enhanced savings with uc so can save some up for a rainy day

tiredfedupyawn · 01/12/2022 08:50

Pineconederby · 01/12/2022 08:27

I’ve never understood why when people split up, the state suddenly becomes responsible for subsidizing their lifestyle choices.

Leaving an abusive relationship or fleeing domestic violence is a lifestyle choice?? 😳

softpilllow · 01/12/2022 08:52

Poppasocks · 01/12/2022 08:44

We get literally double on UC than we did on housing benefit and tax credits. IME people who work do better out of UC which is great but not if you have genuine reasons why you can't

All the calculators tell me I stand to lose several hundred pounds a month when I am forced over to UC. DH is retired, I don't work as I am disabled and the difference between TC and UC for us is vast.

hellesbells · 01/12/2022 08:52

KSAM

It isn't far off taking into account what someone would pay in tax, NI etc. I'm on 28k and don't take home much more than 1650 pm.

You need to check you payslip you should be taking home around 300 pound more than that

carefulcalculator · 01/12/2022 08:58

BoxerMam · 01/12/2022 08:40

I rent a 3 bed in a mining town in Northumberland for 450 - up until last year it had been 400.

Admittedly it's not the nicest area of Northumberland but it's still not uncommon for lots of people to have 2/3 beds for under 500 in this area

Show quote history

But the HB elements will not be higher than property rent so a lower rent = a lower award?

Fizbosshoes · 01/12/2022 08:59

Badgirlriri · 01/12/2022 07:28

Yes, sadly. It pays to not work anymore.

The OP is working?

Swipe left for the next trending thread