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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be on low income , but dont want to claim benefit's

182 replies

Hidijihidoho · 26/04/2023 22:18

We are on low income working oart time each And live very simply . We have a 15 year old car , live on very simple food and enjoy being creative. No heating on ! …
we could claim top up benefits , but having paid taxes as public service workers paying tax for many years ,we don't Feel that it is right for the system to support us when we choose to work part time .. its nit the taxpayers job to pay for the choice We have made as we have got older and cant hack working in the public sector full time anymore .
people keep telling us we should claim .. we are not wearing hair shirts .. we simply feel it does not fit with us .. are we bu ? Is it normal to expect our income to be supplemented now that we feel burnout and need to do less hours ? For us , we would rather cut our cloth and although the lack of money can be hard it feels the right thing to do . We do not feel comfortable working oart time but expecting others to supplement our income as ultimately its out choice ?

OP posts:
henchhen · 27/04/2023 19:24

AnotherEmma · 27/04/2023 19:02

Sorry £715 would be deducted

Weird that so many of the OPs friends are over invested and so desperate for her to claim benefits then 🤔

ArcticSkewer · 27/04/2023 19:29

Well there we go op. Now you can tell your friends that you wouldn't be entitled to anything, rather than claiming you nobly decided not to claim.

The poster upthread who works part time may have young children - although even there the rules are changing so that even those with very young children will be expected to work almost full time hours.

goosebumps · 27/04/2023 19:51

Hidijihidoho · 27/04/2023 08:42

Thanks for all the comments . We dont know anyone on work related benefits which lead to this . It seems that some people feel its ok to claim as “ thats what they are there for “ and other's dont. In our view ( disability etc apart) the benefit system is for emergencies etc not to support a lifestyle and we feel it is our choice to work part time and others should nit have to fund this . For reference we do not work in public services anymore .. we both did 30 plus years in a medical setting and in our 50 s we simply cannot do it anymore at all . Working part time doing odd jobs such feels such a relief and part of my wish to not claim is that feeling ,and to know that we can do jobs that dont break my heart on a daily basis despite loving our jobs This feels the right balance for us and the thread has helped anchor our choices.

You seem unable to accept (despite so many telling you on this thread) that your smugness is misplaced 🤣🤣. Two people without kids working part time with no disabilities are very unlikely to be entitled to benefits. How odd to be so smug about not claiming benefits you wouldn't get anyway.

Missingmyusername · 27/04/2023 19:55

Groggygymdodger · 26/04/2023 22:33

Lol. Stop telling folks your income and that you’re not applying then. You don’t need to go round telling everyone. Which let’s be honest is the only way they would be telling uou to claim. Cringing for you. 😂

Show quote history

Why? This is an open forum for discussion - this is a new topic it sure beats the bloody standard dog / vegan hating thread.

Why is this site so negative and filled with hatred.

OP if you’re happy as you are, not struggling, then tell people that! Good for you.
Do they actually come up and ask you if you’re claiming benefits? That’s quite rude!

Loria · 27/04/2023 20:01

Do they actually come up and ask you if you’re claiming benefits? That’s quite rude!*

I know! Unbelievable, in fact

Timesawastin · 28/04/2023 00:18

hattie43 · 27/04/2023 06:42

I would never claim benefits , it would be a sign of shame in my family or with my friends . No-one I know has ever been on benefits accept child allowance or in receipt of state pension but I don't know if they are called benefits.
It's your choice to work part time and it's your choice whether to get benefits or not .

Both those things are benefits. HTH.

olive55 · 28/04/2023 17:23

Hidijihidoho · 27/04/2023 18:27

“Bit strange. I work part time and I claim what I’m entitled to, I pay taxes too so why should I feel bad? Maybe if I was unemployed I might feel different.”

….the above quote is from a couple upthread…so many of you are saying that you cant work part time and claim benefits to top up .. and that people are hounded to work full time by the benefits agency in this sort of situation …whereas the above poster clearly works part time and claims benefits..? … so that sort of situation may be what people who have advised me to claim were talking about. ?

Maybe my info isn't current .. as I used to know a few people who said they chose to work pt so it would not affect benefits.

To be honest . I have not done a benefit check re us .. I assumed that we could apply given that people suggested that would be the case to us .. I have not gone as far as to actually check .

Just to clarify, I have one child who is 2yrs old. I work 22hrs pw. Have never been told by UC that I have to work full time or more hours. I think that’s dependent on income as well or perhaps because my child is only a toddler? Although I’m only part time, I’m on a £26k salary, not that it’s particularly high but that may be also be why. My child attends nursery twice a week so I claim back the 85% from UC until he’s 3 where he will get the free hours I believe. I don’t think I get the personal allowance anymore, I got a little bit of a top up when I was working 16hrs a week after I went back from maternity

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