Benefits reduction

[Bonsaitreepic]

I got my UC payment today. Just checked and it’s almost £300 less than usual. This is because my oldest is now classed as an adult as he’s left ft education. He’s not currently in work.
I have 3 other children but now I seemingly only get support for 2 of them due to the child cap.
Im freaking out. I only get maintenance for one of the children as I have the other 2 50/50 with their dad. I cannot afford to lose this much money every month. I was already struggling as it was. I’m unable to work just yet as one of the children has complex needs. I already get some DLA for them.
im quite sure there’s nothing I can do about this but I’m so worried

I'm confused by you thinking your money would stay the same?

Your DS needs to get a job and pay you proper rent

It’s not harsh to expect an 18 to work. Op isn’t throwing him out. He should be embarrassed to have put his mum in this position.
My dc is 17, in ft education with a physically disability and works pt (McDonald’s & babysitting) All her peers have it jobs and we are in a more affluent area fwiw. The longer they leave it the harder it is to get taken on no with experience. He’s now competing with 18 year olds who have experience.

From OP's post she has not explored any options tbh

I wish people were more clued up to how fucked the UK job market actually is. It’s all roses and daisies and assuming sectors are “crying out” for workers or “hand out CVs and get a trial shift today!!” kind of bollocks. I do feel for the OPs son whilst job hunting, it’s shit.

It’s not as simple as people think it is and to be honest people saying the above are just severely out the loop with this type of thing. Unless you live in a city there’s basically nothing, and if you’re in a small town well you’re competing with everyone else in your town. I looked at three different cafe jobs and all of them demanded two years experience in a similar setting, minimum wage by the way. Yes I claim UC and no I don’t care how much people cry about tax payers money, it’s not until you’re actively searching for a job you see how truly limited it is.

OP says she is unable to work right now. Of course she will have considered whether it’s possible or not.

You'd hope not. But he's been sitting on his arse since June trying to decide what he wants to do. Hardly an auspicious beginning, is it?

@bananaxapple
In that case, at 18 years old you move to a city, if that's the only place jobs are, and find a cheap house share. It is just excuses to not have a job for an adult with no responsibilities.

Oh please cry me a river. People come into this country today and start working by tomorrow...Some people are just LAZY ie. OP's son!!!!!

It doesn't look like the OP's son is looking though... taking tax payer money and doing nothing by the sounds of it.

Also - that has been the case for hundreds of years - its why there are migrant workers. People need to go where the jobs are! That's life.

I agree that nobody knows what the future holds so anyone with any sense does not choose to have 4 children. They surely know there is a chance that one or more could be disabled, your OH could leave you or even die, you could become to ill to work etc etc.

It's worth claiming carer's allowance because you'll get NI credits which may entitle you to a state pension on retirement.

I would not have had 4 children personally (though maybe in different circumstances I could have been tempted to) and some of those reasons may have informed my choice - but what a ridiculous thing to say!!!

Listen up, OP, g'wan give at least one of them back...!!!

Moving to a city with what money eh? OP’s son has £200. Is that £200 going to secure him a deposit, travel, new home necessities AND food? I think not. As I said I live in a small town in the midlands and the cheapest rooms to rent are £500 per month. Good luck trying to find anything “cheap” in a city.

Totally agree with this and I think it largely depends where you live. My two kids have struggled to get work this summer. We live near a city where a lot of businesses ( restaurants, take aways, shops etc ) are run by the asian community and they tend to just employ their own extended family members. Other options are large supermarkets where my kids can't even seem to get past the online situational judgement questions ( not sure what they are doing wrong ), or country pubs in the middle of nowhere that they can't get to as neither drive. my dd was offered a job cleaning trains at night in the roughest part of town. I was not happy with that. I'm guessing many mumsnetters live in middle class towns where people have money to spend in cafes and towns and restaurants. Not all places are equal in terms of available jobs for young people particularly those with little or no experience. My dd has had a term time job cleaning at her school but that is obviously term time only. Thankfully she has now gone to Uni but was not able to get any work over the summer despite applying for hundreds of jobs.

Response to @arethereanyleftatall

He would get UC rent element if renting but agree not likely to cover rent in full.

So prior to your dc returning UC, who paid? Basically you are poorer and he is richer. He wasn't getting anything and now he is in exactly the same job working situation but he is getting UC. So he's better off. It's not us the taxpayer you should he chasing. It's your son

How is it that you automatically decided that OP lives in a small town with limited jobs? Are you the OP?

It's not a ridiculous thing to say at all. MN is full of posts from woman moaning that they are struggling and, in almost every case, they have 3 or more children.

No reason to have more than 2 unless, of course, the second is twins or triplets. Also everyone must know by now that you only get benefits for 2 so if something bad happens in your life you are far more likely to be able to cope if you have stuck with 2.

Total crap. There are jobs literally everywhere. Not just cities. I live and work in a small village, the pub, sandwich shop, and chippy are always short staffed, advertising for staff, to the extent that the pub has reduced it's opening hours because it can't get staff so they're running on a skeleton staff basis as much as they can. Local Facebook pages have local employers in other villages and nearby towns appealing for staff. What you really mean is that people aren't willing to do minimum wage work and want their "perfect" job rather than any job, because they're comfortable enough claiming benefits!

@Babyroobs - you don't have to be employed by someone else to make money. Just do it yourself if there's really nothing around. Babysitting, car washing, lawn mowing, dog walking etc e etc ad infinitum.

DS needs to get a job/apprenticeship or similar. He’s 18 no excuse to not be working.

Please read, the small town and limited jobs were about me. I was just responding to another poster that suggested the son moves to a city 🙄 @IfOn

There’s job hunting and job hunting though. No experience he could have volunteered this summer in charity shop to get retail experience or done short term agency work like security at festivals or catering staff. Bit of something for cv to get launched. Ask on local Facebook group - what jobs are going there’s always positive responses to teens asking on ours.
The conversation needed having before he finished college - what next. Why didn’t he work pt or in holidays yr 12 & 13?
Loads of school crossing patrol on our council pays £300 a month, no experience needed.

Sorry you’re finding it hard but it shouldn’t have been a shock. I’m well aware that in 3 years I’m going to lose all benefits and also maintenance that I get, so I’m trying to plan for that as much as I can. Your son needs to pay you more, because you cannot run the house without it. I would say at least £200. You need to take it off him regardless if he has little money, it will be a major incentive to make maximum effort to look for work.