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

Exactly! Move to a 1 bedroom and increase your earnings if you can

Tell uc you’re a carer for your disabled child as this will add another £185 on your payments and depending on the level of DLA your child gets you can get disabled child premium added. I’d suggest finding some part time work that fits around your children. I work for UC and have a 4yr old on high rate DLA, I have nurses out to teach his nursery how to care for him etc so that I can work, and my work is flexible, I work from home 3 days a week so maybe look for some work from home jobs. Hope this helps x

I would start by looking at all the things in your house- outgrown toys and clothes and sell them on line. You could also look at reselling items from Charity shops/car boots. If you clean them up nicely, take photos on a plain background in natural light, and sell on one of the better listing sites it is an effective way to bring in some much needed money whilst working from home. A friend does this to such an extent she happily pays tax! In the same line, can you make anything and sell it? Otherwise, can you get a morning or evening part time work as, say, a cleaner a few times a week? Thinking of targetting more affluent areas. To help with this, can your eldest watch the others if not working?
I am a disabled, working tax payer, and do believe in helping those less well off than myself without claiming benefits personally. Perhaps if you change the way you think (things are bad) to trying to have pride in your abilities and resourcefulness - so you bring in your own income - you will feel happier overall. It must feel awful to rely on the charity of others, and I can empathise with how you feel as a burden on "the system". Just to expand on this, "the system" takes money from the taxes on other people who may not be all that much better off than you, and also getting by. It is not some magic money tree. I think there must be a way for you to get out of this and feel back in charge, empowered and believing in yourself! Good luck, hugs, and I hope you find a swift solution.

If multiple taxable benefits are in payment, or a taxable benefit is paid alongside a private pension, and this takes the claimant over the tax threshold, then they will pay tax even if they don’t work.

Honestly looking for 5 years…. I just don’t get it.

Also carers element on UC which is paid monthly is separate to carers allowance which is usually paid weekly. However, carers allowance give national insurance contributions which is good for when you retire so you get a full state pension but it is take £for£ off ur UC. If u have any questions I’m happy to help x

18 is an adult - he needs to contribute!

Is that serious? Paying tax from money they’ve been given from the state makes them tax payers. Peak MN hilarity.

This.

You make a good point. The NI contributions are better for carers allowance than UC so worth making a claim for CA even though it will be fully deducted from UC.

Yes absolutely, that’s what I did and although I wasn’t really any better off initially as everything extra I earned by doing a more highly skilled better paid job got deducted from my benefits entitlement. However when I met my husband it meant I wasn’t so reliant on benefits that it would have been impossible for us to make a life together and now we have a nice life with our own house etc.
I understand that might not be an option for OP at the moment (as it wasn’t for me until youngest started school and even then it was very challenging and very much counted my blessings for the help I had a long the way) but what I don’t understand is that all this had come as such a surprise to the OP? Did she really not have this on her mind for the last few years?

I haven’t rtft but wanted to add my two pence worth. I cannot believe that an 18 ish yr old who has just finished education is straight onto claiming benefits. Firstly that the state would give that bearing in mind he is living at home and capable of doing a job. Why should tax payers be subsidising that? The country is already on its knees.
Also, totally agree with other posters. He should be giving the vast majority of the money to the household.
What kind or example is being set to him that he can sit on his backside and get “free money” without making contribution towards living costs etc.

It’s fact. And yes it does make them tax payers - a proportion of the benefit paid is taxable and goes back into the system. A lot of people are also forgetting that benefit claimants may have worked and paid their contributions so are perfectly entitled to claim when they need to.

Presumably she still has to have a room for the one at Uni to come back to so downsizing to a two bed probably won't make much difference.

@Babyroobs thats not how it works; that’s for her to pay if she wants to keep a room open for a few weeks a year, not everyone else.

If the OP is claiming income related benefits she would have to declare anything earned from online selling to DWP and there would be a deduction from benefit. Also, buying items specifically to resell online entails registering as a business on sites like eBay, which again will affect benefits and possibly affect things like carers allowance which have an earnings threshold. Benefits are not ‘charity’ and neither is the OP a burden. The benefits system is a safety net we all pay for when we can so we have something to fall back on when we need to.

If you're receiving DLA you shouldn't be affected by the benefit cap.
Maybe check that you're getting everything you're entitled to.

https://uk.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=155d82084163e622&advn=9074113862479915&adid=419726722&ad=-6NYlbfkN0DVt_LPMYlfHdMlEg2ctUkQwlI77eP5wQDO-Z00pI5_MayjXUa8_0up7FRiyk7sqYQyFcTX6oR749zF9lsWmtMZnb9rQ7zHKIM9GTDJQ8m-5tKsM3mFk4Zsy_ecwSgWG2SPst3M8KPx_4HSFlot3volmmf7H6RrSydru6vnp_eZpzcyXaGjC605vhw2i6oif34VSvD9nHide7RNb4py5E7DhgyEjsW364qwmWmq0-IrbpDyCKiHqiIk5bT5N4-X19yK5SLHURJ0pFhIHxlXPlivp2Anf_IqzqEJSA9SaOu15S-EnPL9y_DQtdzshNPef6wgF-PfdGcTJ1OBDcwZRhPTugC2jmyLiUOrFG45dC7QZ6AIZJLsXGHo32Yk_sawnOp7pj90jZHjYkC7_-TsSnd97j2Y_nVewpsnYtVOhbveVuG_cG8qe-waIwZfVOpu5bNWiDSe_vlRpA%3D%3D&from=serp&dest=http%3A%2F%2Fuk.indeed.com%2Fjob%2Ffoh-general-assistants-live-or-out-day-trade-singles-couples-155d82084163e622&desth=b2d45dd20b3a3dc7896164be678f970b&prevUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fuk.indeed.com%2Fq-live-in-l-england-jobs.html&tk=1hb1jo8uckcqf800&dupclk=1&acatk=1hb1jocjgien5800&pub=6917c08ec3ecf6012dd26f3773156e870cace3277f6b99df&xkcb=SoCn-_M3Khvu_Uxry50KbzkdCdPP&xpse=SoDo6_I3KhvuSNQIyB0JbzkdCdPP

With him having 2 years pt job restaurant experience I’d be encouraging something like this Op. £75 a week accommodation inc Wi-Fi & gym.
Doesn’t have to be long term but surely better than just sitting at home.

Why is your adult son not working? Why do you think it reasonable to claim benefits for more than two children? Why do you think hardworking and responsible people should pay higher taxes to support you and your kids?

Well when they become adults you know its going to happen.. happened to my daughter.. eldest son turned 18.. he's still in college but her UC went down same as yours.. she home educated youngest ( he's 15) and sen ..but she's still had to get a part time job to make up the short fall of UC... and she's got fibromyalgia and PTSD and having counselling.. ex husband will be locked up soon for what he did to her. ..but there is no other way.. you will soon get your £300 COL.

You had 4 kids with someone (assuming they all from one dad). Did you not think back them you might struggle later on in life to be able to feed our kids, pay your bills, dress them and everything else regardless if you work or not. You Rely on handouts/help and your son will think it's OK to live like that too ... The Gov should be handing out more contraception and family advise.

The adult child sat at home with £200 pin money for doing nothing is not what the system is for. It’s a prime example of why the welfare system is unaffordable. You seem to be missing the point.

Agreed. It's astonishing people think this would be ok.

The cap in effect limits UC claims to two children and is responsible for children living in poverty. It should be scrapped. I agree that the OP’s son should be working as soon as he can find a job, but you are making assumptions about the OP herself. Why is she irresponsible and how do you know whether or not she has paid the tax and NI which entitle her to benefit ?

Surprise surprise this thread is nearly a 1K comments already. Look at all these people frothing at the mouth whenever they see anything benefits related. Yawn