to be scared when kids leave full-time education

[spanieleyes22]

So I'm currently eligible for Universal Credit with 2 children over 16 but in full-time education. But when the youngest turns 20 I believe I won't be eligible for it any more. I don't know how I'm going to pay my rent or survive without it. They will still be living with me and will be in university (hopefully). What do people do when this happens.

" Where I come from people do not get state support or any sort of child benefit. Having children is a decision a person makes for themselves, not the sate, so it should not be state's responsibility to support that decision."

Where is that? Is there a welfare state there at all.
As a childless person, it wouldn't bother me, but the argument I keep seeing is that other people's children will be caring for me when I'm in a care home later.

Well, no, but their taxes pay your pension and keep the country running when you're no longer working...
With the inverted population pyramid I wouldn't be suprised if even state pension was means tested

@TheSnootiestFox I understand why you mentioned the house. You mention ADHD. You will have felt the need to share that about the house because ADHD makes you want to give the full picture. It actually makes you have high emotional literacy. You’ve even commented with an emotional desire to help the OP. Everyday is probably harder for you than someone who is not ADHD / ASD. Who has similar circumstances. You were trying to help the OP by giving your experience. You were emotionally attuning to them and do not deserve the back lash you have received. People have had a go at you for not understanding the OPs circumstances, yet you were doing and you were giving advice based on that. The people having a go at you have not understood what it is like to have ADHD and the reasons why you posted your comment. However, at the same time, ADHD can make it impossible to plan for the future so well done you for doing so. You might be entitled to a PIP. It might be worth investigating.
On another note, I had no idea you could get £560 in benefits when earning an average salary. OP, Do you get all the other entitlements too, like free school meals, reduced council tax, bus passes, grants for 16 year olds, possible grants for your children at university, free prescriptions, free dental care etc etc. If so, I might get to the job centre to see if I am entitled to UC. I never even realized I could on an average wage. We can’t afford to live now, let alone when / if my kids go to university. I take on extra work when possible, do surveys, sell on Vinted etc.

Also, I don’t want to scare the OP, but university aged 18 does not count as full time education. It’s only under 19 and A Levels / college etc. Do correct me if I am wrong but my friend, who gets a PIP and UC recently found this out. Her daughter goes to university next year.

On another note, I had no idea you could get £560 in benefits when earning an average salary. OP, Do you get all the other entitlements too, like free school meals, reduced council tax, bus passes, grants for 16 year olds, possible grants for your children at university, free prescriptions, free dental care etc etc. If so, I might get to the job centre to see if I am entitled to UC. I never even realized I could on an average wage. We can’t afford to live now, let alone when / if my kids go to university. I take on extra work when possible, do surveys, sell on Vinted etc.

The OP & the many other women whose stories you read on MN are only entitled to a top up since their rents have spiralled up out of all proportion to wages. That's the big problem: The cost of renting.

So if you want to need a good wage supplemented (strange ambition but whatever), you need to arrange to pay a very high rent and not have a partner. Personally, being thrown back into the rental sector, in this economy, is literally the stuff of my nightmares, but you do you.

Working UC recipients don't get free school meals, free prescriptions etc unless they are on a tiny part time wage. Full time workers such as OP could never qualify for those things. Sorry. I expect that's a blow to your plans.

Strange you chose to move to a welfare state, since it seems to antagonise you so much.

It's a longstanding British value that we don't allow children to fall into conditions of complete penury, and even that has been horribly eroded. Don't you know any teachers, HCPs or similar to tell you the horror stories from the "front line"? What do you think should happen to the children of low paid essential workers?

The countries where there is no support for children living in poverty generally will have no support for elderly people either. There aren't many elderly people as life expectancy tends to be low and childless elderly people are particularly stuffed. In a world where there are few young people do you think they will be signing up to be carers of elderly people they don't know for a pittance of a salary?

I got a job out of doing the courses online. Same for software engineers.

the roles are often filled by nerds who just learn online.

You have to pick the right ones

depending on whether you want to red team or blue team. Government or not. etc

i went to a cyber security conference. Spoke to everyone I could I spent hours connecting.

a year later I got a phone call and boom. They remembered me and then subsequently hired me.

No, OP works full time so she will not get those other entitlements. Those things are only for the very poorest in society - those who cannot work or can only work a limited number of hours only earning less than £7k a year. You're showing your ignorance as to how the system actually works. I work full time, get UC and have NEVER received free school meals, dental care or council tax or anything of the like.

MLM scheme. Advertise elsewhere.

@Beezknees Again, for Goodness' sake actually read what is written before frothing. @HelpIdonotknowwhattodo was asking if those things would be available to all UC claimants, how would they be expected to know that without actually being 'in' the system as we are?

They've shown zero ignorance as they were asking a question!

I can't remember which PP said that vast amounts of people were actually extremely thick, but the more I read the answers here, the more I believe it!

Anyway, I'm going back to painting the hall in the house everyone envies so much. I wonder if those green eyed posters would have been up for changing my mother's bladder and bowel pads several times a day and cleaning up the poo from the walls and floor like I was doing not so long back too?

A quick google will tell you these things. People know exactly what they are doing with these post. The insinuation that benefit claimants get loads of "free" stuff. The wide eyed faux ignorance is ridiculous.

And I never said anything about your inherited property so don't bring that up when quoting my posts.

A quick google will tell you these things. People know exactly what they are doing with these post. The insinuation that benefit claimants get loads of "free" stuff. The wide eyed faux ignorance is ridiculous.

Yes that was glaringly obvious. I think anyone who can't see it is missing a trick.

It's pathetic. And then act like they were just asking out of not knowing. They know exactly what they're doing with the passive aggressiveness.

If I'm living in a studio on benefits I won't be any help to my children or grandchildren.

You keep throwing up obstacles OP.

When people say charge your kids rent, you say they live at uni.

When people say downsize, you say the kids live with you.

When people say you won’t be destitute when you’re retired because you can get state help with rent but you need to downsize, you say then you can’t help your kids and future grandchildren.

If immigrants complained about these things people would be up in arms but people here feel hard done by for having to live within their means.

When people say charge your kids rent, you say they live at uni.

When people say downsize, you say the kids live with you.

Well that is rather the nature of having DC at university. Most come home for at least the long summer holiday. 18 year old own lots of stuff. Rents are expensive. Achieving fully fledged "independent adult" status straight after A levels is more difficult than its ever been.

It's hardly unreasonable not to want to wave them off at 18 and move straight to a studio.

Besides , I thought we understood the concept of "posting for support" on MN?

I took all my belongings with me when I went to university and only ever had short visits home afterwards. My mum moved to a much smaller rented place 6 weeks before I left home.
It is doable, but no one would think it was ideal.

Quite and OP is entitled to have an emotional response as well as a practical one.

In reality most people downsize for financial reasons once their kids are grown. Perhaps you could also consider moving to a cheaper area. Often over 50s can access social housing more easily than the under 50s can. You can surely be a good grandma if you live in a one bedroom flat. Living in a one bedroom flat doesn't make you useless to your family!!!!

In the short term whilst your kids are at Uni, in their 2nd and 3rd years many rent house shares so have the accommodation all year round. If not then they would need to get holiday jobs which surely most students would be doing anyway?

Many students now line at home and work for a year between school and Uni to save money for Uni. Or choose a sandwich course where you have paid work for a year in the middle of your Uni course.

The real problems here are low pay and high cost of accommodation which are a big issue in the wider society and frankly it sucks. However you do have choices OP as do your kids.

Probably should have thought about this before you were only 10 years from retirement. Seems like you will have to continue to work.

^just wow.

I lose all faith in mankind reading any benefit thread on MN…always pages of (not even) thinly veiled contempt and glee at publicly humiliating a single mother.

Some of these posters should never consider a job with The Samaritans that’s for sure. 🧐

I'm entitled to post what I want. Just as you are.

This is why long term renting is not an option. We need more houses built to drive down the average cost. Everyone should be able to afford their own home if they're working.