AIBU to be angry about the benefits system

[Daffodilsinfebruary]

I have recently discovered by using a free, independent benefits calculator called entitledto that had I applied for Universal Credit over 2 years ago, me and my family would be over £16,000 better off.

I had assumed that benefits were for either single-parent families or people unable to work due to disability.

The majority of our savings would have been from claiming 85% back in childcare costs. We also would have had a payout of over £200 each month in addition.

For context, we bring in just shy off £4,000 a month. I thought this was a very reasonable income and we would be entitled to nil.

I feel angry that we did not know about this. A friend of mine who I met through our children attending the same nursery told me she claims 85% back in childcare costs during a conversation in which I complained of my childcare going up £150.

I did further research and 19 billion pounds apparently goes unclaimed every year.

I’ve never claimed benefits in all my life and worked hard to get on the property ladder.

should I be angry that we didn’t claim, or take it in my stride.

I wonder how many other families who could have claimed but haven’t.

Shocked you're entitled to these benefits too tbh. Have you claimed now. Would be interested to hear how you get on. God luck

Tax credits have nothing to do with it, employers have been paying shite wages since money was invented & tax credits are just another name for income support which has been around for all of the post war period.

A working couple on 4k take home pay wouldn't be entitled to SFA.

Its the free childcare that is distorting this, its crazy, a postcode lottery and unaffordable for the country, if you can't afford the childcare, don't have children.

Unfortunately the benefits system is massively flawed and a lot of people are able to claim money that they perhaps don’t need. We don’t claim universal credit but from doing all the calculators we would be entitled to approx £340 a month . The reason we don’t claim is because between myself and my husband we bring in just under £5000 a month after deductions. We also receive dla for 2 of my children (which is spent on them) due to them having serious physical disabilities (this in turn is what makes us eligable for uC due to the disabled child and carers elements). Between our wages and this we are able to lead a very comfortable lifestyle and manage several holidays a year (just returned from florida) and the kids don’t go without anything. A system that allows us to claim UC on top of this has to be flawed And we don’t claim as it 100% is not right. I’m pretty sure though that there will be people in the same situation as us who do claim it because they can. Once I have to stop work to care for my children full time then we will look into claiming them at that point but not until then.

Yes your right but they have kids at school and still do 15hrs like I say gets made up to 26grand ....think I need to have another baby ...oh know I'm 57 🤣🤣🤣 seriously though its shocking hopefully they are getting stricter

You literally can't do that any more. The days of being able to work only 15 hours with school age kids stopped when UC was introduced. It's a minimum of 25, recently raised to 30.

Nope I work with a young lady with 2 school age children she does 15 hrs a week so don't know

UC rules for ages 3-12. If she's only working 15 hours, she will have a valid reason that exempts her.

I know they need to be working more hours but there are none available we work in a school she defo only does 15 she has asked for more hours but like I say so they must be ok with it x

Sorry don't know why I put an x ...habit

Who are you angry at? Information is widely available. Its constantly in the media. Its in the budget every year. Unless you never interact with the world i dont understand how you did not know

Up to 30 hrs a week

“So don't be jealous.” Laughable comment tbh

jealous is not the correct word. It’s anger that the government is giving out money, yes towards families who have young children. But for people who say they CAN afford it.

our Income was LESS than this amount when
My young children needed childcare and I was on statutory maternity leave(£136 PW). also tried to claim for UC / childcare help at the time when I was in between jobs as we were relying on my husband’s £50k salary at the time. The threshold was £50k around 8 years ago so we were declined on the first question - do you or your partner earn over £50k?

the amount you squirrel in a pension eg £200 equates to about £10 per month after retirement. As we’ve built a pension pot, we wouldn’t qualify for the low pension tax credits you’d get for those who have been on benefits all their lives.

i have undiagnosed SEN children and at the start of the 2 year waiting list to be referred to be assessed.

I’m glad the government are able to help you with somewhat with costs when your disabled children turn into adults.

The reason I don’t work the extra 5 hours a week is so that my extra 1 hour wage doesn’t go towards sending the children to an after school club. Makes zero sense as I would only receive 70% of that hourly wage after tax&NI

i knew that the early years would be expensive and we had just enough to get by. Didn’t even think the government would help, even temporarily. Yes we did use the 15 hour free funding from the age of 3-4? Can’t even remember the figures so I suppose it reduced our childcare costs by about 10%(?) for a year

Dont forget the smi is repayable, you cant have tax free childcare and uc so will not be able to use tax free anymore.

What did you mean by building a pension with our £5633?

do the state not give everyone the same amount?

Private pensions are not even worth the money you put in. Better off paying your mortgage off sooner

Yes you can. Its called smi, its a loan

You have to pay it back

Christ no wonder my tax bill is so high 🙄

Is that 4000 net or gross? Asking because a friend told me we could claim something because my son is entitled to DLA. We went through the process to be told we aren’t entitled to anything. I wasn’t expecting anything us (as we do have a reasonable income) but I was told we could claim for my son as my friends, who I thought earned more than us (from a comment her husband made in passing a few year ago about being a higher rate tax payer) said they had got some for their kids who also get DLA.

Why are you quoting me I didn’t say that

You can if you and your partner earn at least £1189 together. So when mine is three I won't be pestered to work more. As long as the couple AET is met I don't need to.

Your child doesn't need a diagnosis to be awarded DLA. You might want to apply.

Yeah, I was assuming the poster was talking about a single parent so that could be my bad.

Yeah it's up to, depends on earnings though. If it's minimum wage you have to do 30 hours.

I’ll just leave this here too… back in 70s, DM only claimed child benefit and the mortgage interest payments for a few years as there was nothing else. She was single income household though when stepdad arrived he did contribute to the household. Yes things were much cheaper then but my DM still had to pay her mortgage plus bills and not get any help. DB was in a nursery then too.

My nana always said that before WW2 there were no benefits and her eldest daughter born before WW2 she had to send to a milk farm and grew up in foster care and childrens homes (but then WW2 was on and we only found out about this 3 years ago) as my nana couldn’t afford to feed her and work, the father was in prison and her own family thought she was a disgrace divorcing, though her father paid for a very expensive divorce (you didn’t divorce back then).

There was no universal credit or working credit back then, it was the workhouse or starve and die.

I honestly have no idea either. I think they only did it so they can cut peoples money. I lnow a few people who were entitled to uc, but they make it so hard to claim they haven't bothered.