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.

Take home salary per month is £1400 or so full time on NMW. Rent is £1300 per month for a standard small 1 bed flat.Rents are very high where I live and many cannot survive without additional state help.
Moving isn't an option either.

So as long as a family earns a certain amount one parent can choose not to work more hours and just stay on benefits instead? Even though they are perfectly capable of working more and coming off benefits altogether? What a ridiculous system.

Well it isn’t happening as she works at my place 2 school age kids and does 15hrs she has no special reasons other than there are no hours available

From having a little read of this thread

Universal Credit Managed Migration - thread 2 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/money-matters/4988309-universal-credit-managed-migration-thread-2

It seems if on tax c you can have savings - of any amount

If moved to uc you can't have savings over £16k

Ans between 6/16 is tapered

Under £6k savings are fine on uc

Everyone is being moved to uc

I suppose not everyone has available childcare or jobs that work round school. I can only work between 9-3 so not many hours so need the UC top up. I suspect most have both working as you get wage and UC.

Thank you for having integrity.

I don't understand why there's such a discrepancy between what's provided for for disabled children and what's provided for for disabled adults. It's entirely right and good that disabled children get the provision that they need, but why when they become an adult are they suddenly expected to live on £800 per month?

I've been disabled (and single) my entire adult life and have never earned enough to feel even remotely comfortable. I'm entitled to absolutely nothing now as I'm just over the threshold for absolute poverty but my living standards are really poor - no holidays, no treats, no nights out. I'm agog at some of the amounts being quoted on this thread that families are entitled to.

Surely in this situation the parent can get a job with normal working hours and pay for childcare from their wages? Like most other people.

It is absolutely shocking. That we can claim UC on our income but we obviously don’t as morally I don’t think it’s right . Once the girls tune 18 we won’t be entitled to anything and we know things will get tough then as i
wont be able to work by that point. My girls will never be able to live independently so when they turn 18 they can claim UC themselves but this will be a fraction of what we could claim for them currently . Due to their disability’s our UC allowance before deductions would be £2898.55 a month. Even taking our decent wages off this (take home of just less than 5k) would still pay us over £300 where’s I have friends who earn a lot less who aren’t entitled tk anything but they are the ones who could use it . It’s def the disabled child elements that bump it up in our case

I work in a minimum wage job as does my husband. He is a full time TA. It works for us for me to work weekends and kids holidays plus no after school clubs is available.How do I work normal hours? At the moment it works better financially for us. I doubt we could afford several days at nursery.

The lack of affordable and available childcare is to be blamed. Not people claiming top ups for shitty wages.

My girls will never be able to live independently so when they turn 18 they can claim UC themselves but this will be a fraction of what we could claim for them currently . Due to their disability’s our UC allowance before deductions would be £2898.55 a month. Even taking our decent wages off this (take home of just less than 5k) would still pay us over £300

When DDs claim UC in their own right it won’t be a fraction of the £300 you could receive now if you claimed now. Using the current rates, if DDs have LCWRA, each DD would receive £727.87 in UC on top of their PIP. This amount would increase when they turned 25.

Presumably they have EHCPs which could continue until 25, or 26 in some cases, too.

It is brilliant you can afford not to claim. Many with multiple disabled DC can’t afford not to even if they are high earners. As I am sure you are aware, having multiple disabled DC can be extremely expensive.

System is not broken, thanks God there is UC. £4k is nothing in London with rent and childcare costs.

Sorry I clicked on the wrong post. It was supposed to be for @Lougle

No problem

I think one of my friends was like you, she sadly died of cancer at 53 last year. She’d been very ill and on PIP for a lot of her life, she’d been married twice, worked and paid taxes and NI and even had a flat (with mortgage). When her second DH died both she and her adult son moved in with her DM, unsure why her DS didn’t work, but her mum was on a Widow’s pension. They certainly didn’t have luxuries and I think just about scraped by but her mum owned her own house. My friend could barely walk anyway so there were no holidays or nights out but with the proper level of care (I was never quite sure what was wrong with her as she only gave half truths) she could’ve been more mobile. and now she’s dead which is dreadfully sad.

I have worked it all out and he’s each of my girls with disabilities will be able to claim just over £700 each on UC so £1400 ish in total which will be their money. Currently we can claim £2892.55 in UC )if neither of us worked). When I stop working this will be approx £1800 we would get from UC to help us care for them. Once they finish education we won’t be entitled to a penny other than approx £350 for carers. So our income will drop massively yet I won’t be able to afford to work at that time . I’m not going to demand my girls give me all their money as that’s for them. Yes looking after disabled children is expensive but that’s what their dla is spent on. The fact of the matter is that on our income we shouldn’t be entitled tk UC but we are. When I have to stop working and need the help then yes we will claim but morally I cannot claim it when we don’t need it

Gosh, how dreadfully sad.

It's not dissimilar, no. I'm not entitled to PIP despite having a fairly severe comorbidity of illnesses, and I can just about hold down a job because what other choice do I have? But with ever-increasing bills and the costs of my illnesses and the fact that I'm on my own, my wages don't go far at all. Life does just feel like an unending treadmill at times!

And surely this could be put back into the system to benefit those who need it most not those who are already living a reasonable life. There is no need to encourage those who don’t need it to take it!

Yes looking after disabled children is expensive but that’s what their dla is spent on.

You must realise for many DLA doesn’t scratch the surface of the additional costs associated with having disabled DC. Scope’s latest research states on average a household with at least 1 disabled person needs an additional £975 per month. They state with inflation over 22/23 that figure would now be £1,122 per month. Presumably more now with inflation since 22/23. Presumably even more with multiple severely disabled DC. These figures are the amount needed on top of disability benefits.

If you are comparing situations using the amount you could claim if you and DH didn’t work you aren’t comparing like for like. Because the £2892.55 isn’t what you would get now. It is the maximum you would get without any earning or if you had very low earning. If you are doing that you need to add what you and DH would be eligible for if you didn’t work once DDs are adults. Which would be £1014.22 (standard allowance and 2 carers elements). So £727.87 x2 plus £1014.22 = £2,469.96. Still lower than £2892.55 put nowhere near as big a difference as you think.

Yes, the benefits would be for DDs, including towards their living costs such as utilities and fuel which presumably you are paying now. It isn’t a demand to expect adults in receipt of their own benefits to use some of those benefits to fund their expenses. Again, brilliant if you will be able to afford to fund DDs living costs as adults, many can’t.

We will have to agree to disagree. My children are severely physically disabled and need us to do pretty much everything for them. We use their dla for a motability car but we still get over £900 every 4 weeks. Yes our heating and electric costs are higher and yes we have a loan to payback for the adaptions we have done on our house plus day tk day costs bjt the £900 more than covers this. All their necessary equipment if provided by their OT and phsyio and we pay for therapy etc out of this money but it is still plenty. Yes if I stopped working the disabled child element on UC would be massively appreciated but whilst I’m working dla more than covers their care and mobility needs. I still maintain that anyone on our wages (take home pay of almost 5k) and almost £1k in dla every 4 weeks shouldn’t need to claim UC which is why I think it’s broken. Yes once you lose income it’s brilliant and a massive help but you have tk admit that if you lead an extremely comfortable lifestyle then it’s wrong to claim it.

We will have to agree to disagree.

We will have to

It is ignorant to think just because your family doesn’t have high costs associated with disability it means no one does. Scope’s research shows you it isn’t unusual for DLA or PIP not to cover additional costs due to a disability. Some families of disabled DC have electricity bills over £500 per month before even considering any other disability related expenses.

My DC’s therapies are funded via their EHCPs, but I can assure you they cost well in excess of £900 per month. They cost more than £900 per week.

and?

I’m not being ignorant but realistic . Care costs for the vast amount of disabled children is covered by their dla (if parents are working) . My girls get therapies funded by their ehcps as well but that’s not out of our pocket. Yes there will be some exceptions but you’re deflecting it away from the whole reason I commented. Morally I will not claim for something that I shouldn’t be entitled to. If people need it then I have no issues with it at all but it doesn’t stop the fact that the system is flawed to allow it when the money is not needed.

It is ignorant to think the costs of having a disability is covered by DLA for many people just because DDs’ costs are covered by their DLA. For many, this just isn’t the case as shown by Scope’s research.

I am not deflecting anything. I am commenting on your posts. You were the one that posted you didn’t claim because you didn’t need to. I was explaining many high earning families of multiple disabled DC do have to claim because DLA/PIP doesn’t touch the sides of disability related expenses.

“AND”still able to get benefits