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.

The thing is in the example I gave above, £1200 a month left to pay for food for a family of four, petrol, cars, insurance etc is not exactly going to lead to having many luxuries is it !

This is correct. You can’t claim tax free childcare if you claim UC.

No it’s really not.

I am sick to death of people thinking that people on benefits are scrounging or living it up. It’s a fucking horrible life, there is nothing luxury about it.

Really good to know that’s the case. Big old heffalump trap otherwise

or, like OP think they are comfortable so do not claim

I think your calculator may be wrong . We have a universal credit account and it varies with what we earn . I don’t have regular wages due to my job - some months can be high , some low depending on what I work . My husband has a terrible accident that left him out of work and me out of work for a while whilst he was in hospital so I put in a claim . It really helped us. However now he is going back to work slowly it’s going down each month . Last month we got £600 - that was with us earning jointly around £3,500 . But for that we have 3 children on the claim , we have one child with an enhanced disability rate , a carers element and rent. I can’t see how with one child and no rent you would get that much and I’m pretty sure you don’t get anything for having a mortgage you just get an extra amount of your wages that’s part of your work allowance so are you sure the mortgage element you have seen isn’t your work allowance ( work allowance you can earn a little before it reduces your award - for context as a couple with housing costs we have a £379 work allowance .. we don’t get £379 paid to us it just means the first £379 of our joint income is not counted so does not reduce our award ) - unless your child is disabled and you have disabled elements / carers elements ?

That sounds roughly us too, I checked when first was born and found to be getting nothing. Never checked again, however I think benefits should be for people on their knees financially and maybe get more than they currently do (it felt like we are / were on our knees, we are not well off but we are also not crippled).
don't beat yourself up about it, hopefully you’re all healthy and just move on.

I have to say I’m shocked at the comments that say benefits should only be for those on their knees struggling and seem to think that there is no way people on £4k a month are struggling . Because they are. Everything has gone up and you do not know the situation of everyone .

We take home just under £4k per month . For start £1300 of that is gone in rent , straight away . Bills are high , cost of living is high . We have debt we can’t clear , we don’t have luxuries really and we just about make it through sometimes . My biggest luxury is probably our car - a car we share that is essential for work . £200 per month on finance because we couldn’t afford to buy it outright - and one of us then has to pay out for taxis as the other has the car . I have annual passes for theme parks that costs £40 per month too , but that’s it . Everything else is essential and I actually class the car as essential.

If you had told me 10 years ago that I would one day be taking home £4k per month I would have felt like I was going to be rich but realistically, it’s nothing like it .

Yes its called google if op put in childcare costs in search bar she would have discovered she was entitled to help.

Everyone seems to be on benefits these days. I am out of work and apparently not entitled to anything at all, not even free prescriptions for significant health matters. No council tax discount or anything, let alone actual payments.
Whole system is a shambles.

Is £4k a month not enough for you?!?! Honestly your issue if you didn’t check. People are so money grabbing these days. Can understand those struggling on a low income but honestly OP, on £4k pick up a month?!?

Hmm. Claiming benefits means you have to account for expenses and be ready to justify them, and you cant save a lot, and you can have all your financial info demanded, to be looked at at any time. Not much fun.

You’re not alone. DH and I have never received a single penny of any type of benefit. We are expected to pay eye watering amounts of tax to fund others though.

I’ve no issue with cases of genuine need but it does seem that many middle earners claim one type of benefit or another.

Yep, you lost me at £4k pcm and how with this level of income people are still ‘topped up’.

I may be wrong OP but I think if you’re claiming Tax Free Childcare you cannot get Universal Credit at the same time.

This conversation just highlights just what an unclear minefield it all is. And it changes year by year. Even the employees need training and retraining to keep up

While there were far fewer benefits around for working folks when mine were small, you could go in to a DSS office and tell them about yourself, and an officer would talk you through what you could do to increase your income.
In early 2000s, you could go into a local authority benefits office to be advised about council tax and help with housing costs (and yes, you COULD get help with your mortgage interest), they would also signpost you to other benefits, and even get you an appointment with a benefits officer.

THAT HAS ALL GONE.

Getting through on the phone is expensive and time consuming. Departments are compartmentalised, so even when you get through you can get incomplete or semi-conflicting information.
Then you get a form - do NOT get me started on benefits forms - they are designed to be obscure, If you make a mistake, it goes back around, and around, or simply gets rejected without explaining why.

Even if you are entitled, you need strong language skills to describe your need. e.g does your child have a nursery place? The answer is YES. You may well have spoken to a nursery, but DC has not yet started, because you actually cannot afford without help, but if you put "no" then you are not eligible. You will get benefits backdated to date of application or date of eligibility, but you have to know that it can take weeks or even months for it to come through.

Lots of judgemental comments are not nice.

That is what you are entitled to with 2 children, it then reduces % wise depending on your income, you won't get anywhere near that, I never, single mum 2 kids £20k salary. Entitled 2 isn't often correct.

But you shouldn’t be able to ‘save a lot’ if claiming benefits. Benefits are to meet essentials, not to put into savings accounts.

I used to be able to save a bit on benefits. I was very frugal.

The benefits cap is 2K a month including rent and council tax.

I'm unsure of what you'd be entitled to on 4K.

What benefit cap?

People don't get benefit capped if they are working.

If you and your partner earn less than 60k pa each (so that’s around 10k pcm or around £6.5k after tax pcm) you are entitled to full child benefit worth around £1300 per year for the eldest child and another £900 for each subsequent child. If one person earns over 60k it starts being reduced until one person earns over £70k when it’s effectively removed. This is not UC.

4k a month sounds loads but life is bloody expensive, if you can claim then submit a claim....what's the worst...computer says no!
Our outgoings, that include everything such as housing, childcare, food, bills the lot is £4.3kpm! It's eye watering! We earn alot more than that so it's not an issue but if we didn't it would be bloody hard!