To find this universal credit situation unfair

[happypickle]

Myself and DH have 1 child and pay the equivalent of a 2nd mortgage on nursery. We are talking about having a 2nd child but we have to wait to be at a point where our first would be on their way into school as we could not afford to pay for 2 nursery places.

In laws who are in universal credit, have no such constraints and are in a position to try and conceive before us as SIL does not work and is a SAHM to 6 month old. They get a fortune in UC and have their rent paid and actually have more disposable income than us in professional jobs.

Don't know what I want from this post but just feel it's so unfair that we are constrained by finances but those on benefits are free to plan their family exactly as they want and they will have the ideal 2 years age gap which we would have loved to have done.

At least more posters are speaking out against them now.

Wonder where @happypickle is? I really want to know why she posted this thread so soon after the last one she started.

Depends on each individual situation

Many will yes be at risk of becoming homeless especially private renters.

If in social housing, everyone's situation is different. Some will be ok especially if in later years they get into reasonably well paid work, no longer need benefits, and manage to build up savings and a private pension. Others will be struggling in older age poverty. Poverty is particularly hard when you're old and often in failing health.

People who had mortgages will usually by the same age own outright and be free of the extra expense of monthly rent or mortgage payments. They'll also have equity in their home if they need to free up cash.

There's been some studies about these issues and it's a looming (and too often ignored) crisis coming in the future. Particularly due to the increase in longterm and older aged private renters, and the increased state pension age.

Some people get butt mad at people on benefits.

They assume there's 'Millions that have never worked' or that "I pay thousands in tax to find them doing nothing" or "they just have kids so they don't have to work" yadda Yadda yadda.

Anyone Butt mad about benefit claimants,
If you work and you pay taxes, very little a year of your tax actually goes to the poorest of society.

There's not millions that have never worked.
There's a benefit cap to stop people claiming more than a set amount.
There's a cap on how many kids they can claim for.
There's 'bedroom tax' to contend with.
Childcare is paid to 85% of total bill Nd it's paid in arrears.

There's so many myths pushed by idiots online.
MN itself is rife with ignorant Rage from people who don't know what they're talking about.

Don't fall for it

Yes absolutely.

Thank you @Greenbathroom, this issue just seems to be being completely ignored and it's really worrying all round.

I am with you on this tbh. My sister in law is housing association and has two kids. They constantly borrow money from our in-laws as they spend it on ridiculous things. They are thinking about having a third child despite being on 30k combined income. We can’t even imagine being able to afford a second child as spend a fortune on childcare.

But I should add this is more a problem with two individuals and probably not representative of everyone claiming. We just have very different attitudes.

Can’t you? According to you it’s a lifestyle choice. People like you are always moaning that people do exactly that - say fuck it, give up work and expect UC to pay. So why don’t you do it too?

Which is it? You can’t have it both ways.

I can assure you, as someone who knows all the different rates and limitations. Earning limits and comparisons between claiming as a couple & single parent, claiming as a disabled person who also gets PIP and/or claiming as a parent to a disabled child receiving DLA and the UC top up you get for having a child receiving DLA etc and even with the highest paying combination, it still doesn't equate to what two adults working full time on minimum wage, would bring in.
No luxurious lifestyle I promise you.

@Rosscameasdoody Yep! Rishi is gleefully rubbing his hands together as we type

It's been well over a decade since the days of being able to "sit on benefits" ie: being able to actively choose not to work. That was stopped a long time ago (hear that, channel 5? Daily mail?) and those claiming the unemployment version of UC have to do a LOT of work related activities, training courses, to prove they are not just looking for work but going for interviews and if they get offered a job but don't take it, their UC is stopped.
Single mothers have to do a year of work related activities once their child turns 2 and once they're 3, they have to be in work or again, UC is stopped. They can work part time and have their income topped up but as I touched upon earlier, it is ensured by the DWP that this does not equal out to be financially better than working full time at minimum wage. Always

There are millions of families in different situations with different variables in this country. Focusing on one household compared to yours isn’t going to do you any favours.

well - when the new way of doing CB came in, you could receive it if two earned under £50k but not if one over did….

DH earnt more than me and more than that BUT combined income was same as two earning just below the threshold. - with less take home due to tax brackets.

SIL and BIL got it, we didn’t. No it isn’t always fair but neither is life and you have to let it go or put your career in hold for the duration of early years childcare, or find another childcare option - there isn’t just nursery.

@EnglishBluebell which is why I'm mystified by a single mum I know ( and I do like her) who has a 7 year old and an 11 year old- does 6 hours a week and gets virtually full UC ( on top of which she gets almost £800 a month maintenance ) and she quite openly says she's not hassled by DWP and has no intention of working more as she gets by nicely (luckily has a very nice HA flat just under the level local allowance )

I don't get why some are treated harshly and hassled with say a 3 year old and others seem to sail on claiming for years. She doesn't have any disability either

I get your point op

Its not "fair" that benefits increase when you have a second child but a working parent doesnt automatically get a pay rise.

She'll either be lying to you about one aspect, or claims DLA for one of the kids and says she's a carer for one of them.
If there's no lying going on, then one day soon the DWP will notice their mistake and she'll have a gigantic overpayment bill and believe me, they don't mess around when it comes to getting it back when they've overpaid

I stayed at home to raise my children. Now I'm in my 40s, a single parent, I don't own property, I am about to be evicted, I can only get minimum wage jobs as I have no work record or experience and I'm relying on a small inheritance to get on the property ladder. In order to do this I will have to move hundreds of miles away and hope I can find another job there. I am not allowed to have more than a few thousand pounds in savings without losing my benefits, although if I buy a property with my inheritance within 6 months it will be ignored.

I don't heat the house above 17 degrees. I avoid using the car. I only buy short dated meat and freeze it as I cannot afford full price. I forage, grow my own and eat out of date food. I flush the toilet with the bath water .I have to watch every penny and shop around for the best deals. My car is 15 years old... I do enjoy getting a good deal but it's not a great life.

What you are doing now will make your life in a few years infinitely easier and better than your in-laws'. That's why you're doing it! You have so many options they do and will not ever have.

Not true tbh, I’ve had my full housing costs paid for years. Now that the LHA rates have finally gone up this April, I can move to a more spacious property and my full rent will still be covered

Maybe you should fuck your career off and you and your partner should get jobs in a nursing home or hospital porters or tesco or something. If you give up your property and find a rental you'll get some help towards rent.
Live the dream.

My neighbour is disabled and gets disability benefit. It's really unfair.
My friend has children and I pay for them to go to comprehensive school. It's really unfair.
My colleague's friend gets a plush council house, it's really unfair.
I'm so sick of this benefit bashing @happypickle - it's not unfair. It's supporting one another because, most likely, everyone will need some help at some point.
If you can't see that then more fool you.

@SpeedyDrama but £60k is £3.5k a month after tax roughly with pension contributions,, and you pay back the child benefit on top of this. There's no need for a £5k a month rent

The difference is that you are buying your own home. One day it's paid for and you don't have to pay any more. They rent so will not own and once past a certain point she will be required to work

I’m struggling to believe this. What area are you in?

No it's not unfair. Hope that clears it up for you. So tired of these benefit bashing threads. Very suspicious just as the tories have launched a pre-election war against the poor and disabled.

@FuckTheClubUp is it council/HA ? because in vast swathes of the country it's only these that come close to the housing allowance

Well you are either making it up or she is. You have to earn almost £700 a month for the dwp to not hassle you, if she's earning that then she won't get full uc.