Just at the cut off for free school meals

[Velveteengreen]

We claim UC and are just under the threshold for FSM. Therefore all the holiday clubs and activities that we could access during school holidays, we’ll need to pay for ourselves. which isn’t feasible. We’ll just about be able to afford to feed our DS this summer holiday as it is and we’ll probably end up back in the overdraft.
I so understand there has to be a cut off point, but I can’t help feeling a little envious when friends who do qualify for FSM are talking about sending their DC into holiday camps for the entire 6 weeks for free. Plus a lot of them will get money from councils for food and essentials too. Same as last year.
I’m honestly not trying to upset anybody but I just feel really down and worried about the upcoming holidays.

This. 🙄

I don't think the haf is for free childcare

But more so that the kids will get a hot meal each day

Perhaps there are disabilities or illness or caring responsibilities which mean they cannot work full time?

Either way, as a PP said, there is no envy of people who cannot afford to feed their own children.

Someone is always going to "miss out " though. FSM are much needed to provide hungry children from not appearing as though they are an advert for Oliver ! If

DP and I pay an absolute shedload of tax both personally and through our company and I'd love to see at least some of it going to raise the free school meal threshold. It's insanely low.

It was set in 2018 at £7400. Now to have the same spending power you'd need to be earning over £9350 - which is hardly rolling in it. this is from Bank of England Inflation calculator

I was fortunate enough to benefit from FSM as a child when we needed them and depriving children of them now is just not right.

As I said upthread and what many of you are missing - particularly as the OP has not been up-front about what their income after tax is or how much UC and other benefits they receive.

Do correct me if that is an incorrect understanding.

If their earned income after tax minus (their UC and other benefits) is less than £7,400 they get FSM

I suspect their UC is quite large including rent etc, plus child benefit, plus maybe they are self-employed and earn little

I was also one of those kids and now as an adult with my own kids I find it dismaying anyone is envious someone gets free school meals and free kids clubs. The op says they are a family on benefits, and obvs very low income if they are just above the threshold for fsm.

not being able to feed your family and relying on benefits is nothing to be envious of.

With the best will in the world, I do not pay into a pension and neither does my husband because we can't afford to as we have to feed and clothe our two children. Drop the pension contributions, your children need it now!

Are you both working and earning less than £7400? I work part time, I’m a single parent and I don’t qualify even though I receive UC so I don’t see how you can be close to the threashold?

Im starting to think neither works full time.

Clearly not struggling if they have the luxury of making max pension contributions...therefore scrounging - in response to the options you have presented.

We’ll just about be able to afford to feed our DS this summer holiday as it is and we’ll probably end up back in the overdraft.

Then WTAF are you doing paying "the maximum" into your pensions. Sort yourself out.

This

That is such a middle class response. You are on very lie earnings to get fsm, be lucky to have a pension at all.

Surely the issue is that it appears to be a cliff edge - where earning just over the FSM threshold actually means you suddenly lose a lot of extra support, adding up to losing more than the value of your extra pay.

I may have misunderstood as it's not something affecting me but it sounds that way from OP's post.

Except that OP claims they both max out their pensions!
I've reported this thread also OP there's an obvious way out surely? Stop contributing so much to the pensions then you can pay for the holiday camps. Jeez.

I am anything but middle class, have worked for years as a widowed mum of 2 kids earning minimum wage and struggling with childcare, bills food etc etc...but thank you for thinking i'm middle class thats a step up from the gutter where I currently am!!!!!

The whole post is obviously fictional considering there isn’t a max you can pay into your pension.

I believe that is the issue but OP makes themselves nearer the cliff edge by paying the max into their pension. They say they struggle to feed their kids and are overdrawn but they have money they can allocate to that.

Can I just point out that when my children were at school I didnt receive free school meals, didnt pay into a pension and still dont as I need every penny I earn to pay bills

Some of you really do fall for any old shit

I've reported the thread

Just a thought….UC don’t like a couple who aren’t earning the AET, so either this couple has caring responsibilities which stop he AET.

Or this post is a troll post.

We get 4 weeks here and it's only for 4 hours each day.
I'm not knocking it though, my dc love it. They became eligible whilst I was at uni doing my pgce, and will continue to until they finish their current stage of education. We're not all scroungers refusing to work