To believe UC needs a bloody makeover!

[Lovethystupidneighbour]

Don’t panic - not a benefits bashing thread.

I see a lot of negativity around the benefits system in the UK (namely UC) but it needs to be said that in the right circumstances you can be very comfortable on benefits. It seems the government is incompetent and distributing these benefits efficiently. Why do some people get too much money and others get not enough to breathe on? Seems bloody ridiculous to me. UC is not fit for purpose!

AIBU to think they need to create a better system? How is this the best they can come up with?

absolutely. I see it in Glasgow all the time with some of the men I grew up with on my estate. They won’t be affected by the recent reforms.

Exactly. Wage stagnation is a massive problem for so many reasons. We shouldn’t be encouraging this dependency on benefits but then it suits the government and businesss.

This is what comes of governments messing about with legislation and trying to drive landlords to give up their btl properties. With every new piece of legislation to penalise the land lord, the landlord either passed the amount onto the tenant or turned the house into an Airbnb or just sold up to another landlord

Unfortunately the influx of houses that were taken out of the housing market never materialised into sales for those wanting a normal residential mortgage
I think the idea was that so many would hit the market at the same time that prices would reduce. However you had to have cash to buy at auction.

People without kids don't need as much money. Let's be honest. People living with their parents and not paying rent don't need as much money. Universal credit is just a mixture of multiple old benefits.

Unemployed men living with their parents never got housing benefit or child tax credit so of course they get less universal credit

Of course people without kids don’t need as much money. No one suggested they should be getting identical amounts did they?

We are just saying the amount they receive is far too low especially under 35s.

They do already pay support for mortgage interest. It is however a loan which needs to be paid back when the property is sold. Back in the days before they made it a loan this literally did used to virtually pay people's mortgage each month for them, especially when on interest only deals which were popular for a long tme.

Well no
It paid the interest but none of the capital so it did not pay their mortgage for them. They would still owe the same capital.

Having a loan that is repaid when the property is sold fucks you over if property prices have fallen? What tiny equity you could have had would have gone in losses, you owe the interest back and the property might not sell for enough to repay the debt.

Having UC pay the interest is every bit as fair as having UC pay the rent. The claimant gets no benefit at all from the interest other than not being made homeless.

Its a huge disincentive to bettering your own finances.

For the most part house prices have risen though and some did very well out of this before it became a loan. Agree it's not so great now.

We have mortgage and get a reasonable amount due to kids and low wages. I agree if you are single you are screwed. Renter or homeowner alike.

Well i wish they checked everyone who claims UC as a single mother but in reality they live with their partner. I personally know a few , its madness this isn't checked

I think there should be some kind of UC top-up for disabled claimants who go back to work, but are on a low income. Essentially some equivalent to the previous disabilty element of tax credits. (NB. This was working tax credit, didn't need to have children.) I'm surprised they're not doing this, considering the push to get disabled people back to work.

Theoretically if you're considered disabled enough, there are top-ups on UC, but for many disabilities being disabled enough to qualify for these would likely preclude you from working. The conditions to qualify are much, much stricter than the tax credit scenario - you have to actually be declared as unfit for work.

I previously claimed the disabilty element of working tax credit after time off sick, and it was such a help (couldn't manage full time work) and such an incentive to get back to work as so much better off. The same situation now and I'd be treated the same as any other claimant, despite clear disability related reasons my income was low and choosing to push myself back to work.

UC isn't too much. If anything it isn't generous enough to all who claim.

Pride doesn't put food on the table. You were obviously paying tax so why didn't you claim?

Is this a stealth brag thread?

That’s what I was saying not possible to regulate but some posters stating that it is

I think they only check these things if someone makes a report to them. Then they investigate. With the couples I knew, they had surveillance and scouring of their social media. One of them got caught out when she posted loads of wedding photos.

They don't have the resources to watch everyone just in case, and it is only right they don't routinely watch people anyway as that would be an awful invasion of privacy. So they rely on people being honest and reporting a change in circumstances.

UC has the LCWRA element which most disabled people would also be getting. You can work with this and it is what the name says for people who are limited in their ability to work so you get extra money on your UC claim and a work allowance ( meaning a significant chunk of earnings are disregarded before Uc is reduced by earnings ) making disabled people who can perhaps only work part time significantly better off on UC. Seems like you think currrently there is no extra help for disabled people claiming UC ? This has been a thing since Uc started. Many disabled people work part time and get LCW or LCWRA both of which give work allowance.

I think they do check but it’s primarily digital footprints so they’ll know if there’s more than one adult on council tax, if you say it’s your home address for work then HMRC will know, if you get bank stuff sent there etc.

I think if you’re planning to defraud the government then you will have a second address (Parents probably) all your mail gets sent there everything official and you just “stay over” at partners.

I know someone who has two kids with the same woman, he officially lives with his parents and pays maintenance and she claims UC but he stays a lot.

A stealth brag because I claim UC? Where on earth is the brag in there?

You say you get too much and can save. How do you think other UC claimants will feel reading that? As a UC claimant myself what is your purpose?

Eh? If we didn’t ever talk about anything for fear of upsetting someone we would all be pretty quiet hey

Yes, I know about LCWRA. That's what I meant when I said "if you're considered disabled enough, there are top-ups on UC".

And also that the conditions to qualify for this mean "you have to actually be declared as unfit for work".

LCWRA means that not only are the DWP satisfied that you are too disabled to be expected to work, but that you also have limited capacity for work-related activities (volunteering, job prep courses, etc.) So you have to be pretty disabled to qualify. Meaning that plenty of people with a disability that restricts their earning potential (e.g. because they can't work full time) are not entitled to the LCWRA as they are considered fit enough for work.

Under the tax credit system these people were covered. (IIRC entitlement came partially via having previously been on disability benefits, but I may be misremembering.)

ETA. Similar issue with LCW, but in that case you just have to be considered unfit for work, but still able to do things to move towards work.
It just seems a bit mad that the standard is "if you can't work, but do anyway (bringing into question whether you are, in fact, unable to work) then we'll recognise you're disabled. Everyone else is assumed to be 100% able and fine".
There is literally no official position/group that is "You can do some work/the right kind of work, but we recognise you're limited".

What needs to change for me is that if I do any overtime my benefits go down by 55p per £1. So I can keep 45p in the £1 but it's a huge hit. I still do it as I enjoy the overtime and want to show my children what hard work is but it has little impact on my take home pay due to this reduction.

Yeah I agree.

I would also say, I find it strange child maintenance isn't taken into account? I would also get that added into the amount you get.

I used to get child tax credits which helped top my wages up. Single parent working full time, no disabilities, no childcare costs and a mortgage. No child maintenance as he's just not paying it and the CMS are doing nothing about it.

I was forced onto universal credit and even with transitional protection, I get a zero award.

I already have my Mum helping out with childcare on weekdays. I can't really ask her to have them on evenings or weekends as well if I got a second job. We're just making ends meet now but it's a real struggle.