That a single parent having her salary topped up to over £6k shows how unaffordable family life now is

[Tryingtryingandtrying]

I was reading about a woman, take home pay if £2800 and topped up by UC to over 6k. This must be £100k or thereabouts equivalent before tax. How can this be fair when earning that much actually loses you child benefit and free childcare? As she has 3 kids she will now be even more better off, not sure what the answer is though.

As someone who was on the same benefit and who is getting not far off that a month I can tell you its not true. I dont qualify for any benefits apart from child benefit, and its something like 100/ month.

I worked for many years doing benefits/ welfare related work.
I saw people who could have made claims years earlier, but didn’t want to/ didn’t know. People working on despite health issues. People trying their best, wanting to work. And people so unwell they needed and deserved support.
But also saw too many people basically gaming the system. People who had barely ever worked, will not get state pensions but will get all the advantages of pension credit.
I still remember doing a benefit check for someone with many children. Had to ask someone to look it over for me as the amount was staggering.
And these were the people who knew the system inside out.

@Dorisbonson then we start getting to essential public sector workers being unable to live in London. Is that what we want? Do we want large scale relocation of families to remote parts of the country where kids have to rebuild friendships and start over from scratch?

So....how would she live without a rent top up? Would you prefer slums? People on the streets? Workhouses? Children in care?

If any of this is true; it won’t be just because she’s a single parent. I presume she’s a low paid worker who works part time to keep her earnings below the threshold for certain benefits. You can’t blame her for making the system work for her.
I’m also a single parent but earn enough that means I don’t get a penny in benefits (even child benefit). There is no allowance for the fact that I’m taxed as a household of one earner. So her marital status is not the issue here. It’s her earnings.

Plus she’ll (validly) be on a waiting list as she’s now very overcrowded. So in time she’ll get a paid for three bedroom home in one of the world's most expensive cities.

Homes are available outside of central London.

There is no incentive to buy. Or save. Or invest.

Or work- it seems.

The UC isn't as generous if you have a mortgage, or you have savings and investments over £6k.

The government has brought in additional 2%tax on dividends, savings interest and impaired the tax efficiency of pensions. So those suckers on the actual,113k salary have been hit all ways.

This. Men who move in with women with children get their CMS reduced. There is no impact on the CMS the woman receives for her children.

So the step dad pays less to support his children to free up money for the step children while the dad is still paying the full amount to support the same children. I don’t get it.

Thank you 🙏 haven't been able to fund an nhs dentist but I look every so often so will keep this in mind

Assuming this isn’t a wind up. You mean your desire relies on other people funding it?

When I put my circumstances in the same calculator it says I am eligible for much more than I am - they are not accurate at all.

Everyone gets a standard rate per adult, then per child and then housing costs to a certain point.

The UC amount then reduces after you earn over a certain amount.

My friend lives in London and does not receive this.
This woman may have disabled kids but unless you see her bank account statement you cannot know this for fact.

There is always some story about how someone makes £1000s from the benefit system or how immigrants are getting mansions etc it’s to wind people up and distract them.

It is shocking though that people on low wage and UC top up think they can afford 4 children and people who work and don’t get benefits can only afford and are having 1-2 🤷‍♀️
I’m a high earner and we can’t really afford 4 children

If you don’t have a NHS dentist then you can go to the student dentists all for free - you don’t need to be on a low income or anything.

It is a long process but it’s the best thing I ever did.

Coasted into a 30k job? Quite a lot of us have to work very hard indeed for 30k

My understanding is that she's American and the Dad is Brazilian. And she's not in a key role, such as say a Dentist, where the UK has a severe shortage. Giving her a 3-bedroom Council Flat in central London would mean removing that property from being used for another (British?) family. So just robbing Peter to pay Paul.

I don't see the benefit to the UK of someone moving from the USA and then requiring large amounts of benefits and a council house to provide properly for their children.

In her defence she has been in the UK for 20 years. Yet I would be mortified to be interviewed complaining that I was financially struggling with my two kids; and then a few years later give further interviews complaining that I'm struggling even more now I have had a third child. It's bizarre the lack of self-awareness or personal accountability.

True. She has worked out what she needs to do to maximise any payments from the government.

But the government needs to do something to keep those people who are on larger salaries on larger salaries. So if I assume you are on £100k, you could drop £40k on pension, pick up CB and maybe some UC (depending on kids and housing situation). It's not illegal- I don't think it's right though. Or you could just opt to work less or be in a less stressful role and pick up UC.

She could live somewhere more affordable. She's not from Britain, let alone London so living in an expensive area is 100% a choice she has made.

Loads!! I have 2 kids and have got f**k all. No child benefit, no free hours literally nothing.
I know many people in my circle that would say the same. Proudly I may add.

I tried this in the past, had an initial appointment wasn't taken on because the problem was severe enough. They seem to have out in place eligibility criteria to stop an influx of patients without an NHS dentist :/

CMS payments don’t affect the amount of benefits being paid.

I really hope so otherwise we are totally screwed. Nobody taking that kind of amount out of the system has any incentive to get a job.
it is total and utter madness

Do you not have garnishing of wages ? Surely that would be a win socially and economically? A bit odd you don't have it. Is it bad politically for some reason?

Agree this is shocking. Why do people want this outcome?

The Mirror 😂.

This is rubbish.