AIBU to claim UC with a 'high' income

[Loriclimbs]

I am very conflicted about lifting the two-child cap. I know many would benefit from it but it would lead us back to more abuse of the system. I, however, have three children myself. I have gratefully received UC in the past but as my income has grown I am currently no longer eligible.

With the addition of my youngest child, I will now be eligible for approximately £200 per month. I an a higher rate tax payer abd Icurrently pay over £1200 in income tax alone per month. I have to repay the majority of the child benefit I receive.

AIBU to claim what I am entitled to?

Yes but if you don’t have rent costs on your UC you can earn nore a week before deductions start !

Financial support Britain - because businesses don’t pay a living wage.

You have misunderstood the research. It isn’t looking at working vs not working. It is looking at disabled households vs non-disabled households. The research is on Scope’s website if anyone wants to “dig in deep to the detail.”

My point was explaining to a pp why there are additional elements. The pp seemed to be under the impression DLA/PIP covers disability related costs when that isn’t the case for many.

Many people who are working receive UC. If their earnings were too high for them to receive UC, it would mean their earnings are higher than the additional elements for disabled/severely disabled CYP. But, yes, many families with disabled DC live in poverty regardless of whether they work or not.

Happy days. We can all claim benefits. Thanks Labour!

I wonder whether it'll break the economy as so many can claim so much.

I have quite a vivid memory from back in the eighties when an MP on the radio was saying it would be fine to have no cheap council housing because people who couldn't afford private rents would have housing benefit.

I wanted to scream "Don't you realise you're creating a massive poverty trap here?"

And here we are.

Go for it. Everyone else does….its the system that’s to blame, not the people using it. Rachel wants you to have it.

Pop along to your local Jobcentre, tell them you're stopping work and ask them to give you the money.

I'm sure you'll find it all quite easy. After all the Daily Mail says so.

I must admit I assumed of you were on NMW and had no kids or disability then you probably weren't entitled to UC.

🤷

Personally I can't get worked up about it. I have zero desire to claim it. I signed off ESA 12 years ago and never ever want to be reliant on income based benefits again. I mean yes it isn't great money wise but I'm not being constantly harassed into the job centre to meetings to apply for unsuitable full time work and being sanctioned when I can't actually do it, and I my money I earn from work is my own without conditions and being under constant scrutiny of the DWP. And I have the freedom to be allowed more than 16k in savings and potentially a future (although that's laughable cos as if I'd earn that 😭) but I guess what I mean is I have freedom.

Id genuinely rather just manage than have to go though all that. I mean if others think it's an easy ride and want to, that's your choice but personally I'd prefer to try and deal with it without 😳

@katemax I can't belive you have a household income of 72k and you claim UC. A quick Google suggests its unlikely.

Your calculation is wrong. This is a bullshit post

I think seriously unlikely unless multiple disabled kids and high rent.

I agree. You only have to read on here the stress that people are having to go through with Uc reviews and bank accounts being scrutinised. I don't understand why anyone would claim means tested benefits unless they absolutely had to to be honest. I will probably need to claim contributions based JSA next year when I am made redundant and querying whether that is even worth it.

I suspect the 72k salary earner is likely using the pension loophole ( paying loads into a pension ) or something to bring net pay down because the net figure given for a 72k salary seemed low to me.

Anyone who falls into the high earning groups, particularly well north of £50K needs to take a long, hard look at their precarious financial position - UC tapers out from £6K savings to being un-claimable at £16K savings - question is how on such a high income do you have no savings, no cushion, answer most likely living above your means - and that's a bigger worry than claiming UC

She has clearly explained - more than once - not far below the original post, what the circumstances are and how it is worked out....but lots ignored that part....

It's more expensive for me to take my child on holiday due to his disability so to me, that's exactly an example of what it is for.

Of course, disabilities are different and that won't be the case for everyone's situation.

She has children with disabilities.
That changes things

I think it was actually the tories who introduced universal credit. All labour have done is remove the two child cap they introduced. So we can’t just blame labour.
The sceptic in me has just realised that what universal credit is doing is taking tax payers money, handing it out to people who then spend it and it gets converted into profit for businesses and share holders. So basically the more universal credit that’s given out the more money that goes from tax payers to the very wealthy. So instead of sitting in the savings account of the middle
clases it goes into the bank accounts of the millionaires. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

I had my UC review over the summer. Fair enough, it’s part of the deal. One of the things they quizzed me on was my “income” from Vinted. I was so confused because I’ve never sold anything on there. Turns out the “income” was the grand total of £6.72 which was a refund for an item that never arrived!

You've got something wrong somewhere.

If your gross salary is £3937, you're only paying £538.53 in tax.
Your net salary would be £2970.61.
Net salary - work allowance is £2970.61-£648 = £2322.61
55% of £2322.61 is £1277.44

Given that you pay childcare of £736.66 in term time (£170 per week), and you get 85% of childcare costs, your allowances would be:

Single person £400.14
Children £924.62 £878.43
Housing 0
Childcare £626.16
Total (if 1st child is born before Apr 2017): £1950.89
Total (if 1st child is born before Apr 2017): £1904.70

So your monthly UC would be either £627.26 or £673.45

To be paying £1200 in tax, you'd have a gross salary of £5915 (taking into account a 5% pension). That would give you a deduction of £2896.85, which means you'd get 0 Universal Credit because your deduction is higher than the allowances.

UC use net not gross figures for income. The OPs calculations are correct if she meant to type £3937 net rather than gross. Her calculation was also based on 3 children after the cap is lifted not 2 if I've picked that up correctly.

Also, the work allowance for someone without housing element on their claim is £684 not £648.

So the deduction for a salary of £3937 is £1789

I think if you pop down that you work 16hrs at NMW you'll possible get more overall ....

Do you have a mortgage or rent? And do you have savings? Interested as we have a mortgage but only earn around 50k combined, but we do have quite a bit of savings. I did wonder if we would be entitled, but whenever I checked before it said no. We claim DLA for our daughter also.