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?

Very rarely now does universal credits come directly to landlords. It goes to tenants who then pay you.

We have one income 45k after tax, no savings no pension. I can't work (although i do try to work self employed but its peanuts) I had to give up even a part time job due to one of my children having additional needs they can't reliably access mainstream school but needs aren't seen as enough for a send school. Wraparound or holiday care that my child could access doesn't exist where I am/couldn't afford private nanny. Even those I've looked and couldn't find anyone suitable.

We have to partially pay back child benefit as we are just over the threshold. We are awaiting to see if we could get any dla.
We aren't entitled to any benefits. It's a struggle and things are tight/no treats but we manage.

What I would love rather than benefits is support to improve the situation. To get into a job that would actually work around my family would be amazing. I would need to overnight springboard myself into a career that paid very well to be able to pay for the necessary childcare. If indeed I could find Sen friendly childcare that existed!

I'd need a unicorn wfh flexible job without the 20 years putting in the hours. I already have a degree but that career has been decimated by AI. To retrain I would have to fund myself which I can't afford and again the necessary childcare.

I don't want anyone to pay for me or my family I want a manageable path that I can follow to improve my own situation. But it feels like barrier after barrier. I have no idea how much ongoing support my child will need as the get older. I'm not likely to ever be in a position to "put in the years" so I likely won't be able to have a career in the traditional sense, i would so love. I have tried minimum wage and its so unfamily friendly (to my family) it just did not work. I won't give up I will keep exploring self employed work but even that takes resources I don't have.

I can't be the only one who would like support offered in a different way to just benefits. Particularly for carers who are the left in the shit when benefits reduce or end despite still very much needing them/ having no other options.

50k before tax between us isn’t great at all in my opinion. I can’t work full time as my daughter has a disability. Other posters on here earn way more than us and for some reason are entitled to UC.

I felt the same way as a student in a summer job (in those long ago days when you could claim unemployment in these circumstances) - it was just less hassle.

It's unbelievable these people who look at some calculator and think "this is what I could get if I wasn't working" - like you can just rock up to the job center and collect a cheque.

Not to mention they seem to assume when the kids grow up and the benefits stop they'll be able to walk into another job.

The terrible thing about the near destruction of social housing is that almost all the malign effects were easily predicted at the time and so were presumably deliberate.

Thatcher probably didn't foresee that house prices would go so far beyond wages but that's the only thing you can excuse her for.

This really fucks me off tbh. The system is mad.

There's a lot of schemes available for people via their jobs too.
Or for just being over 60 (usually still working age)

People are really getting angry that kids in poverty might get a trip to the zoo?

It's depressing isn't it.
It isn't the children's fault.

I haven't been as depressed in years as reading some of these threads.

I personally think we should have higher taxes all round and more universal benefits so I can see there's a legit grievance from some paying high taxes and getting nothing in return.

But people are pretty much saying they'd prefer to pay all the higher costs associated with poverty than see an "undeserving" parent get more money. Even though the children themselves have done nothing wrong.

Do you mind me asking if you have a mortgage?

I think all children should get a chance to go to those things. I think the problem is they are priced so high to start with.

This is really sad, isn't it? It's not free admission, it's a reduction and often only on fixed days. The difference in childhood experiences for those at the wealthier and poorer ends is vast. Imagine some DC have never been to a NT property in their lives!

We wouldn't have been able to go otherwise. Two years running we have been to the zoo.

Good. Hope they had a great time.

I took my kids to the Tower of London this year. It was great. But we had to queue up separately for the UC tickets and I felt a bit embarrassed. I’m not sure I’ll rush to take advantage of the offer again, even though obviously I was very grateful for it

I didn't know ToL do this, I usually get free admission as a carer but have paid full price for everyone else. Is it free all the time, or only at certain times? The separate queue is mortifying!

@TheTwitcher11 yes, still in the family home so pay 1200 a month for mortgage.

The difference is we have pay into state pension

Not exactly comparable when they have paid into the NI their whole life to have enough ‘stamps’ to claim it!!!!

Fussy are they

So, someone on a higher salary gets UC? I'm on carers and UC combined as I care for my housebound 85 year old mother. I had to fight to get this money, prove I had savings of less than £16,000, then fight some more and all for £510 per month. When I work in my zero contract hours job I lose part of my benefit according to how much I've earned. So yes OP you are being unreasonable and downright greedy.

Its nuts, isn't it. We will soon reach a point where there are no more people able to pay enough to meet the rising social bill. If we haven't already reached that point.

I don’t understand UC at all, we have a joint income of about £42k and we can’t claim anything other than the child benefit! WhT have I got wrong? 😂

My kids are grown up now & I tried to claim UC after leaving my ex due to domestic violence, I got myself a job was £9.50ph at the time & 16hrs, that was all I could get because my work coach was breathing down my neck, I was entitled to absolutely zero in UC & was worse off apparently I 'earned too much' luckily have a job with more hours but its still below 15k a year & I can't get any kind of help at all, I'm left with £50 a month for food, I pay full rent on a shared house because as I don't directly pay council tax they won't help me, the threshold hasn't been raised so I will be £247 a year worse off!