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?

You do know you have to fill out a VERY long and detailed form and supply lots of evidence (ie doctor reports) and may also have to have a face to face or phonecall appointment where you get asked even more questions and they query everything you wrote on the form.
🙄

I claimed for one year, when we were transitioned from child tax credits. We were made to feel so demoralised. We are self employed, the work coaches didn't offer much except ask the odd question about our line of work. But they would dig in about how we needed to earn more for no real reason - one time was at a meeting after we'd received zero payments for two months as we'd earned enough 🤷 The one good thing was one of our work coaches (who seemed to change every couple of months) encouraged us to use the 12 month transition period to set up a shop and potentially claim the maximum allowed while making payments on rent, installation, furniture etc so that we would be self sufficient when the 12 months ended (as our work target would exceed our entitlement so we weren't going to receive anything). We're now earning double-triple what we earnt before, so I do thank him for encouraging us to take the plunge. That's what work coaches should do - find a way for the claimant to not need benefits again. One other thing though is that I have autism, ADHD and dyslexia, and though they were supposed to give me a disability support advisor that never materialised, and I struggled a lot with the form filling

Claim it… if you don’t need it put it away for a rainy day!

"Around a pound a week" most commonly refers to the 1913 book Round About a Pound a Week by Maud Pember Reeves, a survey of poverty in London.

Yes but there is ways people milk it and constantly call their doctors, and with some people using the mental health card, they just continue to play on it and they can't prove it wrong. You can roll your eyes as much as you want, I've seen these people, I know how they do it and there's a lot of others. That is why it is so backwards for people with visible disabilities being refused support!

They must be very intelligent people if they manage to fake or exaggerate the forms.
I've filled out the forms.
They are not simple forms.
I'd be impressed on the information you have of "how they do it".

No, all this does is make the public look at anyone claiming benefits for mental health issues with an air of suspicion. Which is not great for your mental health to begin with.

I would rather a small number of people cheat the system, then have everyone treated like they are taking the piss.

Look, you can view it how you want, but these people get paid because they know how to lie, and the real mental health problems should get support but to use in a beneficial way. The amount of people I've seen who are drug addicts etc, or overweight leading unhealthy lifestyles and end up claiming large amounts of money. What's ironic is it has got to be crap for mental health. Anyway, if you think its better a 'small' amount of people cheat the system, I think it's a joke because I know people who would like to work but they can't get employment because of their disability (someone who drives an adapted car and has use if one arm currently, and has to use a crutch to walk) and they can't get any PIP, but if someone walked into an interview stinking of alcohol they would be handed it. True story.

They have diabetes, COPD from smoking, claim to have panic attacks when they go out and can't go out by themselves or walk more than 10m. They get full Pip and Mobility. And they go shopping up the street every single day carrying bags from clothes and charity shops. They also get carer's allowance. But you can mock me, I couldn't give tbh

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And there are people that help them to fill in these forms, so they certainly do not need to be intelligent haha

They would have needed to supply medical evidence 🤔
If you annoys you that much just report them for fraud.

I had help to fill out the DLA forms for my son due to how complicated they are but they could only help me with the facts, not help me make up any lies.

I know someone who stunk of alcohol and was denied PIP, and was also declared fit for work when they had their WCA. So your tale can go both ways. That is if it even true.
Stinking of alcohol is not a PIP descriptor. Addiction is not either.

You obviously have no idea how debilitating COPD can be and how well that person would manage without the support they have.

Also if you KNOW of people committing fraud and you don't report them you are complicit in their fraud and are assisting an offender to conceal an offence. So if they really are making it up I'd suggest you report it. Although 8 out of 10 reports are deemed false and probably malicious.

My second child was twins. Not ivf, no fertility treatment, just a planned, very much wanted second baby. EVERYTHING costs double. Childcare nearly bankrupted us it took 6 years to pay off credit card debt we used to live on. School shoes, trips, uniform, clubs… literally everything. I am glad they’ve lifted the 2 child cap.

If your second child was twins you still got the payment for both.

There is already an exemption for multiple births, if you have twins and an older child you should have recieved money for all 3 children from the start. I would take this up with the DWP and possibly your MP.

Exactly