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?

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/before-you-apply/check-if-youre-eligible-for-universal-credit/

@Katemax82 yes I saw your follow up after I posted.
Your situation makes sense.
I don't see how the OP would be entitled to anything though.

I don’t understand this.

We have a combined income of £54k, 1 child at home who gets high rate DLA. 1 adult child who gets high rate PIP. We can’t get anything. Not entitled to carers allowance because we work, not entitled to UC.

Yet people are getting it on higher incomes? Feel like we would be better off if one of us left work sometimes!

Labour are insane. They have gone completely the wrong way about balancing the books.

‘There’s no set level of income where you stop being eligible for Universal Credit - it depends on your situation.’

Everyone should check if they are Entitled.

The welfare state in this country is ballooning at a rate we cannot afford and Labour seem content to let it continue. And I say this as a frequent Labour voter. The disability system, triple lock and UC all need sorting out.

Are they even bothering about that anymore? I don't even blame the government. Their backbenchers are desperate to trojan horse Andy Burnham or one of the dodgy Hard Left MP's into the PM seat one way or another. Starmer is too weak to call their bluff and ignore them.

Please let the school know if you are eligible for them. They may ask you to claim as they receive a premium for children on free school meals. You don’t even have to have them, it just releases extra funding.

It's is morally and realistically unsustainable. I'm also a lifelong Labour voter but reconsidering my options.

That is a bit galling, I must admit, and I generally don't give a shit about who gets what.

But my take home is now about £1000/mth, DH is paid when he finishes a job but his yearly income is around 5k. We get DLA for DS and DH gets Carers Allowance and that's it. My redundancy payment means we get nothing else.

I can't see us ever being in a situation where we'll have the opportunity for anything approaching this level of savings again, and they're going to get spent, just thankfully a bit slower than if I was on JSA. DH has no pension (or not one worth anything, he paid in for a couple of years before his employer went into administration during COVID.), mine was forecast to be worth a grand total of 1k a year, but that was when my take home was £1650 a month, obviously the amount going in will be less now so it's valid well be less. All this makes me very worried about the future - I don't think I'll be retiring as long as I'm physically able to work, assuming anyone will employ me. I don't know if DS will ever be independent, if he'll ever be able to hold down a job, he's 12 and he can barely refill his water bottle, we still put his socks on him. You just wonder what the point in it all is.

I’ve just ran our family through the calculator. Both work, combined income of 54K. 1 disabled child at home plus 1 disabled adult child. Entitled to nothing.

Ran the same details except this time said that I didn’t work. And now I’m entitled to £2.4K a month!!! Which is more than I take home from my wages.

Why would anyone work in this economy?

If you didn't have children with disabilities though you would be expected to work after they turned age 3 I think.

But I do have children with disabilities and I still work. Except I’ve just found out I’m better off not working! It shouldn’t be the case that people get more money not working.

WTF.

I don't understand it either did you put you were in a mortgaged house? I think what I'm seeing is if you rent you'll get universal credit. I don't understand the system at all. It's not supposed to pay to not work. But clearly that's not true!

Well that’s interesting as I just played around with the entitledto.com calculator again: I pretended I earned £68k, owned my own home with a mortgage, and had three kids aged 8,6 and 4 paying £1500 a year for childcare. This did not give me ANY universal credit entitlement. I wonder if you have other factors?? I think it’s really dangerous to whip up wrong information about this sort of thing as it opens the door to people wanting to vote for Reform at the next election.

I think the really sad point is that another government will have to come in and remove all this excess welfare and that will be hard for those in receipt of it. Plus Labour will have destroyed the economy at the same time.

In answer to your question OP i think you should claim what you are entitled to. Prices are high and it will help your family. No prizes for martyrdom.

Wow

Next time the Tories get in and after a few years people start moaning and questioning why anyone would vote Tory...

This is why people vote Tory.

Lol

Do you not have savings??
If so - how much? My understanding was that Universal credit is reduced from a fairly low level of savings, and affected by whatever money you have wherever it is.

Yes but my point was if your children didn't have disabilities but you decided to stop working you wouldn't be entitled to it.
Not all parents of children with disabilities can work so there needs to be this system.

Awesome, when I get my pay statement, I will consider how hundreds and hundreds of it are being handed out to higher earners. Fabulous.

Amazing isn't it. Presumably rent or mortgage and childcare has something to do with it.

I put down the amount of rent we pay. Currently we get no help towards it. I leave work and it’s paid for me! Along with council tax, plus I get UC and carers allowance.

I don’t begrudge people who can’t work due to disabled children getting help but they shouldn’t be getting MORE than you get in work! The benefits I would get leaving work are more than I get paid working for the NHS in a job that I need a degree to do! And further savings not counted I would no longer be paying to park at work, or paying my NMC fee and wouldn’t have to pay back my student loan.

I’ve clearly made the wrong choice.