I want to get off benefits

[peanutbutterjelly563]

But how?

I work full time. I went to university. I ended up a single parent.

I get a universal credit top up. 2 children still fairly young so still paying childcare.

I am nearly 40.

Since getting universal credit, I feel like a criminal sometimes. I’ve just had to pay £50 for a letter from the GP (which I can’t afford) to prove one of my children live with me because they were doing a compliance check. All of my children have always lived with me, and do see their Dad but I’ve always been the main carer and I have a lives with order from the court. They wouldn’t accept that as it’s over 3 years old. They wouldn’t accept child benefit letter either.

I don’t want to be getting any benefits anymore, but I can’t afford to live without them. I earn about 30k a year. I’ve tried applying for other jobs. Most with my skill set pay the same or less than what I earn now.

Any ideas. AIBU to think this is possible?

I think high rents and the lack of social housing is more to blame. I know several people who would be able to manage if they were in LA accommodation at a reasonable rent, but living in an area where it's hard to find a 2-bed property to rent privately means that they can't afford to live without a UC top up.

In my part of the SE, you'd be hard pressed to find a 2-bed property for less than £1,200 a month, while my MIL lives in a 2-bed council house that's £125 a week. A lot of working people wouldn't be eligible for a UC top-up if they were paying that sort of rent.

I'd love to know what proportion of the "benefits bill" goes to private landlords.

How would a go know if your child lives with you full time. Ridiculous. Better off asking for ab email from the school or nursery.

I asked school but I was only given a short time to get this letter or risk sanctioning, school didn’t provide it before they broke up 🤦‍♀️

I’m lucky that I do have my own house and a mortgage (got enough for a deposit when I got divorced), but it means no help in terms of housing benefit.

I know what everyone is saying with I’m working and I’m entitled- but even with UC things are so tight, I budget extremely hard, buy most of our things from charity shops, yellow sticker food, I do everything I can possibly do believe me and we still live month to month.

I’ll try not to beat myself up but ideally I would love to have a better paying job and not rely on benefits and live hand to mouth, but maybe that’s just the way things are at the moment for a lot of people?

The children’s dad won’t contribute more, it’s through CMS and that’s all he will pay, he will occasionally get coats and school shoes and pays for our daughter’s football.

You might find better paid work but you’d then need childcare for school holidays. Contact to popular belief, working in schools isn’t cushy with good holidays, the low salary is because of the long holiday. Lots of people in schools are on UC. You are effectively an unpaid childminder as well as doing your job. I definitely don’t think your dc’s father is paying enough but would that knock out the if if he paid more?

No answers OP but solidarity as I feel the same. Working full time in a managerial position but still receiving UC top ups due to high rent and childcare costs. My claim is being reviewed at the moment too and it's anxiety inducing because without it we'd be screwed.

Ex contributes as little as possible despite the kids living with me full time and is determined to make sure I get as little as possible in the divorce too.

I think you need to change your outlook tbh. You work hard and are raising your children. It's not your fault that wages have not kept pace with housing costs and an honest weeks work is no longer enough to meet your needs. And you shouldn't be embarrassed or made to feel lesser because of that.
The checks the DWP do are necessary to reduce fraud. Complying with them doesn't imply you're guilty of anything.
By all means seek to earn more. But in the meantime, don't feel bad about yourself. You're a self respecting grafter doing the best you can. Take what help you're entitled to. The day will come when your children are grown, your circumstances improve and you'll pay back in, as will your children.

Frankly if you couldn’t cope with social work I doubt teaching is for you. The workload after school is awful and behaviour and expectations from parents and SLT are sending huge numbers out of teaching The money isn’t that great until you’ve been teaching quite a while.

Don't be ashamed. You work full time, and due to wage stagnation and the rising cost of living, a full time wage is not enough to live on. Neither are your fault.

He could be paying £5k a month and it wouldn’t impact on the benefits OP is entitled to.

Yes that's true. Why is that? Why don't the government take that in to consideration?

I don't have any sensible practical help but I just wanted to say OP you sound great. You are parenting two children as a single parent, working full time doing a challenging job involving keeping children safe. It's terrible that wages aren't high enough for you to keep your family and that you are treated in this way.

That’s unacceptable!! My ex pays £136 a week for our one child.

Some safeguarding experts in nhs are band 7, so high £40ks. Excel in the SG role and leave schools for other employers maybe?

Firstly, please don't feel guilty? You are doing all you can from the sounds of it.

If you enjoy your career and are good at it, I would focus on that, grab hold of any additional training you can get (even if it's after hours on line stuff you voluntarily do, if that's commensurate with hour childcare responsibilities).

Our school has just appointed a non-teacher to be our overall DSL, I think that's happening more and more. She's excellent and very experienced and will be great at the role. You could keep your eye out for promoted posts like that. (I am assuming you are not a DSL at the moment from your wage - or if you are, perhaps at a small school?).

And you should be proud of the work you do, it's such an incredibly important job, and not one many people can do!

I completely understand what you’re saying.im also on UC and they make me feel like a criminal sometimes

This 100%. I’ll add that you’re doing an important job with lots of responsibility which your salary clearly doesn’t reflect.

Done 25 years of it and recently retired. Wouldn’t wish teaching full time on my worst enemy.

This is the only correct answer.

Lol

I seem to have to give them 4 months of bank statements and other documents every month of 2. No idea why. I’m pretty sure nobody has reoported me and I have not done anything wrong.

The Job Centre staff are horrid.

In January, they put in one of their regular requests. The upload links were set up so I could not uplaod
all the files they asked for. I messaged them multiple times asking for new links so I could give them
what they wanted. More than a month later, they messaged me complaining I had not given them everything. They had (oh so generously) decided to extend my deadline and I had 3 days to provide them with the files, otherwise I’d be in trouble. I pointed out I had been asking for help for over a month….. no apology.

Why is he only paying £200 a month??? Have you gone to CMS? Doesn’t seem anywhere near enough.

My friend had this and they couldn't accept she did not have a passport or driving licence Passport and driving lessons were a luxury she could not stretch to

3 children 😬

It’s through CMS. He’s self employed, runs his own business so he keeps his “salary” and “dividends” very low.

Oh my! I’ve just gone on to UC top up (I’m a secondary school TA with 3 children) now I’ll have these audits in the background. I just thought because I was working it would tick away nicely in the background but obviously not. How annoying!