To wonder why the UC savings threshold is £6,000?

[GiddyLurker]

Why is the Universal Credit savings threshold set at £6,000? What’s the reasoning behind that number?

It feels quite specific and I just wondered whether there’s a particular logic or policy decision behind it?

@Nurturegrow11. Jsa is not means tested , it’s based on your ni contributions and you can claim it for 6 months, if you have savings you still receive this and also crucially claiming it means you ni is paid.

A sad truth

Another one to hide🙋🙋

I meet tens of people on benefits in a working day. I can confidently say they don't receive enough to subsist on in many cases (which is why governments have allowed food banks to become an integral part of the welfare state).

Landlords tend to do quite well out of the benefits system even if it means their tenants going without the basics (food, energy, beds for their children) as they need to use a significant part of their subsistence level UC to make up the difference in the frozen levels of local housing allowance. But actual direct claimants, nope. They aren't living high on the hog.

Maybe buy it on finance like most people with jobs/no UC do?

Benefits are never 'a fortune'.
Stupid goady comment.

So what is the solution- how does a government makes things fair and equitable between both women?

You'd think all these "workers" had better things to do with their time 😂

Most people could save a little, regularly, if they put their mind to it. Not everyone of course - there are plenty of workers in the dire situation of having to use food banks. I'm not talking about the worst case scenarios here.

Most workers could spend a little less and save it instead.

Saving £50 a month, is £3000, plus interest, over 5 years. If you keep it up over 30 years, like many people do - that's a small fortune. But they are expected to spend it so that welfare don't have to help them out.
30 years savings gone in 10 months.

However, if they buy a beamer and piss it up the wall - bingo, benefits!
How is that right?

That's because all the different benefits now go under uc so a lot of people on uc are disabled or carers. Do you actually realise how much universal credit is. Its not thousands like the papers like to make out

Most people on UC don’t get all their rent paid. They’ll get a housing element if they rent, but how much they get entirely depends on their circumstances. If they rent privately or social housing, if they work, if they’re a couple, how many children they have or don’t have, how many bedrooms, if they’re disabled and receiving disability benefits or have children receiving disability benefits.

Because i couldn't afford the repayments. I'd rather save for a few years and own it

I do understand that. It was responding to a very specific question about why someone might be able to save whilst on UC and not if working full time. It was just one specific example.

Gifted 😂

Anyway, using your far fetched logic, say someone receives £800 in UC and has £100 left at the end of the month then that means they don't need the other £700? What do you suggest they do with the £100? Give it back to the DWP? Or pop it aside for a rainy day or maybe for a birthday or Christmas or a nice day out. Or are people on benefits not allowed those?

You do realise people can't request the exact amount they need to cover their outgoings to the exact pound right?

Love it when someone answers the question asked 😀

This is largely a fantasy.

The vast majority of those claiming housing benefit are in private rented accommodation, often very expensive and very poor quality.

The social housing lists are very long.

Numbers in b&b accomodation for long periods are high, often in one room sharing kitchens or with no kitchen at all.

Right im off to sleep some of us scroungers have work in the morning. Night 🖐

God I hope you are not as patronising in real life.
There are millions of people working hard, already cutting back on everything and anything not essential (home, warmth, food and clothing) and just about getting by.
Millions of people are worried about paying their heating bills right now.

I have been told that! That I should give it back! What mechanism there is to do that, I do not know.

They can’t
and they never ever will be able to

every so often they do a bit of tinkering around it
removing xxx but adding Y

changing the names of benefits but it’s exactly the same benefit

If I can remember rightly tax credits was loads better as DWP was only interested in the interest on savings not how much you saved

my niece has a very rare but life limiting illness
with my help she got moved from her flat
to a large 3 bed house all with disabled facilities - wet room / stair lift ramps
its a lovely house
she get UC at the highest rates same for pip
rent paid council tax paid

off the top of my head if I include her money for rent and council tax

She gets roughly 2100 in benefits for herself and two kids

rent and council tax is 650 roughly
so she is getting 2750 every month

all the government ever do is play around a bit with the benefit system but they don’t really do anything

I'm trying to decide where to take my four, yes FOUR (the shame of it!), kids with what was left of my government gift aka the UC payment because it's the last day of our Easter holidays here. I might even get them a little treat too. And if I still have any money left then on Monday I'll ring the DWP to get the address to send it back. It's only right.

So many assumptions, the biggest being nothing calls on the savings in those thirty years.

£50/month is very little. One broken fridge, one set of tyres, one bike to get to school.

You have to be real. This fantasy where people can just save consistently on low incomes is silly.

Not where I live it’s not
I know plenty of people who aren’t really struggling on benefits as such

yes you would struggle massively if you were getting the basic universal credit amount

but if your in SH / Council so rent is cheap
2 kids
LCWRA & PIP
people I know personally that get this are fine

Hey, some posters will be expecting your left over money to appear in their bank account.

Well they personally paid it in the first place y'know!