To think my universal credit feels generous.

[MoonBaby1]

I got to my early 40s without ever needing to claim but circumstances find me single and paying the lions share of child related outgoings.

I work full time on£31,000 and have found out this year thanks to applying that I get on average about £800 from UC. It has been an absolute life changer and will hopefully be able to afford a modest uk holiday actually during the summer holidays and pay the school back some debt im in for after school care.

So many benefits bashing threads so I just wanted to present another side that as a cash strapped mum of two who works full time, UC is making a positive difference to our life. I didn't even think id qualify!

Honestly my son was so upset, he did really well,yes he had support but even his mentor said it was a pleasure to work with him and I kid you not at the end of the internship he quit his job saying he'd had enough and was upset for my son! Attitudes need to change in many sectors,if you can work you definitely should,its good for your physical and mental wellbeing, gives you a sense of self worth,is grounding and keeps your brain sharp and focused! Also,its too much about the super rich,not enough incentive for alot of people/ cost of living etc but id do anything to go back to when my grandparents were alive, old school values where they made everything and made the best out of every situation!

We are now getting an £1200 a month due to getting DLA. However I can see my child not being able to start full time in school when he starts school and therefore me being unable to work much. I am sure that is common of families with autistic children.

Which is why the more skilled professions are paid more

not by much and in many cases very little in some companies

What industries are you referring to?

Even with children in reciept of DLA it is ridiculous.

for starters different roles in the nhs

Good job they are taking home twice as much to pay tax for your friends amazing frugal life lived off other people’s hard earned money

What point are you trying to make? "Amazing frugal life"? That is weird thing to get funny about. Is she not meant to be frugal then? I mean, she does not have to. But she does so she can treat herself every so often.

capitalism is hardly holy either , relying on the exploitation of workers to turn profits in many industrys

I agree disabled people shouldn't be allowed outside

wow, you win the quote of the day.

can we quote you for the news paper headlines , mumsnet user says : ..........

It was sarcasm. @youalright is disabled herself. And like many of us, fed up with people coming out with crap like going to see a band means you can work.

oh shit, my bad. but yes i agree with your points,

It is ok. Tone is hard to read on here, and if I was not familiar with some of the posters already then I would have thought the same as you.

thats the thing i read it literally plus im used to some of the viperisms and what some people think etc

Where is the actual evidence that this is happening? If it is, it’s shit, obviously. But the governments own statistics don’t seem to support it. If less than 5% of people in receipt of UC are working more than 30 hrs, the vast majority of claimants are not people working full time who still can’t make ends meet?

Lots of feckless dads I agree, but my understanding is that child maintenance payments are not included in UC calculations anyway so even if someone was getting 1k month it doesn’t affect claim. Is that not true?

I don’t see the point of your post. You’re bragging.

This has to be a false story- a commercial company absolutely will not let you work for free, the insurance implications alone would be horrendous, I am no fan of capitalism but this story has to be BS.

This is very true, I’m a senior nurse in the nhs band 7.

His kids. She takes responsibility, he doesn’t. Morally wrong.

My recollection of that story is different.

It really wasn't that simple. He needs a support worker which made another employee less productive and was a responsibility, and for him to be paid as well costs them money over employing another person without learning disabilities.

His mother started demanding he should be paid for his work and that resulted in him losing the placement that had really enhanced his life.

The bad publicity resulted in them giving him paid employment, and everyone who shops in Waitrose is picking up the cost of that if he is still there.

And this is where minimum wage is a nonsense. He can work 16 hours a week without affecting his benefits. If people like him were able to be paid a proportion of minimum wage which reflected their actual productivity, then there would be far more opportunities for people like him.

And before anyone shoots me down on that, there are organisations representing disabled people who say the same thing.

I think universal credit is vital for children and families who go through tough times and get out of financial hardship. I’ve been on it myself when I left my son’s abusive father so I get how life changing it is.

On that note, when you mention the part about being able to afford a little holiday… that’s what pisses people off. You clearly arent prioritising or utilising the money for your children in case you get in financial hardship again. Ie buying new school uniform for September or stuff they may need or putting a little bit aside for if things go tits up again. Instead you plan on going on a family holiday! A luxury my husband and I can’t afford despite both working full time and me doing overtime each week. This part feels like rage bait.