AIBU to be surprised someone on £34,000 receives Universal Credit?

[Balicious]

I was listening to BBC Radio 5 Live at work yesterday morning. They were discussing the Conservatives’ proposal to stop people spending benefits on alcohol, cigarettes, etc.—but that isn’t what my question is about.
One caller said she earns £34,000 a year as a trainee social worker and receives an additional £500 a month in Universal Credit. She didn’t mention having children, paying rent or having a disability—she simply said she struggles to live on £34,000 and needs Universal Credit to top up her wages.
What is going on? That’s more than I earn! Could I apply for a top-up too? Has anyone else heard of someone working full-time and earning well above minimum wage having their salary topped up by Universal Credit? I just couldn't get over what I was hearing!

With the cost of living, out of control rents, high cost childcare etc I doubt it.

Unless they have another element, a single person on £34k with 1 DC wouldn’t be eligible for UC. That applies even if they don’t have any savings/other capital.

The calculation is:
Standard element £424.90
Child element £351.88
=Total UC award £776.78

Say earnings of £2.5k per month (which is more than £34k would be but for ease of calculation) - work allowance
£2500 - £710 = £1790

Earning deduction
£1790 x 0.55 = £984.50

So, as you can see, the earning deduction would wipe out the UC award.

The elements are slightly less if the single adult is younger than 25 or their DC wasn’t born before 6/4/2017.

My best guess is housing element and/or childcare.

There is no way those on £45k should be busting a gut in jobs that have more stress to fund others just getting given the difference. It needs to stop!

I change my name every time I post as do many.

People have to change their user name on here because of stalkers.

They can just move house if necessary and get a higher paid job. It's easy.

Many will be eligible for those, yes, but the poster I quoted was responding to a single parent with 1 DC who said she isn’t eligible, and the poster I quoted said “a single parent on £34k with a dependent and presuming fits the parameters - would get UC.” so I was explaining that it is possible for a single parent with 1 DC to not be eligible even if they earn £34k.

That is definitely a recent phenomenon

Ahhh, yes, sorry. I misread!

People maybe use AI to gather information about posters so best to

Can you not just get a better job?

Ditto

Mature 😂😂

I suspect those who think 34K is a well paid job own their houses outright or have tiny mortgages.

For people paying upwards of £900 a month in housing costs it’s not a lot.

Exactly right, rent around here for a 1 bed flat is £1700+. Many posters on mumsnet are completely out of touch with reality.

This is what we pay East Midlands. London/Birmingham etc so so much more expensive

A lot of middle class Mumsnet don’t have a clue

It always baffles me how £34k is not seen as enough to live on, so you get top up... yet if you are unable to work you are expected to manage on just over £800pm (now less for new claimants). And if you are between jobs, £400pm.
That is why with UC, it pays to work. You actually get more help if you have a job.

But yeah, a single person with no kids is not going to get a top up. They just get told to work more or live in an HMO.

The private sector is massive compared with the public sector so there will clearly be some example . The NHS has had more scandals and cover ups than you can shake a stick at and whistle blowers are systematically demonized - you'd be hard pressed to find more institutionalized toxicity which has gone unchallenged for decades.

Okay so I’m lying?

exactly this

What a stupid response to OP asking if she is being unreasonable to be surprised by (wrongly) thinking a woman with no children would get UC whilst earning £34k

Better job than a teacher / nurse/ midwife near or at the top of the pay scale? Look at it this way. When I first started teaching 20 years ago, the top of the main pay scale was £30k. Full time minimum wage was £10k, so a third. Now top of the main pay scale is about £46k, and full time minimum wage is £26k, which is 56% of the experienced teachers’ pay. People on minimum wage then invariably get topped up by UC and all the associated benefits. So the gap between minimum wage and experienced professionals with a degree is getting smaller and smaller. What’s the actual point of getting these qualifications and having a stressful job anymore?

I was being sarcastic in response to the poster who suggested those living in expensive areas and struggling should ‘just move’

Exactly.