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!

Yes rents are out of control and I don’t know if/how they can get them back under control?

It’s a big reason of why I had to leave London. I was paying 1200 rent for an okay one bed flat in zone 5a at the start of 2024. Moved to a town near Manchester (where I knew absolutely no-one) the same year and was paying £700 for a much nicer 2 bed although it’s gone up slightly over the years to £780. It’s still made a massive difference to my finances.

For all those who bash WFH this move to a cheaper place wouldn’t have been possible without it. And as grateful as I am for being able to move, it shouldn’t have been necessary.

Says you! Not listening properly but getting incensed and starting a rage bait thread!!

This shows that UC is actually a good system because it targets help towards people who need it due to circumstance, eg with children or disabilities.

There are flaws in the system but the alternative is that either people won't be able to afford to take jobs in certain areas of the country or employers will end up paying people different amounts according to differing needs, eg how much will a single parent of two pre-schoolers living in a high cost area need to be paid to cover all their essential costs? It's going to be 2/3 times NMW so employers won't employ that person. They'll take on someone without children instead who can live in a smaller property and doesn't have childcare costs, extra food etc so can afford to work for a lower salary.

They did a calculation to work out how much
a person needs to live on and the woman didn't have enough so they support her with universal credit 🤷‍♀️
I'm proud to live in a country where the government supports people like this

Stop whining and apply for it then, youd be stupid not to!

Quite. Like, for example, starting a misinformed benefits bashing post. Very unpleasant.

34k for a trainee role with a generous pension scheme and everything else the public sector get over the private sector - how much more do you think the tax payer should pay for her?

I see the woman has children so problem solved. 34k doesn’t go far nowadays at all. Full time min wage is about 26k nowadays.

I too was a private landlord and didn't rake it in either. My comment is primarily about what market forces have done to rents and the impact on the welfare bill, rather than an attack on landlords.

If its not enough to live on its not enough to live on
30 years ago i qualified as a nurse and was earning about £12,000/ year but you know inflation.

Agreed. I manage the house my father used to live in in Scotland. He is 97. The net income after voids, agent, tax, landlord licence, certifications etc provides him with a small additional income - and I’m saying small (if you average it out probably £300 per month). We’re selling it now as it is just more trouble than it’s worth, which is one less house on the rental market 🤷🏻‍♀️

What, like you were? Be honest with yourself you were looking to stir with your faux shock.

Where I find it a bit strange is you can own a million pound house outright, so no mortgage, and it only takes in to account your incomings. I wonder why they do that.

@ Pluto46

What is the " everything else the public sector get over the private sector " ?

Public sector workers are rarely held to account in the same way private sectors employees are- you have to be spectacularly shit to be got rid of and, even then, you'll likely be paid off rather then sacked. Other than that, anything else that comes with an organization that never has to worry about being credible, efficient or cost effective, I suppose.

I would probably claim, I think you have more joy if you rent

You have no idea what her circumstances are. She will have been assessed and everything will have been taken into account.
It isn't as easy to get benefits as some people seem to infer and people on benefits are not living the high life spending it all on "booze and fags"
I think it's very sad that we are back in benefit bashing territory and that the poorest people are again being blamed for the state of the economy.

Says the person being unpleasant.

But failed.

And rather than own it…. Nope gets defensive and angry.

Tells is a lot about what @Balicious is likely like in RL

Very believable.

Years ago now, in the early days of UC, I had a client who was a nurse at whatever grade is the equivalent of a nursing sister. She had 3 kids and lived in a privately rented 3-bed house. She was entitled to a fair bit of UC because her housing costs were so high. She was on £36k at the time.

Her delightful husband had left her and fucked off to Ireland so she couldn't go after him for maintenance.

Indeed. If they has spent as long listening as they did posting ....

'AIBU to be surprised/shocked/outraged at...[insert here]'

UC is not just money in hand for those who can't/don't want to work, it is also towards housing and childcare, so it's highly unlikely the trainee social worker is being handed money for nothing. We need to encourage the population to stay in the workforce. If that means subsidizing their rent and/or childcare costs then so be it. About 40% of people in receipt of UC are working FT.

She’ll have student loan and pension contributions coming out of her pay. It sounds like she has children and in private rental.
There are over 25 current social worker vacancies on my council website it’s a low paid role for the hours and responsibilities/stress.

She will almost certainly have children.