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!

Why is anybody on £34k getting UC, that’s outrageous!

£2333 a month and then CB and any maintenance. There is no need for UC. Yet the working disabled are being targeted with attacks on PIP.Why?

What is the point of anybody in the £44-£55k taking on extra stress for? I’d rather earn £34k and have UC with less stress. No wonder we are struggling so much as a country!

Well she obviously is entitled to UC. Lots of working people are. The unreasonable thing here is that the State has to top up earnings thus subsidising low salaries. You’ll find many public sector workers on UC. Why are they not just paid better.

Say it louder!!

I hate to say it, but if it was the UC "helpline", they have quite a track record of giving incorrect advice.

They once told a client of mine that they wouldn't get an uplift in UC when their child was awarded DLA. They were actually entitled to around £500 a month more (disabled child element at higher rate plus carer's element). Their arrears payment was over £3k, but we had to fight to get it.

And they would never give a decision over the phone!

34k would be a struggle to live on as a single person but doable. Definitely not doable with children.

Well she will take home around 2 and a bit thousand. Her rent could be 1000 or so. Less than half her earnings will be deducted so this makes sense if she has some kids.

A single person can easily live on 34k if housings costs are very low but for most people they aren't low.

Public sector salaries are no longer dissimilar to private sector now anyway and their tax payer funded pension massively over compensates. A private sector firm can only increase wages if they are fiscally viable. If you want wages to rise even more in the public sector they need to be run efficiently and without dead wood. Currently, the Public Sector has an entire forest of the stuff.

They used my net pay from payslip

"Because....?" Get a hold there.

Again @catspam79 if you are not entitled it is due to a valid reason.

They haven’t plucked out your application and all agreed “well even though she’s entitled to UC, let’s just say no purely to spite her”

And many a tax payer is also having to claim UC.

How?

Child maintenance is not deducted from UC, so it wouldn't matter if the father did contribute.

With Labour in power, soon people on 50k will get UC. They will find a cut-off point that maximises their share of the vote and just tax those over the threshold more to finance it.

As Lakielady says, who I believe has way more than even my 15 years experience in welfare benefits, the UC helpline, poorly named, is not the best place to ask. That's the reason there are so many advice services. God help me I've just had to leave the sector. You are better off using a trusted online benefits calculator or just make a claim for UC online. I am very interested to know what reason you were given for non entitlement. From what you've said your savings are less than £16k? I'm assuming also you have no other income from property/annuities similar?

I won’t comment again. You seem to think I’m some sort of half wit. I’m on the bones of my arse and struggle each month. Everything is getting more expensive food shopping, bills etc. I work full time and think what’s the point. I’ll say it again I’ve been told my earnings are over the threshold for UC . Do you not think I’ve tried to get something. Years ago I’d get tax credits but they stopped obviously.

Maybe rents too? If you rent AND have children and usually just 1 income or 2 lower part time incomes you can often claim - bear in mind child maintenance doesn’t count in calculations - I think it should after the first year if it’s consistent , as I know 2 people getting well over £700 maintanance a month and getting a fair whack of UC as well - but that’s my view and I know other mumsnetters don’t agree with me on this - and I’m social minded!!

What a strange comment. Do you not realise the tax payer (including the subject of the post) pay for the welfare bill as well as public sector salaries.
They should be paid an amount that prevents them having to apply for universal credit and avoids the additional administrative costs of UC. Surely that's a more effective use of tax payers money?

Yes the word taxpayer annoys me when it’s used like this. There was that think tank ‘the taxpayers alliance’ who basically were a bunch of people wanting to pay as little as possible but probably wanting scandi style public services - they were going on about subsidising rail prices in a negative way - but pardon me for stating the obvious great many commuters are ‘taxpayers’ !! Whereas most of that ‘alliance’ seemed to be a bunch of retired or semi retired mean minded well off pensioners who probably did little commuting

@ pluto46

Can you give a like for like example of public sector vs private sector pay rises?

Bearing in mind that public sector workers had a 2 year pay freeze in 2009/2010 and with minimum pay rises thereafter - 1% maybe?

And no, people in the public sector do not get "paid off' - whatever you mean by that

There are incompetent employees (and indeed employers) in the private sector too, funnily enough

@dustabsorber hence why business and landlords and the capitalist class in general are in favour of mass immigration or outsourcing. It increases profit. It is called the geographical redistribution of the social relations of capital. Ideologically it is also a gift as immigrants can then be blamed.

We now have an increased dynamic where the state step in to provide benefits to ameliorate the social consequences of low wages and high cost of living.

State funding is increasingly paid to employers and landlords whilst the increasing cost of state funding is blamed on immigrants (who are largely unable to claim state benefit) the long term sick and disabled and those who can’t find work - increasingly the young including those with a degree and student loans. Media focus of the Tory plans to reduce benefit by a small amount have focused on spending benefit money on drinking or smoking or gambling (the undeserving poor) rather on the fact that standard benefit (already low) is cut by a third for those with no work history. It is unfortunately common for recent graduates to not find a job within six months of graduating. Rent is capped. So young people live with their parents who are forced to financially support them.

None of this can be solved through reducing immigration or cutting benefits to the poor and needy.

Increased immigration, low wages and high rent increase profit but don’t lead to improved services higher wages or lower living costs. There is no trickle down - just increasing inequality.

What do you mean, “how”?

How would you like your pitchfork delivered?
How is the money paid into my account?
Or how/why am I eligible?

Before I bought recently I was paying £1450 to rent a 2bed flat. 7yrs ago I had 2 kids at home and only working part time due to serious health issues requiring major surgery and multiple procedures. I only earned 25k then and needed universal credit to survive in the South East. I’m now earning 70k plus and in a different place financially, and left the south east. 30 odd years ago I was a teen mum on full benefits for a year. By time I retire after 40 odd years (done 26yrs now) I can guaranteed i’ll have paid a lot more tax than I got in benefits.

Living as a single income household is not easy, especially in a cost of living crisis. When kids are young, childcare is a huge cost, and housing. 34k is not a lot of money at all these days. Not sure where you live but add cost of rent and childcare and it will leave little else. I personally think its good that we pay UC to help people manage. This person is working. Why not save some anger for all those people working and not paying anywhere near proper taxes. Mostly the absent fathers in these situations who fiddle their books.