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Universal Credit should relax £16,000 savings eligibility rule

661 replies

DreamChaser23 · 02/04/2020 12:16

do you agree? This is to ensure other workers who were laid off and have 16k OR higher in savings should also be eligible for help.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/dwp-must-change-universal-credit-21792760.amp

OP posts:
Spied · 02/04/2020 13:49

Put your savings above 16K in a parents/friends' account?

PhoenixIsFlying · 02/04/2020 13:50

A few years ago I had to leave a great job due to unforeseen circumstances. I had been frugal and saved to improve my circumstances but those savings then had to be used for necessities. It would be rather unfair to suddenly change that rule.

AltogetherNo · 02/04/2020 13:51

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Hester54 · 02/04/2020 13:52

Peppafrig you seem to think everbody is on min wage, there are people that earn around and above the average salary that will have hardly any savings, should they get UC?

Smellbellina · 02/04/2020 13:53

how does it what to make you save?

This sentence doesn’t make sense but I think I know what you’re trying to say. But are you really suggesting now no one will ever want to save money again on the off chance of another global pandemic? I doubt that will happen.

Peppafrig · 02/04/2020 13:55

@Hester54 of course if you have no money to eat and put a roof over your head you should get help from universal credits. Regardless of your last job . I wouldn't be so smug about people on minimum wage either as the job centre will make you take any job no matter the pay .

Hester54 · 02/04/2020 13:56

AltogetherNo Already working on it

Noideareally2 · 02/04/2020 13:56

Put your savings above 16K in a parents/friends' account?

Be seeing you profiled in the DM then, trying to run into court for your benefit fraud case with your coat over your head

Augurey · 02/04/2020 13:57

A deposit for your first house, that you've been saving up for five years while scrimping and living on beans?

A wedding and house ownership are a privilege/luxury. If you need to use your savings to keep a roof over your head, that becomes your priority.

Do you know what's funny? When people come of legacy benefits to transfer to UC, if their advance doesn't come in for a while, they are told to use any savings they have for food and rent. But not you privileged, well-off, financially comfortable people, God forbid.

£16k savings is a huge amount. The average family has less than £1k.

TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg · 02/04/2020 13:58

Nope, I don't agree at all. That's what savings is for, not for other taxpayers to pay for the few to keep their golden calves.

Hiding savings is fraud, and yes, the DWP are very good at finding that out.

What Stuck says is spot on.

Hester54 · 02/04/2020 13:58

Peppafrig But haven't they had ample money to save, if i earn £35,000 and spend,blow it i can get UC,
if i earn £18,000 and save some i will not get anything, funny system

Hester54 · 02/04/2020 13:59

Noideareally2 Ive they have man power to detect people,

WanderingMilly · 02/04/2020 14:00

If I had 16,000 I would consider myself 'rich' and wouldn't worry about being furloughed or any pandemic for quite a bit.

I am in very low-paid part-time work (well below tax threshold) and have no savings and have applied for UC for the first time in my life as I will now only get 80% of my meagre pay (and I'm grateful for that). I understand from the calculator I'll only get about £40 top up UC per month but if I do I will consider it a massive help, that's 2 weeks' groceries shopping for me (much older, don't eat much, live alone etc).

I understand and sympathise with those who need much more money because they have children and mortgages and other commitments but government help should be for those living from payday to payday, not those who have lots of money saved...

TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg · 02/04/2020 14:00

Do you know what's funny? When people come of legacy benefits to transfer to UC, if their advance doesn't come in for a while, they are told to use any savings they have for food and rent. But not you privileged, well-off, financially comfortable people, God forbid.

This ^

Bookoffacts · 02/04/2020 14:01

Definitely not. I have 1500 in savings and I'm worried. If you have over 16000 stop being such an arsehole. You don't need that yacht.

TestBank · 02/04/2020 14:02

I'm sorting out my savings now for if/when I need uc. Anyone else who thinks they have a few months grace might be wise to start doing the same

Peppafrig · 02/04/2020 14:03

Will to commit fraud for £400 a month when you aren't even desperate for money is disgusting . Glad you think they don't make you take your last three months bank account statements with you too . Oh yes when you apply for universal credit you need to show them what's in your bank. Its a jolly old time.

Hester54 · 02/04/2020 14:03

Bookoffacts what sort of yacht are you going to get with £16000?
that's the problem if i by that yacht?car i would get UC

Deathgrip · 02/04/2020 14:04

She hasn't had a holiday in years, doesn't drink, rarely eats out etc but apparently she's in the wrong for having savings. The mind boggles.

She’s not in the wrong. It’s that if someone has a huge amount in savings (and over £16,000 is a huge amount by National standards). then someone doesn’t need benefits. They have enough money. It’s a very rare person who can save up £16k on disability benefits as the rates are so low.

Feels like only a few months ago I was still hearing people cry that the welfare system is supposed to only be a safety net for those who needed it.... or am I going mad?

I’ve been saving up my kids’ child benefit for 3 years now to try and afford adaptations to the house and garden that would massively benefit them due to disability. If I have to spend it to live that will be shit, but I recognise I was bloody lucky to be able to save it in the first place as many people rely on that money to feed and clothe their children, and I’ll be very grateful that we have it.

We currently have more than £16k in savings, because we extended our mortgage to get our loft done and now that’s postponed. I’ll still be bloody grateful to have that money and not need to deal with the DWP if it comes to it.

Where is all this talk of fairness come from? The benefits system has never been fair, but it’s not those on good salaries with savings and their health who generally bear the brunt of that unfairness. Nobody cared then.

TheArchSorcererofContwaraburg · 02/04/2020 14:04

The state always perversely helps the terminally lazy and profligate. Always has, always will. If you lose your job and have saved a few scraps for your long term future, prepare to get shafted. Better to just spend money like water and live extravagantly

Hilarious! Just absolutely hilarious. God, yes, UC is the life of Riley. Newsflash: the state has always perversely helped the super rich to hoard vast amounts of wealth at the expense of nearly everyone else. Better to be an ultra rich and live extravagantly. There, fixed that for you.

Deathgrip · 02/04/2020 14:05

I'm sorting out my savings now for if/when I need uc. Anyone else who thinks they have a few months grace might be wise to start doing the same

Ah, we are onto benefit fraud now. Given the usual disdain here for benefit cheats, I find that rather surprising. Or is it only poor people who shouldn’t defraud the taxpayer?

OrlandoAlice · 02/04/2020 14:07

Do you not get contributions based benefits for the first 6 months? Used to be that way on job seekers. If not then that is bad, if everyone is paying in then everyone should get something out. Thats how universal benefits should work. If you start chipping away at entitlement then people start to wonder why they are bothering to pay in and they stop voting to support social security benefits. However thats probably the intention of successive neo-liberal market led governments over the last 40 years. Perhaps if this pandemic teaches us anything it will be that this mentality leaves us in the shit in a crisis like this.

Deathgrip · 02/04/2020 14:07

there are people that earn around and above the average salary that will have hardly any savings, should they get UC?

Yes, so they can eat and live in a house. You’re not really getting this are you?

Jellycatspyjamas · 02/04/2020 14:07

But haven't they had ample money to save, if i earn £35,000 and spend,blow it i can get UC,
if i earn £18,000 and save some i will not get anything, funny system

If you’ve managed to save £16k of an £18k salary you’ve got effectively a years money sitting in the bank - and would get UC as soon as your saving dipped under that - I can’t see how you think that makes your badly off?

TestBank · 02/04/2020 14:08

Yes, that's why I am sorting out my savings now. I have at least 3 months thank god so may as well take some productive action

Btw, if you think there are any fraud investigators currently working on fraud you are very very naive. They are redeployed onto dealing with uc applications (many of which will be excitingly fraudulent ie by people who don't exist, so once things calm down that will keep them occupied)

Always good to plan ahead