Benefits calculator seems too high

[LeslieKnope2020]

I've decided I want to leave my husband but I'm trying to get things sorted before I tell him. I feel terrible keeping it from him but he's argumentative, petty, sometimes verbally abusive and likes to remind me that the house we live in is his (the rent comes out of his account) so I'm trying to keep the peace until I can get things in order.

I'm currently self employed earning around 22000 a year. I also have two children in primary school, no childcare costs and looking at renting a house privately for around £900 per month. When I checked the entitledto calculator to see if I would be entitled to anything, the results said around £850 per month on Universal Credit which seems really high and unbelievable. Are these calculators reliable? I'm really trying to get my head around paying all the bills on my own and feel like this is giving me false hope that I could afford to give my children a normal upbringing rather than the stressful, frugal counting every penny upbringing I had.

If anyone earns roughly the same working 35-40 hours a week (22000pa) would you mind telling me how much universal credit you get? Or just let me know if the calculator gave you a wildly different result than when you actually applied for UC. Thank you

I'm in similar situation and got similar figure too, like you I was surprised it was do high. I changed a few details and other website and it was still roughly the same. I'm still not convinced so going to see citizens advice monday

Note that the amount including rental element will depend on where you live and what is seen as an acceptable amount for rents in that area. Some calculators will ask about that, though.

Also your ex should be paying child maintenance, in most cases, and that doesn't affect UC.

I have 2 older school age children, I earn about 16k and I get £319 UC per month

It should say somewhere with the amount that it's "what you could be" entitled to. I don't think they always take into account things like the part of the country you're in etc.
That said that does seem high. I think I saw another thread on here recently where the same kind of thing had happened to somebody else.

Op I thought exactly the same when I entered my details recently.

More or less the same income as you, looking at rentals of about £850pm but have 3 dc - and it was coming up as about £800 a month UC when i'd been expecting less than half of that.

The pp earns £16k and gets £319 UC a month though so I don't see how it can be right!

I'm getting Universal credit. My income is around 2500 a month. But my salary is keep changing due to working on commission based job. I get anything from 500 to 800 a month. this calculator was very precise for me. I was actually surprised in a good way.

I must be missing something, unless you get more money as you are in work full time.

I currently get £594.00 a month on U/C and I only work 7.5hours a week, they said it was made up with £317.00 and £200 odd for 1 child tax credit. However if I earn more than £409.00 a month then I loose £0.64P per £1 after this amount from the £594.00.

I don't know what else I am entitled to until I can find work for more than 16hours a week.

I earn £1000 a month working 30 hours and get around £650 UC a month. That's with £100 for childcare. £700 rent.

No idea how the figures are worked out as this seems very different..