Anyone worrying about the rising costs of life

[Needanewadventure2021]

I know this is money related but im aiming it more towards single parents. I know everyone will be feeling the pinch but as a one income household it's making me feel sick.

I recently posted about taking my son on holiday. Luckily I have been able to save over the last few years to be able to take him next year. However I am now feeling like I cant justify taking him away.

I read tonight that household bills are set to rise a further £1500 a year! I'm already feeling a huge strain financially and the thought of it getting worse is making me feel ill. I have pounds left a month so what the hell are people meant to do?
We have no social life, no luxuries. Live hand to mouth.
It makes me feel shit to be honest and scared that it's going to get worse.
You get yourself to a place where you feel you can manage with what you have, then it gets ripped away from you.

I work in a low paid job. 30 hours but unable to work more. Constantly looking for a new job. Intermittent/insulting maintenance payments paid via CMS (DoE) and tax credits top up.

No not really, and I don’t even get child maintenance like most people do. You learn to cope with what you have.

Over the years I have had several better off calculations done. By myself using websites, a well know poster on the money thread very clued up on UC has helped me twice, I have also spoken to citizens advice. It's always less and I am told its because I have a mortgage so don't get help towards living costs. Believe me if I was better off I'd have jumped ship ages ago

@Marni83

Actually she said:

I'm too scared to move to UC as several better off calculations put me at a significant loss. Its 1/3 of what I get on tax credits

There is also a website which tells you have to calculate it though I've forgotten what it is. Universal Credit something. Me wanting to believe I was being told wrong I calculated it myself using their instructions and no they weren't wrong.

I've used entitled to too. Ive found the website offered on the money thread more accurate to what was calculated for me but both showed a significant difference

Then mentioned a woman here doing it:

A woman on here on the money thread also calculated it for me and said UC isn't fair to claimants with my circumstances

As you 'work in benefits' may need to work on your information gathering and comprehension. Some of your claimants might end up with poor information if you don't digest what they say properly.

I am telling you that the fact you have a mortgage I irrelevant!!!

You don’t receive housing benefit if you have a mortgage under TC

And you don’t under UC

@Marni83 then I don't know why I am being told it will be so much less with identical circumstances. I take home just over 1000 a month. I wouldnt be on here talking about my worries if I was able to get more help. I have been told there is nothing else I am entitled to

Who is “telling” you this?

Citizens advice are brill
You can call them
And they will do the calculation for you

Op said she has spoken to citizens advice

I've spoken to them earlier in the year when I was placed back on furlough. But it can't hurt to contact them again

£282.50 for one child
£411 for you (anything over £511 reduce by 63p per pound)

Any disabilities?

And 85% towards childcare costs

How much do you get on Tc

I've also worked in benefits and people are usually worse off on UC than they are on tax credits. The calculators we always recommended people use are entitledto.co.uk and turn2us.org.uk

From what OP has said, she's already done various "better off" benefit checks and has found that she's better off staying on tax credits for as long as she can.

@theseoldbone

Op said she has spoken to citizens advice

Yes but not whether they’d done a calculation for her

It's not £411 standard element of UC anymore, tbe £411 was with the £20 pw increase

Correct
So sorry

£324 after early October

It's actually shocking you can't just ask universal credit themselves what you're entitled to.

I called last week to ask about the uplift in the child element that's available when your child is awarded DLA. I was told "DLA is separate from UC" which I knew, I was calling about the child element uplift.

Then I was told I was already at the top of the benefit cap. Im not, I receive LCWRA and so don't have a cap.

Then I was told if I was entitled it would happen automatically. It didn't.

The guy I spoke to knew nothing about the uplift even existing (I'd have thought it a fairly basic component to his training?)

In the end he was totally exasperated and asked me to leave a note for my work coach and that was a week ago. I've had no reply.

Why must we dig around on all these calculation websites and citizens advice, Mumsnet, money saving forums etc. Just to get the basic information that the organisation itself can't (or won't!) provide?

Thank you @theseoldbone, I have been contacting Look after my Bills for advice but so far no response so looking forward to hear what they tell you 🙂

The standard element of UC for a single adult over 25 is £324.85 pm.

It's always a good idea to check benefit entitlement every time you have a change of circumstances just in case.

@GrandmasCat

Thank you *@theseoldbone*, I have been contacting Look after my Bills for advice but so far no response so looking forward to hear what they tell you 🙂

Ah, closed on Saturdays. Will call Monday

I've done calculations myself and had others done for me and also spoken to citizens advice.

I have just used one of the mentioned calculators and it's less. It's 50 less a week which to me is huge. I dont want to disclose my circumstances on here. I am perfectly capable of obtaining calculations from reputable avenues but it does not change the fact that UC does not work better for me

Why must we dig around on all these calculation websites and citizens advice, Mumsnet, money saving forums etc. Just to get the basic information that the organisation itself can't (or won't!) provide?

Because they want people to claim, once they claim, they can't easily go back.

So people repeatedly do calculations, or encourage others to repeat them, they hope for a different outcome and then they go to UC with their results and expect it to hold true. It won't. UC will ultimately tell them what they get, once they get it, that's it.

Encouraging repeated attempts at getting a different figure is dangerous and risks a families income and shouldn't be allowed.
If OP follows that posters advice and Repeats calcs, gets a figure of UC that is more, claims it and expects it, but gets the figure they first saw... That's 2/3 worse off they'll be.

@Marni83

I am telling you that the fact you have a mortgage I irrelevant!!!

You don’t receive housing benefit if you have a mortgage under TC

And you don’t under UC

The fact she has a mortgage isn't irrelevant. Tax credits and UC are calculated differently and allowances change on UC depending on whether housing costs are paid meaning awards will vary based on that. Tax credits will be the same calculation based on circumstances whether housing is claimed from the local authority or not as it's totally separate.

@Wotwhywhen

Why must we dig around on all these calculation websites and citizens advice, Mumsnet, money saving forums etc. Just to get the basic information that the organisation itself can't (or won't!) provide?

Because they want people to claim, once they claim, they can't easily go back.

So people repeatedly do calculations, or encourage others to repeat them, they hope for a different outcome and then they go to UC with their results and expect it to hold true. It won't. UC will ultimately tell them what they get, once they get it, that's it.

Encouraging repeated attempts at getting a different figure is dangerous and risks a families income and shouldn't be allowed.
If OP follows that posters advice and Repeats calcs, gets a figure of UC that is more, claims it and expects it, but gets the figure they first saw... That's 2/3 worse off they'll be.

What I'm saying though is universal credit doesn't give you the true figure. They told me there was no such thing as an uplift for children with DLA. I only know about it because I did an "entitled to" calculation then confirmed it with my citizens advice person.

So now ive gone to UC with what I know... and I have the evidence to push for it. I shouldn't have to do that. Why can't UC just tell us what we're entitled to themselves.

My EDF energy tariff has gone up by 87%!

I’m switching to Sainsbury’s energy - still at 45% rise but more bearable.

If you want to switch see money saving expert x

But the op doesn’t have any right to any contribution to housing costs under TC AND UC