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Original poster

Calculator for Universal Credit.

22 replies

OrangeFlower7 · 18/08/2013 12:40

Hi I wondered if this might help someone. You can look and see how much you might get with universal credit.

policyinpractice.co.uk/universal-credit-calculator/

OP posts:
sparklingstars · 18/08/2013 18:01

That's appalling - I would be better off to give up my job and stay at home.
Tempting but it'd be on my conscience too much.
Good link, thanks.

sparklingstars · 18/08/2013 18:03

As in, my UC when unemployed would be more than my salary :(

turkeyboots · 18/08/2013 18:08

Wow, I'd also be better off not working. And I'm not paid badly at all. Thought the new system was supposed to encourage people into work?

num3onway · 18/08/2013 18:17

I can't find where to do child care on it?

RoseFlowerFairy · 18/08/2013 18:24

Scary.

swannylovesu · 18/08/2013 19:08

I'd be better off not working Angry How does this inspire people to find employment????

lougle · 18/08/2013 19:12

Most of the features are paid for Hmm

bunchamunchycrunchycarrots · 18/08/2013 19:17

num that was my query too. I was checking earlier to see if I could figure out what, if any, help I'd get for childcare if I increase my hours at work and its impossible to plan ahead/make changes knowing if ill end up worse off or not.

num3onway · 18/08/2013 19:21

Without the child care I would be £719 better off per month working than not working

But I will be paying at least 70% of my child are costs hard to do without it working out child care

VerlaineChasedRimbauds · 18/08/2013 19:23

ha! I think there might be a little glitch or two in the calculator - or perhaps I have entered something inaccurately (surely not Grin).

I will apparently be £668,439 better off in work Grin

Fairly remarkable as total family income is less than £25,000!

TheCrackFox · 18/08/2013 19:41

If DH and I split up I would be a whole £1.50 better of a week. Whoop de whoop.

mmmmmchocolate · 18/08/2013 19:46

Oooh I'm better off in work by 62,000 as well! Remarkable when I earn a little over min wage Grin

But if this is correct I could not bother going to work and pick up around the same in universal that I currently get with wages/child benefit/child tax credits.

Well I don't like my job anyway.... Hmm

CockyFox · 18/08/2013 19:51

I don't find that calculator easy to use to many pay for features. I want to know about conditionality thresholds for couples and can't find out anywhere.

noisytoys · 18/08/2013 20:57

I'm better off in work by £185,000 apparently. Better stay in my little cleaning job then Grin

scarlettsmummy2 · 18/08/2013 21:20

The vast majority of people are better off in work despite what is being written in the media about benefit claimants. While £500 a week per household may seem a lot ( max under benefit cap), that is for a household, not one person. It also includes rent and council tax allowances, so no one is actually getting that in their hand as disposable income. Also, the average loss per family affected by the benefit cap is £3k per year- a huge amount.

Rockchick1984 · 18/08/2013 23:41

Yes Scarlet but working families such as my own who have to pay their own rent and council tax are frequently on less than that, which is why there is uproar about families being able to claim such high amounts without working.

RedHelenB · 19/08/2013 08:14

I have been unemployed for 3 months & i am definitely better off working, no question about it. I would take that calculator with a pinch of salt tbh.

sparklingstars · 19/08/2013 19:12

500 a week would be great, it is what I earn in a month :(

scarlettsmummy2 · 19/08/2013 19:42

As I said, it is only a very small minority getting the maximum, and it only effects those with four or more children. It also includes child benefit- something which those in work also get in addition to their salary.

Rockchick1984 · 19/08/2013 21:03

That's true but it is also the equivalent of a salary of nearly £35,000 per year, so more than national average wage. Plus free school meals, dental, eye tests and glasses, overall probably not dissimilar to a £40,000 salary. There must have been people getting significantly more than this in benefits otherwise why introduce a cap?

sparklingstars · 19/08/2013 21:27

Whereas people on a low income get WFTC and then can't get free school meals - which is OK, they are affordable but it also prevents access to other things like council tax benefit, help paying for school trips and so on.
WFTC doesn't prevent free NHS care though.

Debs75 · 19/08/2013 22:11

I would be slightly better off in work if I did 16 hours a min wage. I have a disabled child but I would get less for him if I worked which confuses me, I am wondering if they mean carers allowance.

If I do it as non-working I am quite a bit worse off by it looks like at least £100 per week. As we are meant to be exempt from the cap due to a disabled child I am not totally believing this calculator Very scary as I will be studying all next year and then hopefully at Uni so God knows how that will work.

If you include the HB we do get more than the cap limit but this is because we have a disabled child (+ 3 others) so we get DLA, Carers and a premium on the CTC. If I work then we lose the Carers (can only earn 95 per week on carers)and possibly all HB depending on getting into the NHS or failing and getting any old job.

I do like that all your money will come at once every month, at present we get payments spread out and they are all 4 weekly which makes it harder to organise money. All DD's are monthly so some weeks you have to really juggle them last few pennies yet the next month you feel you have loads to spare

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