Universal Credit.

[OnNaturesCourse]

Not along applied.

Don't think we will be entitled to much if at all anything but we're struggling so had to try.

We had our appointment at our local centre 2.5 weeks ago.

Anyone have experience with this: how long did it take to hear back? What help can I expect, ie how is it worked out?

We're doing a joint claim. SO works and I'm at home with LO. He makes roughly 26,000 pa before tax - problem we have is our financial commitments that were made before I lost my job when pregnant.

It all depends what rent you pay really . There is a five week wait I think for any UC to be paid but if you are signed up for the online Journal it will tell you a few days before. On tax credits the cut off was around 26k for one child, so you may not get anything, but having said that UC is a totally different benefit and some people are better off on it. I think it will mainly depend what rent you pay.
UC is worked out by different element that you qualify for - so you would qualify for couples element , Housing element ( if you rent) and child element. they add all these together and then they deduct any earned income x 0.63. So the more you earn the less UC you will get. if wages vary from month to month then you would get more UC on the months where you earn less to reflect lower earnings.

Just to add- UC won't take into account any expenses that you have apart from rent and childcare. Child benefit continues to be paid separately as is council tax reduction ( not that you would get any council tax reduction on your partners wage ).

Yeah, I'm aware they don't take into account our outstanding debt (which I think is ridiculous.. 🙄) and I know that our rent is outwith the local room allowance, or whatever it is, so we won't get the housing benefit element unfortunately. We have looked at council housing / moving but we were denied any housing points from the council, and we've not longed moved already so I really hope we can put off moving again so soon.

Guess I will need to wait and see but we are really struggling. Trying to work around these outstanding debts but we literally can not get out of them, or take any holidays from payments.

Definitely feel punished for a situation out of our control.

Use the online calculator: www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Calculating-Universal-Credit

What debts exactly are you talking about - can you speak to stepchange or a similar organisation like Christians against poverty or maybe CAB can help? If the government took debts into account for benefits then people would just get into debts knowing they would get extra help !

I mean help for those with debts prior to needing benefits, not those running up debts while on benefits. Very different having debts you could previously manage but unfortunately you can't now.

We have car payments, finance payments, credit cards etc.

How is it ridiculous that they don't take into account outstanding debts? why would they?
Surely you'd end up with people earning 70K plus claiming hundreds in benefits because they've got themselves into a mess with debt... anyway.
Contact stepchange for debt advice, that's what they're for.
I don't get what you mean wrt to help with rent, but I assume you mean your rent is over the LHA amount?
So, the LHA is £500 a month and your rent is £750 a month (for example) if you're eligible you can get up to £500pm you just have to pay the rest yourself.
Good luck, hearing back may take a while.

Not being funny OP, genuinely asking for clarification , but why would you think UC payments should take into account your previous debts?

I think what op is trying to say is she had the income to manage those debts and now doesn't so they should take that into consideration.

However that's not how benefits work, hence debt companies to help!

Gosh, we could all run up debts and then expect to have support to pay them when our situation changes.

UC won't help with the type of debts you mention, it's best to keep debts under control. How many weeks pregnant are you, could you look for temporary work ? If you really can't manage on your partners wages and UC then you will need to go back to work early. I went back part time when my eldest was 5 months old, we lived in a country with no benefit system to speak of so we did what we had to. If you go back to early UC will help with childcare costs ( up to 85% ) depending on earnings. Also you could consider a part time evening/ weekend job so no child care costs, this is how a lot of people manage when their kids are little.

why would they?
Surely you'd end up with people earning 70K plus claiming hundreds in benefits because they've got themselves into a mess with debt

Never thought of it that way, goes to show I just think like that. Sad that some people do.

I'm not pregnant. I was pregnant when I got let go. I tried to find work when I was pregnant but was unsuccessful. I'm literally only just recovered from the birth 7 months ago, I had complications. The delay means my redundancy payment has ran out and we are literally living on the breadline, one unexpected bill etc will tip us. We have commitments that we have not been able to put on hold - car payments etc. I received job seekers when pregnant, up to 36 weeks when I decided I wasnt physically able to work.

In terms of my rent the online calculator said I wouldn't get any help. My LHA is something like 117 a week and our rent is 160.

All very confusing.

I am looking for evening work for after DP getting home from work but it's not easy when it needs to be close to home and after 7pm, and part time. Once LO is in nursery I hope to go back to office work part time throughout the day which I believe will be easier to do.

I'm aware they don't take into account our outstanding debt (which I think is ridiculous.. 🙄)

Don’t be daft. Everyone would run up debts and then get the taxpayer to help with the repayments

Take a breath. Do you have a complete weekly budget with everything listed?

If you’ve hit the kind of financial trouble that potentially lands you on UC then the chances are you can’t afford your contracted repayments.

It might be that an IVA or informal debt plan with reduced payments is your most sensible way forward.

There’s a debt check tool on the Stepchange website. Try it.

There's work you can do from home too OP - don't dismiss that. I'm not talking about MLM crap either. Go and talk to some recruiters - if you are near a city there is likely to be part time stuff you can do, even if it's temporary.

Thank you Wow. I'll look into that.

I'm really paranoid with money anyway so I know where every penny we have goes, even when I was working. We have under 10£ free a week - that's under 10£ for luxary things like coffees etc or to save for Christmas/rainy days etc.

I'll look into the debt repayment plans but desperately trying to keep my excellent credit score.

Yeah, I'm aware they don't take into account our outstanding debt (which I think is ridiculous..

It is exactly what they should do. It’s an incentive not to get oneself in to debt or to continue to work at getting out of it

I'm really paranoid with money anyway so I know where every penny we have goes, even when I was working. We have under 10£ free a week - that's under 10£ for luxary things like coffees etc or to save for Christmas/rainy days etc.

I'll look into the debt repayment plans but desperately trying to keep my excellent credit score.

Is that £10 after all repayments are made?

If so, and you’re prepared to do no luxuries and minimal Christmas until she’s three, then you can probably keep your high credit score.

It’s just maths.

You’ll feel calmer once you stop looking for magic solutions.

About 5 years ago I tried to help my friend who had similar problems. I directed her to CAP - Christians Against Poverty.

They seemed to give a lot of emotional support - more than I was able to. She had run up debts then lost her job and was unable to manage paying them whilst on job seekers/income support.

CAP helped her manage the debts so they had enough to live on.

I think the CAB also helped to make sure she got everything she was entitled to and were able to get something backdated too.

She also got help from 'Welfare Rights'. She had to wait ages for their appointment but they explained everything to her.

That under 10£ once the bills are paid and we are fed. It does not include putting money aside for car problems etc, or paying off more than the basic credit card interest (we pay minimum payments) or paying anything towards the arrears we have ran up since I've been out of work. Unfortunately there just is not enough to go around.

My partner earns less than yours and we get around 300 pm from UC.

As for your debts, you could to your local citzens advice for help, they can help you get IVAs, debt relief orders and bankruptcy. I also know someone who got some grants through them to help pay housing debt.

She doesn’t need to be dragged into aloe vera juice pyramids or whatever the MLM scam is Jo4kidsANDiwork 🙄

Oh and we don't have money left over to put away.

It won't solve your immediate problems as such but can you set yourself up as self employed and do some work from home. It'll only be small money but every little helps. I signed up to Panelbase to do surveys and also started doing some freelance work through people per hour. I earn about £40/month but do very little, if I applied myself I could earn more. It subsidises my main job a bit.