Universal credit. Joke!

[Mo3gic]

So my partner works, we have 3 girls and receive universal credit. I can not believe how much of a joke this system is. “We make it easier to work” is their crap logo. They don’t! My partner works 24hours per week, if he goes over this they deduct it from UC. My partners wages literally pay for the car finance, and car expenses. He’s left with £50 to go towards any bills or shopping. So all the bills get paid from UC. This month is our last payment before Xmas. Once we have paid our rent bills. We are left with £14! That’s right. £14! To buy gas and electric for the month as we are on prepayment metres. To pay for my bus fare to take girls to school. And to buy shopping for a month for 5 people. Then let’s not forget Xmas is around the corner. We can’t even afford to buy the girls presents. I could say to my partner go work as many hours as you can, but then they will deduct it all from UC, which you think well he’s earned it back anyway. No because then work tax him so he loses quite a bit. But then UC decide oh no he’s earned too much this month so we will close your account down as your not entitled to it. So then we get nothing of them, and what my partner has earned isn’t even to cover the rent. Just frustrated with the crap system. I’m trying desperately to get job, I get interviews but then don’t succeed in securing the job. Then childcare is an issue as there isn’t really any childminders at the school and the schools childcare doesn’t have spaces. Is this just me or is anyone else in the same boat? I real feel like I’m losing the will to carry on, just everyday scrimping and scraping, trying to pay bills and put food on the table. We have never used a food bank but it’s really getting to the point we’re going to have to.

Well I'm delighted to work to pay for people like @MyhorseMyfreedom and her husband to spend time with their children. Well worth paying a childminder half my wages, so someone else gets to be SAHM with a part-time working dad.

You need to ditch the sky , get an old banger instead of the car on finance , get a part time job and H go full time at his job.
UC is just meant to be a helping hand to top you up not a lifestyle choice!
You need to be setting a positive example to your DC.
Show them a work ethic !

Chattybum - No it's amazing how many people do not understand how it works. or even the basic concept of it !

I am wondering if the when the OP's husband was working 40 hours, they were paying the rent themselves; but now he's working only 24hrs with UC support, the rent is being paid for them (housing benefit), hence the difference. I suspect they are in the horrible trap of actually being slightly better off on benefits than they were when he worked full-time.

But that shouldn't be a long-term plan. When I started work after having our son, we were £4.54/wk better off by my working than on benefits - and I'd left a disabled 1yo at home with daddy to do this. But I had a goal, I wanted a career; and nine years later, I've climbed, I'm earning much more, and the investment of my time as worth it.

So glad my tax is going to a good cause

I wonder if @MyhorseMyfreedom is my ex's wife. She doesnt work and he works the minimum he can get away with so they can "raise their DC themselves" meanwhile I'm working full time AND raising my DC (he is their father) without any assistance from him. I'm glad I get to spend time away from my children and that my taxes are paying for someone else's oh so important children.

disclaimer I am aware my taxes don't actually pay for them... but I'm sure you all know what I mean.

@babyroobs perhaps the old system is very ingrained in people's beliefs about how benefits should work, and the reality is quite different to the expectation.

Op you both need to work and your DH needs to up his hours. Simple as that.
I'm a single parent and work full time 38 hrs a week and have a small second job to bring in a bit extra. UC does give me a small top up too which is very helpful.
But I want to be a good role model with a good work ethic

Sorry op but you're struggling because of your lifestyle choices. You don't need a car on finance. Could have a 10+ year old car you can afford. You don't need Sky TV. I'm assuming you both have smart phones on monthly contract? You could buy basic phones and get a sim only deal for £10-15 a month. Before anyone flies at me, I do all these things and have done for years, whether or not I've worked or the times I've had to claim benefits because of circumstances.

@Mo3gic

FWIW your situation is very similar to the one I grew up in so I do understand to an extent.

But it’s pretty black and white, you have 3 children and stay at home with them (lots of parents dream of this but simply can’t afford it). DP works PT - again it’s a trade off lots of parents would kill to only work 24 hours a week but in exchange you have little money.

I appreciate you ‘had to’ leave your job when you got pregnant with DC3 but that was before they were born and were unwell. So it sounds like having a third meant you were going to be a SAHM - again there are many families who would love an extra child but don’t as they can’t afford it.

Having an unwell child is tough but doesn’t rule you out of work, my DM managed a PT job with me and my disabled sibling and that was 20 years ago when workplaces were much less understanding. So I do think there is an element of choice in your being a SAHM to 3 kids which in our society is a huge luxury many can’t have.

From an outside perspective it seems you made an irresponsible choice having your third, with no real plan to financially support them or maintain a quality of life for the children you already had. You now trade off time with your children for money and therefore financially struggle. Living rurally and being reliant on a car in your financial situation is a nightmare and just another aspect that should have been considered before having children.

I know it feels unfair but I have to repeat what I said earlier, it doesn’t seem you’ve had it harder than most on UC - you’ve just made bad/ misinformed choices.

Also your partner could look for work closer to home. You could work in the evening when he gets home, twilight shifts in a care home for example. No need to pay for childcare.

sorry but if find that comment disgusting!

I just asked if you could claim DLA as you said you looked for help originally because your child was long term sick - how is that disgusting??

IIRC a child is eligible if they've been ill for over two years so I just wondered if you'd considered looking into it.

I claim DLA for my DC and I find it odd that you're wringing your hands about UC but say you would never claim DLA even if you were entitled to it.

I think you should check what else you might be entitled to, as you're barking up the wrong tree with UC but you might be entitled to other help for your DC.

Time for you and your partner to look for better jobs. Also I had 3 children and worked and child minded and house cleaned all to pay the bills and we didn't get benefits. You want money you work whatever to get it.

Isn't it wonderful how many of us who are are fit and able can leave our children behind and work pay towards others who believe they should not work and have others help with their living costs. Do you not think those who are paying towards your ability to stay at home would like to be with their children to? There are probably hundreds of thousands of parents who leave their children every day wishing they could play a more active role but they cannot as they need to take responsibility and work.

It's evident your partner reduced his hours for more benefit, not sure why this is being overlooked. If you are both fit and able you need to look for work that will improve your situation, that's what you need to be focusing on instead of depending on others to help you.

I'm all for benefits to truly help those in need and I wish things would improve so that those truly in hardship earn more so they can live comfortably, but situations like this truly frustrate me. You are BOTH capable of working.

There is a solution to your problem OP, perhaps instead of complaining you look towards solving it.

UC is disgusting and I truly agree on that point, but it hits those in serious hardships the worst. Perhaps use your own personal circumstance to vote for the party against it.

We never claimed and support or benefits even when entitled because OH is self employed and I just couldn't be doing with keeping track of variable claims.
Things we did to eeek out the cash (aside from things already suggested, like get rid of Sky) included growing our own veg, shopping when the supermarket had reductions, selling stuff on eBay, batch cooking and freezing as 'ready meals' Lots of tips on Martin Lewis site as to how to live frugally.

I do feel quite sorry for you though OP as you’re taking a bit of a pasting over this.

I understand from your point of view it all feels very unfair and unmanageable - it’s easy to bang your fists in frustration and think it’s the ‘system’ that’s messed up.
But please try to see your massive privilege

• 3 kids
• SAHM
• Lots of time with DP

And understand that your money complaints will be viewed incredulously by those who are struggling just as much as you but also have to work FT for the priveledge. To you your lifestyle feels ‘nessisary’ but the rest of the country see it as a bit frivolous. Your basic needs are above your means- but that was your choice.

And earning £240 a week your dh would barely pay any tax at all if my calculations are correct ? So free healthcare, education etc for 3 kids and no real contribution.

How much is he paying per month for the car finance? £10 per hour for 24 hours per week he should be coming home with around £190 PW after tax. If he has £50 per week left for shopping/bills etc that's £560 for the car on a 4 week month. Even including fuel/insurance etc that seems a bit excessive. Or am I just out of touch?

Op I'm sure you made some comment earlier in the thread about all the tax your partner was paying but it must be very little on those earnings?

If two parents work FT you can get childcare payed for 85% have you looked into that?

Midnight - I don't think they even have to both work full time to get that level of help.

It shouldn't be deducting all his wages off the universal credits. 287 is protected from deduction then above that is 63p in the £.

So for each additional £1 earned you always end up better off. Granted it's not the whole amount. But the point is that you cant fall below a minimum amount a month and that there is benefit to working

Benefits are for those in need not so you can work less hours. Why can’t your DH work full time day hours and you do evenings/nights so you wouldn’t have childcare costs?

OP, how much is your rent? I think you've been misinformed about how much UC you'd get if you increased your DH's hours. Because of the earnings disregard, you get to keep the first £287 of his earnings, then every 37p of the pound.

Also, re: childcare, if you get a job you can claim childcare on UC. My childcare bill is £1100 a month, but UC pays just over £800 of it.

You haven't got only £14 left due to the system. You've got £14 left because you are choosing to pay for an expensive car, phone contracts and sky! And god knows what else.

Reducing his hours when he's capable of working to claim benefits?

If you can't sort childcare in the day you should be working nights. The care industry are screaming out for staff.