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Original poster

Universal credit. Joke!

211 replies

Mo3gic · 28/11/2019 18:53

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.

OP posts:
MaButterface · 30/11/2019 15:22

Drabarni is truly an idiot. And spot on Ylvamoon!

Drabarni · 30/11/2019 15:30

Ylvamoon

MANY = Not all.
ALL = Everyone.

You seemed in need of help understanding Grin
Nevermind your friend MaButterface seems to have the same problem.

DippingToes · 30/11/2019 15:31

OP, I'm a single parent. I work 50 hours a week to provide for my 3 children. I'm not entitled to benefits, and my children's father doesn't pay a penny.

Your situation is what gives benefit claimants a bad name, I'm afraid. You need to be less entitled, and more responsible for your own children. There are 2 of you! Woman up!

TorysSuckRevokeArticle50 · 30/11/2019 15:38

This is, OP say DH is on over £10 p/, if he was working full time, assuming an unpaid 30 min lunch that would be 37.5 hrs per week. Gross pay £1625 per month at £10 p/h.

Claim marriage allowance as OP doesn't work, pay 5% into pension that's £1543.75 per month.

Ran this through 'entitled to, making some assumptions based on OPs comments

  • 3 children, guessed all under 18
  • rent - guessed at £700
  • savings - assumed under threshold for benefits.

Outcome was total allowance of 324.96 per week including child benefit.

So in a 5 week month that would give a total of over £3000 income per month.

So if based on that he is better off working part time, how much are you getting now, and how much are you spending? £3000 per month is a decent income and it should be possible to live comfortably, if not lavishly on that.

Babyroobs · 30/11/2019 15:47

Tory - It's madness isn't it the amounts that people can get.

Lifeisabeach09 · 30/11/2019 15:51

Have to agree with PPs, OP.
Either you or your DH need to be working full-time. On a wage of £10 per hour for 40 hours per week, you are looking at a take home of around £1400 per month. With three kids and rent, you should be eligible for a decent amount on UC.
Have you used the benefits calculator from turntous or entitledto?

I agree with the PP who said that, yes, you get to spend time with your kids now but you will be screwed later on.

@DippingToes, have you used the calculators to check?

DippingToes · 30/11/2019 15:56

Thanks, @lifeisabeach09, yes I have, but I earn too much. That's fine though, as my children appreciate I work hard for them. (Not saying that people on UC don't work hard of course, I'm just lucky to be in a career that pays relatively well.)

Purpletigers · 30/11/2019 16:05

No one will have a comfortable life supporting 5 people on a part time job . Your partner reduced his hours to claim benefits because he would be no better off working 40 hours ? And they say no one choosing benefits as a lifestyle .
I’m afraid you only have yourself to blame for the situation you are in . I hope you get a job soon . Perhaps consider permanent contraception if a third child has caused you so much hardship . You definitely don’t want to add a fourth .

ferrier · 30/11/2019 23:57

@linny2008

But I have already opened a claim with universal credit and it says housing benefits on it

It will say housing costs element or something like that. Housing benefit is the old system and was separate from JSA, tax credits and the like.
In Universal Credit the housing costs are part of the UC award and the whole lot is means tested. Without knowing the detail of your situation I can't say any more.

OP - you really must get rid of the notion that dp working fewer hours means you will be better off. That is categorically not the case under UC unless his longer working hours means he has to pay higher train fares or something like that.

Not sure how old your youngest is but if they were born after April 2017 you won't be entitled to any money for them unless they get DLA.

UC does not expect the main child carer to work at all when under 1 and there's a sliding scale of requirements up to age 3. Above age 3 you can ask for reasonable adjustments to allow for school runs etc. So there is an assumption in UC at least that it's desirable for young children to have care from a parent.

linny2008 · 01/12/2019 00:31

@ferrier
Okay so I live alone I pay my rent on my own I’m currently on maternity leave with work. I was just wondering if anyone knows if I do get some kind of help towards rent as let’s be honest my rent is 495 on it’s own and maternity pay is around that anyway so I’m just worried as to what is going to happen I’m so stressed over it all

Babyroobs · 01/12/2019 01:09

linny - On UC you will get a standard element for yourself and a rent element, then wages reduce those amounts on a taper. Once you have your baby you will also get a child element and you will get a work allowance which means that the first £287 of your earnings ( assuming smp) is disregarded before wages reduce your Uc. So depending what your rent and wages are you may not get any help until you have your child.

fastliving · 01/12/2019 10:59

I have to say I think the op is a Tory-bot getting everyone in a twist, just before a general election.
Let's not fall for it.

TheFormidableMrsC · 01/12/2019 11:40

@fastliving I totally agree, particularly as the rules surrounding UC means that the DH at least would be required to work full time. There are no ‘lifestyle’ choices under UC.

Babyroobs · 01/12/2019 11:45

He does not have to work full time , he just has to be aiming to earn 35 x nmw. The earnings thresholds at which people are not badgered to look for work are extremely low.

fastliving · 01/12/2019 13:46

Evidence @Babyroobs ?

Babyroobs · 01/12/2019 13:50

I think a couple only have to be earning something like £5 a month to not have to do much work searching. I was shocked when I found out how low it is. When Uc was first being introduced it was banded around a lot that both parents would need to work etc. In reality it is just as lenient as tax credits is.

Babyroobs · 01/12/2019 13:51

Sorry that should say £535 !!

LoonyLunaLoo · 01/12/2019 14:04

@MyhorseMyfreedom are you fucking for real??? How many people have to miss time with their own children to pay you to spend time with yours and have down time? You are the epitome of selfish.

Universal credit is not a lifestyle choice. It’s not something to aim for to claim the maximum you can whilst doing the bare minimum you can and whinging that it’s not enough. It’s for people who have hit hard times in the short term or genuinely disabled people who can’t work.

People who think they can do the bare minimum and are ‘entitled’ to free money need to get a grip of themselves and start contributing. Who do they think are paying for all this ‘free’ money?

FabbyChix · 01/12/2019 16:54

Sorry but why is he only doing half a working week? If you can’t live on what he earns then he needs to retrain and get a better paying job. Or why can’t you work when he isn’t seeing as he is a part timer

ferrier · 01/12/2019 20:16

Babyroobs is correct about an income equal to 35 hours x nmw in theory being the level at which the work coach will ask you to look for more work.
In practice the threshold is currently a lot lower than that and I believe the reason is that the DWP are focussing on those who are not working at all.

@linny2008 if your SMP only covers your rent and you have no other income then you should be entitled to UC. Have a look at a benefit calculator ... eg. www.entitledto.co.uk/
The SMP will be treated as earned income so an amount of 63% of SMP will be deducted from your full UC entitlement. The various elements which make up the full entitlement are here www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Universal-Credit-Rates

ferrier · 01/12/2019 20:18

Should add that if you have savings over £6k these will be taken into account and if you have savings over £16k then you will have no entitlement to UC.

mindproject · 01/12/2019 20:32

There's nothing like a self-entitled benefit claim thread to get people disgusted enough to vote Tory.

I agree with you Fastliving.

People should be disgusted with all the things Boris says and does, and austerity, and Brexit, and the rise in homelessness and food banks and child poverty. Not this.

I'm a single parent who doesn't claim benefits. My taxes pay for people can't work/don't want to work/don't earn much. I am happy about this. I do not want to live in a society where we just throw people to the wolves. Why does anyone want this?

mindproject · 01/12/2019 20:35

It's wonderful advice about how people should just retrain so they can earn more. Who pays for that education and time off work while people retrain. Lots of times retraining amounts to no increase in pay. I speak as someone with a totally useless degree, so I should know.

CFlemingSmith · 01/12/2019 20:51

My sympathy completely disappeared for you when you began to moan that 'working all hours will mean you don't see your children'.

Biglumpycustard · 02/12/2019 22:41

I hate uc, it's just a crap system. My partner works full time and gets paid weekly and I work part time and get paid 4 weekly. When there is 5 weeks in between our dates we get 0 and same again when I'm paid twice in our period. It's just shit,we are worse off.