AIBU to stay on UC instead of working

[Lulubon]

Hey I'm looking for outside insight...

We are currently receiving around £950 UC/Month
this is made up of a standard couples amount, child tax and housing benefit. Plus £84 child benefit

My partner works full time, he earns around £1400/ month
Our rent is high but standard for our area (£1075/ month for a 2 bed flat)
We cant move due to contract + we would have to move quite far to lower rent, meaning further from partners work- costing more in travel etc which would make it around equal we've checked this...

We have 1 child aged 1.5 years

We struggle with money but make do- usually dipping into the overdraft to afford food shops/ petrol though. We dont spend on extra luxuries, no dinners out/ new clothes, I try to buy everything second hand. Though I do spend some on toddler groups with my son (usually 2x a week max)

I have a 0 hours job but we cant afford childcare (£100 a day is standard in our area for nurseries/ £7+/ hour for childminders, though ive never managed to find space anywhere!!! I'm 190th on the waiting list for one nursery!?) so I don't take many shifts.

I'd like to work a part time job in order to come off UC as it gives me huge anxiety relying on it, we'd also like another child soon but obviously I'd like to earn more before we took this step. My issue is, even if I work full time, im not going to be bringing in ANY extra money, in fact LESS!?

We have estimated that we will be WORSE off if I return to work due to childcare costs... what can we do?! I feel so trapped! how do we get out of the hole of UC?!

The most I will make a month on a part time job is around £930/ Month
and childcare will be minimum £400-500/month

With a full time job could potentially earn £1400/month with childcare around £900/month min, meaning take home would be £500 after childcare costs.

The upside is, my partner has just completed a qualification meaning he will be eligible for a higher paid job but its marginal and will take from our UC but we should end up slightly better off... and it depends if he lands a better job too.

can anyone help?! am i missing something obvious???

@Mischance

*I wish I'd stayed at home with them when they were little. Money doesn't cut it. The guilt is immeasurable because you will never ever get that time back. Go with your heart*

I can only reiterate this.

. Money cuts quite a lot things including hunger and homelessness.

The sentiments are all very well but they aren’t going to support a family if the government cuts benefits or there are unexpected bills or OP’s partner loses his job again.

I’m another one who returned to work after both children and didn’t make much money initially due to childcare. After my second child I was earning £1200 and childcare for both was £750. My friend was in a similar boat and said it wasn’t worth working. For me it was worth it to keep my foot in the door and have a way of earning as my children got older. Now our children are older my friend has made the odd comment about how it’s alright for me as I’ve got a job! She seems to forget I was almost paying to work at one point whilst she chose to stay at home. We both did it our own way and both had its drawbacks. I think what annoys people is when posters come on to say ‘it’ll barely be worth me working!’ When many of us have done it.

The sentiments are all very well but they aren’t going to support a family if the government cuts benefits or there are unexpected bills or OP’s partner loses his job again

We cannot predict these things - we have to respond to how our lives are at present and in the light of past and calculated future.

It is possible to make the choice to go to work and forgo time with your children when they are small, and then find that you get made redundant or become ill down the line. You will have made that sacrifice for nowt. Past history with benefits is that they tend to stay roughly the same, although of course that represents a nett reduction because of inflation. Without crystal ball we can only work on what has happened in the past.

Life is a risk - in every sphere. We each have to do our own calculations regarding risk.

The OP has two options:

• return to work full or part time and risk regretting not being able to have a second child, missing out on bringing up her children, and having to juggle a stressful life for all the family for minimal financial gain.

• stay at home on benefits (also tight financially), have her second child, live a less stressful life for the family, but risk having trouble getting back into the job market - although that has not been a problem for me.

I am simply saying that either of those decisions should be in the melting pot with no moral approbation attached to either. None of the "Why should we support you with my taxes?" stuff - the answer is that we live in a civilised society that values the role of parents in the upbringing of the next generation, and that it is no different to receiving maternity benefits during maternity leave.

[quote Lulubon]@BrinksmansEntry sorry I think that’s the confusion. We receive £936 pm if I work and pay full childcare cost I will earn around £950 but spend £500 on childcare. Leaving is worse off if you understand. But if I get childcare cost assistance then that’s a different story!

Also we don’t qualify for tax feee childcare as far as I’m aware you need to earn less than £16,000 per household[/quote]
Op that's wrong about qualifying for tax free childcare. Both parents need to work and I think you both need to earn a minimum amount and work a minimum number of hours, but you absolutely get it if you earn more than £16k. I think there are restrictions to the two year 15 hour funding, but all children will get the three and four year 15 hour funding and if you both work a certain amount, you also get another 15 hours free.
I don't know about the rest of it, but as a taxpayer; I'd much rather you claimed the benefits you're entitled to and we all focus on Amazon's unpaid taxes instead ..... don't be put off by all these people slamming you. You don't have to live hand to mouth on the breadline before you gratefully accept the pennies tossed your way by the state .... you're entitled to it for a reason and it's comments like some of these that create the stigma attached to asking for help.
If I had the same choice to make, I don't know if I would leave my daughter in childcare all week just to earn £300 a month. Having said that, I get around another £400 per month in benefits alone (private healthcare, pension contributions by my work etc) that I don't see and so wouldn't count when working out if I was better off in work.

[quote Lulubon]@Whoopsmahoot congratulations taxpayer. Read the post and you will see. We are not having a second child until financially able 🤦🏼‍♀️[/quote]
Also Op I actually would have the second now, they won't be born til your little one is over two, so by the time your mat leave period ends your toddler will get free childcare and you will only need to pay for one to attend.

[quote Lulubon]@rainbowandglitter oh yes I meant to respond to that too. My DP works sporadic shifts. Sometimes finishing at 9pm he also works weekends. Hopefully once he moves jobs that is an option, we’ve discussed me doing evening work[/quote]
And sorry, but I love how frequently people are told just to 'work opposite shifts' as though there are a huge abundance of late night, extremely well paid jobs and people have boundless energy and willingness to look after a toddler all day and then work all evening.
Again, 'as a taxpayer' - frankly I'd rather people claimed what they were entitled to and were able to be present for their children, not rushing about exhausted from effectively working two jobs.
I appreciate some people made those choices and take pride in doing it without any help from the state, but we all get help one way or the other from someone - be it family doing childcare, state free childcare hours, handouts from parents to fund house deposits or benefit claims to pay the rent. One way or the other we are all also funding each other through this - if your parents gift you a house deposit that's money that could have been used for their care in twenty years - so now the taxpayers will fund it instead.
We chose to live in a society that takes care of each other, where a basic standard of living can be expected - let's stop bashing each other for using the tools available to them.

And sorry, but I love how frequently people are told just to 'work opposite shifts' as though there are a huge abundance of late night, extremely well paid jobs and people have boundless energy and willingness to look after a toddler all day and then work all evening.

Plenty of care work and HCA jobs, HCA in hospitals are paid extra for working nights and weekends.
Currently despite being degree educated the Op is stuck in the benefits trap.
Sacrifices have to be made to get out of it and plenty of people I know juggle shifts and CC.
Getting into debt now on a regular basis for the basics which are set to sky rocket in price is a worse prospect.
Op what is your degree?
Why do you think you can only earn NMW?