Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Original poster

Universal credit and working part time

30 replies

Happyface12 · 27/09/2022 15:53

So up untill now I just pick up about 1000 a month in universal credit and child benefits, it’s started a job part time where I’ll pick up around 940 a month , I’ve gone onto the benefits calculators and there saying I’ll still pick up around 900 a month in UC surely this can’t be right ? As it’s not much less than I’m picking up now when not working . I’m a single mom have 1 child and have a flat where the uc pay the rent for me atm . Is anyone else in a similar situation to me and do they know If this is right or am I doing something wrong ?

also my lo will be going to nursery £79 a week roughly I’ve applied for the uc claim up to 85 % back does anyone have a rough idea of how much I’ll actually be able to claim back?

OP posts:
Original poster
Happyface12 · 27/09/2022 15:54

The uc are no help I’ve called and asked them and they said they can’t say it just depends which I understand but I just want a rough idea

OP posts:
Tdcp · 27/09/2022 15:55

Have you done the Turn2us calculator? It's always been pretty accurate for me but it is very much a case by case basis. The £900 UC on top your wage sounds about right to me though. I think childcare is 85% up to a certain amount though don't quote me on that one...

Kaffiene · 27/09/2022 15:58

Sounds roughly right. You will get 85% of your childcare back up to a limit of roughly £625 I think it is a month.

Original poster
Happyface12 · 27/09/2022 16:01

So on top of that 900 from uc they will also put some towards childcare , just seems high to me when they’re only paying me £100 more now without earning anything

OP posts:
Original poster
Happyface12 · 27/09/2022 16:02

My childcare is only gonna be about 320 a month as I’m getting it half price as I’m working at the same nursery she’s going to

OP posts:
Danikm151 · 27/09/2022 16:06

go onto entitled to and include the childcare cost in the calculation.
I get around £900 uc and earn over £1500 per month. I pay childcare too.
remember you will be paying more in council tax than if you weren’t working.

TwoBlueFish · 27/09/2022 16:15

Go onto Universal Credit Essentials and do a manual calculation www.uceplus.co.uk/how-much-will-my-payment-be

Tdcp · 27/09/2022 16:16

I earn just over 21k a year and I would get around £800 a month UC plus childcare if I was a single parent. I hope that puts your mind at ease a little!

Original poster
Happyface12 · 27/09/2022 17:36

i think it is including childcare then I’ve included it and it’s saying around the same ,

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 27/09/2022 20:44

Yes it's quite feasible you could still get a significant amount of Uc as it's pretty generous to working parent with the work allowance applied.
So take the figure that you will earn monthly ( net pay ) and minus £344 ( work allowance) then multiply by 0.55. this figure is the deduction from the Uc that you currently get. I work out there will be £327.80 deduction from your current Uc amount but then you'll have the childcare element added.

Original poster
Happyface12 · 29/09/2022 07:32

So Would you say those benefits calculators are accurate

OP posts:
Chattycathydoll · 29/09/2022 07:35

Yes, they are.
The aim for their policy is to ‘make work pay’, they say it a lot, so the taper rate for benefits means you’re always going to be better off in work nowadays.

sandgrown · 29/09/2022 07:35

UC includes an earnings taper as an incentive to go to work.

greatonmyown · 30/10/2022 20:45

So in 2019 when I started my UC claim, I was getting about £900 maternity pay from my employer. On top I was getting £900 of UC. So it is about right. And that was in 2019. :) Hope it helps.

hastalavista · 31/10/2022 21:07

Hi if you work part time, what's the most that your husband can earn for it to be topped up? If you dont mind me asking

Mawface · 31/10/2022 21:09

Yes that's probably right, one month my work messed up my wage and i got zero earnings the 1st month then double earnings in my next wage and it was only about £150 less uc the double earning month. They don't count the first 300 odd of your income in your claim.

bloodyeverlastinghell · 31/10/2022 21:10

hastalavista · 31/10/2022 21:07

Hi if you work part time, what's the most that your husband can earn for it to be topped up? If you dont mind me asking

It totally depends on your circumstances. No of kids, when born, rent or own , childcare costs. It can be quite a lot. I’d have to take home 3.1k a month to no longer be entitled to UC if I had a partner £3.5k between us.

hastalavista · 31/10/2022 21:17

What's the best calculator ? 'Entitled to'? Thanks

Mawface · 31/10/2022 21:21

hastalavista · 31/10/2022 21:17

What's the best calculator ? 'Entitled to'? Thanks

Yes. Turn 2 us gives me incorrect figures but entitled to is always bang on.

caringcarer · 31/10/2022 23:53

UC system pays a child care leavers just £61 a week to cover food, clothes, electricity, gas, water rates and council tax. Seems very twisted to give huge top ups to some but deny 18 year old Children with lots of emotional baggage enough for food.

Chattycathydoll · 01/11/2022 07:15

caringcarer · 31/10/2022 23:53

UC system pays a child care leavers just £61 a week to cover food, clothes, electricity, gas, water rates and council tax. Seems very twisted to give huge top ups to some but deny 18 year old Children with lots of emotional baggage enough for food.

Surely the answer is to raise everyone rather than pushing others down. So rather than calling the top ups ‘huge’ (they’re not compared to outgoings really, given most top ups are to cover childcare, without which people couldn’t work) let’s call the sum care leavers receive microscopic, which it is, and which is both disgusting and pathetic. Care leavers deserve more.

Shan973012 · 30/01/2023 15:54

Hi, can someone help me, im returning to work 3 days a week, which works out 16 hours a week as it's a special needs school. My daughter will have fees of around £50 a month and my son will be £400 every month and that will be the same every month, im a single mummy and will bring in £837 give or take and my rent is £995 a month can someone help to work out what I would be entitled to on a give or take basis, I have used the online calculator but what to see if others get the same as me
thank you!!

Gymtok · 31/01/2023 13:31

@babyroobs is who you need

greatonmyown · 01/02/2023 07:51

endtitledto.co.uk has a calculator. It will give you an exact/nearly exact calculation for what you’ll get while working and on Universal Credit. 😊

ArasMummy · 25/05/2023 20:12

Hi there,

I'm in this exact situation!!!!
Im a single momma, currently work Part-Time and receive UC. My employer is increasing my hours to an extra 1hr a day (9am-2:30pm). My monthly salary will now be £1200 after tax but I’m panicking about my rent costs, bills and getting through the month with the increase of salary- will they stop my UC completely? I’ve done the online calculator and I’ve had similar back (200p/w) & thought “there’s no way that can be right!?”. I’ve called UC and they have said the EXACT same to me ‘it’ll just be deducted depending on what you earn’ but I need to know whether I’ll be shooting my self in the foot accepting this payrise. Citizen Advice haven’t been any help either.

Please can you let me know if all your calculations were right & if you still continued receiving the help from UC?

I also need to pay childcare costs too!

Many thanks in advance for any advice back!!!