Do you feel bad for receiving a ‘high amount’ of UC?

[AnotherNameChange1233]

Last week I went to my local Children’s Centre and attended a Citizen’s Advice group that runs once a week.

As long as you’re registered to the Children Centre, you can turn up for any advice needed. Some people want privacy so they go into a side room with the advisor and some parents may help other parents if they’ve been in a similar situation/can offer the correct advice. It’s also like a social group for parents, hopefully you get the jist of it.

On the table I was sitting on, one parent was trying to get her head around UC as she didn’t quite understand LHA rates, how DLA impacts UC and what elements she would be entitled too. Anyway, I started speaking about my experience with DLA, UC and offered to log into my UC account if it was easier for her to look at the breakdown visually (instead of me talking and complicating things). I also got her postcode to explain how the LHA rates work and etc.

Another parent suddenly spoke up and said, ‘don’t you feel bad for claiming that much money?’ She wasn’t argumentative or anything and we had an interesting conversation but it made me think, are people like me supposed to feel bad when receiving a certain amount?

She also said something like (I’m paraphrasing here as I can’t remember it exactly word for word) if people can’t afford their rent then they should move to a more affordable area. I raised the point of Landlords purchasing properties as part of the Right to Buy scheme, charging extortionate rent which taxpayers then pay through UC. Surely, it’s more a problem that there isn’t affordable rental properties in many areas.

For full transparency, I’m going to mention all of my UC amounts and wonder if people that claim similar, feel bad?

• 292 single person allowance
• 1450 private rent
• 539 for 2 children
• 293 for 2 disabled children
• 589 childcare costs
• 189 carer

£216 is deducted from my entitlement due to my wages. That means my UC amount is £3133. My wages is £771. I receive two amounts of MRC through DLA which is £580 all together.

Now that I’ve written it down, it seems like a whole lot of money but the costs that come with raising one of my disabled children (the other still costs a lot, but not as much as the other) is through the roof due to their issues

Excuse my ignorance, but would special equipment (in its most basic form) not be provided for by the NHS/council/charities?

Fully accept your other points about travel and maybe needing specific types of consumer goods.

Personally I don’t think someone who needs a top-up of 3k per month should contemplate having more children than they can afford to pay for. Especially if some of the kids have complex needs. I’m not a raging Tory or middle-englander toting a pitchfork, just someone who thinks society can ill afford to bank roll poor families who appear to select to be poor by default. Benefits needs a massive reform as does the mindset of a lot of claimants. It’s not free money, our taxes are being used to cover you.

Not the bare minimum.

This will pay for some this that many will consider luxuries.

Op only has 2 children

Incorrect.
3 people working in minimum wage jobs are being subsidised by both their employer and the state.

Economics needs to be taught in school.

People on Mumsnet who post about struggling on similar salaries get rounded on and mocked. I've seen it time and again. Properly nasty criticism if you claim it's a struggle on anything north of £50k household income.

Felt slightly sick reading this. There does need to be an over haul. Paying another £7k over in tax today from my hand earned funds. It’s getting ridiculous tax payers have had enough.

This. Sorry but that's a mind blowing amount of money.I was a single parent of 2 in the 90s. I worked as a supply teacher until the youngest started in Reception. You either worked or you claimed benefits in those days, no option to top up wages. I was absolutely skint. I wouldn't wish that on anyone but blimey you are being paid a huge amount of money.

you, and others in your position have no incentive now to change it until you absolutely have to, you are on an amazing salary for doing nothing whatsoever.

@Inyourgarden She's caring for two disabled DC. That's not doing nothing whatsoever!

No it’s not

I’ve edited. Yes, but can they afford two children? Sounds like no - not so much?

It would cost the state a fair whack if any parent chose not to look after their children

It's a lot of money. It would take the income tax of 12 people on the median wage to fund it. However, this isn't your fault OP! You need to live and care for 2 disabled children. The issue is that rent and cost of living are so high. If rents were more reasonable, you'd be getting less because you'd need less.

It does absolutely show the need for an overhaul. Over £3000 a month in benefits is a crazy amount of money and a lot more than most working people earn. Whilst I don’t blame people for claiming what is available to them, the system seriously needs looking at.

I was interested so I googled wheelchairs, just as an example.

https://www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support/wheelchairs/#Paying-for-a-wheelchair-click

Seems to imply that basic wheelchairs are provided, and people also have the option to apply for grants (funded by govt or local authority) for better wheelchairs?

Well I'm another one who is absolutely gob smacked that you are entitled to so much money. It's a huge amount.
I'm not going to comment on your personal situation but I was reading an article recently about the staggeringly high numbers of young adults who don't work. Looking at this is it any wonder ?
I think the burden for providing more and more benefits for more and more people seems to be putting a huge strain on those who do work their backsides off.
What happens when all of us just give up because of our stress and anxiety?

Wow your lucky to get the support you have. I know a lot of people who are or trying to claim and are getting no help or very little. Some single with disabled kids some not.

I am not sure what to think to be honest. Fair enough you have disabled kids and so need to care for them so unable to work full time. It must be difficult with 2 so fair play for working part time.

I have a severely disabled child but because I have a husband and a mortgage I get nothing. Unfortunately they look at the incoming but never look at when the mortgage etc has gone out and your left penny less at the end of each month. The system is very wrong.

Speak for yourself! I'm fine with my taxes going towards disabled people to live.

Perhaps if one can’t cover the costs of child rearing - they shouldn’t become a parent at all? Children aren’t a right - they are a privilege. Pumping out children one can’t cover the cost of is an odd and highly irresponsible move. This notion that parents are ‘doing society a favour’ by raising their off-spring is absolute cobblers. You’d be doing society a favour if you work to a budget you can afford cover.

I don't feel made about this. The real problem is the high cost of living and rent. This is the problem with crazy rents - the average person cannot afford them.

What can you do differently with disabled children?

My son manages a couple of hours in school, I care for him the remaining time (7am - 11am) (3pm - 9pm plus nightly wake ups) - I am fortunate I do a job I can fit around this and I'm my own boss. During the holidays I have him full time as there is no provision. It's really exhausting. We don't claim anything except dla as my husband has a good salary but we do live in London in a property that wasn't designed to be single salary.

I don't know what the op could do differently... It's impossible to work full time with disabled children. And the rents in London are absolutely extortionate. Those are not going to change

There needs to be an over haul this isn’t sustainable.

That really stood out to me. Absolute insanity

I have absolutely no problem with this whatsoever but it's hard to believe, as I recently read, that 25% of working age adults are not able to do any kind of job.

This is ridiculous because most people claiming are single parents, most people don't plan to become single parents.