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

I don't think he is a loser. I think he is paying maintenance. If he wasn't she would say she didn't get any extra but her silence suggests she also gets a considerable amount of child maintenance bringing her monthly haul up even further.

Okay, so OP's an exceptional case then.

Get a diagnosis? As if I asked for one child to have Down Syndrome and for the other to also be disabled. You sound lovely

I’m going to assume you get at least a further £400 - £500 on top for the kids via maintenance. It may well be what you are entitled to but what I find sickening is, you are taking home more than those that work!! How is our benefit system encouraging people to work?! If I were to loose my job now, despite working my fucking arse off to own my own home, the help wouldn’t be available I’d be expected to sell my house. Just very much feels the system is broken. I honestly believe when on benefits, the receiver should be made to volunteer during school hours in hospitals / care home. There are people starving as nurses too busy to feed them. The benefit money should be paid directly to any beneficiaries and food vouchers should be issued which can’t be used to purchase alcohol, cigarettes etc.

benefits need to be made unattractive because whilst some that claim are in dire need I truly believe the majority claim because they can and it’s easier.

But the point is, OP isn’t able to work a full time job because 2 of her children are disabled and she needs to combine working part time with being a carer for those children. She doesn’t have the opportunity to go out and find a job that pays that kind of wage (which are few and far between). Caring for a disabled person, whether they’re your child, your sibling, your parent, or a person you’re paid to care for, is not a fun and carefree life. You’re not raking in the cash and having a grand old time, you’re barely even staying sane some days.

OP is absolutely entitled to these benefits and should not feel bad about that.

Any anger should be directed to the landlords charging extortionate rent (our mortgage on a 4 bed semi is just under £900 a month, private rent on similar in our area is more like £1500 - the rich get richer and the poor get poorer), and the government that allows this insane situation.

I don’t get what you mean?

She’s saying to guarantee 2.6k for her family every month, she would be prepared to have a debilitating illness. Do you get how desperate she must be to say that?

She can buy herself a medal with her 65k a year 😂

I mean deflecting any notion of personal responsibility by simply saying everyone should have what you have is a cop out, because you know it won’t happen.

You be happy with an illness for extra money? Utterly bizarre

Yeah it is a high amount but I think this is the main issue - and it’s why the government don’t really want to tackle the lack of social housing. They’re happy to pay out to these landlords.

That’s something like the equivalent of a £75k salary before taxes. I don’t blame you for claiming it, but it does seem a lot of money given the financial state the country/schools/NHS is in.

How can you be so bitter about what is obviously a difficult life??

Exactly. The OP is a carer.

If the OP stopped doing this Labour and the state became responsible for the children’s’ care, it would cost the taxpayer a load more. My disabled SIL’s care costs over £1300 per WEEK!

I think this thread demonstrates the way in which caring, and other female associated work is so undervalued.

Exactly what I thought 🤣

I wonder how many people would like to swap their none disabled children for children with disabilities to get the money op gets?

I'd say no one

OP keep doing the best for your kids.

You are entitled to what you claim.

Why would she stop looking after them? They’re her kids, not the state’s.

When I was doing online dating I met a man I subsequently became friends with and then met his new girlfriend.

Her ex was a top city banker. She had 4 kids with him and got £10k a month in maintenance from him.

She then took a part time job at the school and claimed all the UC she could get. So on top of the £10k a month, she was then clearing a few grand in UC too, every month.

I honestly could not believe it but apparently maintenance is not taken into account in calculating UC.

They were going on holidays to the south of France, hiring 5 star villas for the whole holidays and I was a single parent with no benefits at the time clearing substantially less than even her UC.

OP with 2 disabled kids, you have nothing to feel bad about claiming benefits. I do think that the system needs overhauling though but not because of your situation!

I didn’t realise benefits weren’t capped if there was someone with a disability in the household. Millions of people claim pip, no wonder they want to overhaul the benefits system.
Does that amount include any kind of discount for council tax does anyone know? I’m astounded by the amount!

Gosh @WithACatLikeTread , to me £800 a month is a lot and if I really was to get it I would need to put serious thought into it. We haven’t been on holiday in 12 years but it doesn’t bother us, you don’t miss what you don’t know.

I definitely wouldn’t spend it on a holiday though, so many more important things. I would definitely save at least £200 a month, £100 for each child to try and help them when they become adults, like a bit if a leg up or a boost, just something. I left an abusive home at 16 and my family turned on me because they didn’t want to believe my step dad was a disgusting man, it was easier for them to believe I was lying, so I started with nothing,
I’d save £200 so they could start with something. The other £600 I would put some thought into but some on food yes, it would be nice to have some food that’s a little more expensive rather than just all the supermarket branded stuff.

This country really is broken

You decided to have another child when you already had 3 children, one of which was disabled.

I think many people reading this would be interested to know what changed for you and your partner after the decision to have a fourth child?

There would be an expectation that you were not unable to support yourselves to this extent before making that decision, taking into account you already had a larger than average family?

Because without the support she gets she may feel they are better off in care!

I honestly could not believe it but apparently maintenance is not taken into account in calculating UC.

@RacingLine i don’t understand that at all! Doesn’t seem fair whatsoever.