Do people on here wonder how someone like me copes? I earn £12K/year.

[hekissedmybottom]

I grew up poor, single parent on benefits, partied through uni, worked all my life but never got paid much. My highest salary was 28K/year in London as a single woman. Felt absolutely minted.

Now I'm on benefits with a child as a single parent and still feel well off compared to how I grew up.

I think this kind of life is unfathomable to some people on here.

It’s the life you’ve chosen. If you’re happy with it, that’s good isn’t it? Who cares how others live!

It's a chat forum and I just finished work.
I want to earn more and looking at options. I fell into jobs I hated and now WFH self-employed.

Honestly yes, surviving on £12k a year seems unfathomable to me. Within 30 mins of me there are some very deprived areas, so let's say you lived there, £450 a month is the cheapest rent I can currently find on rightmove. £6600 left for the whole year. Council tax, another £1500 (assuming band B, single person's discount. Now down to £5100. Gas and electric, I can't see how this can be less than £150 a month, mobile phone let's say another £10 and assume no broadband or landline phone. No savings. No pension. TV licence though £159 per year. Contents insurance another £25 a month. Food, £40 a week seems like peanuts but I've seen some say they can do that. I have to assume no car, but allowing maybe £10 a week for public transport? No holidays. No kids activities. No childcare. No life insurance. No pets. No netflix, boiler cover, memberships etc. Basically stripping life right back. That's leaving £801 spending money for a whole year. £15 per week. That seems like a really worrying place to be to me if energy bills rise or your landlord increases the rent, £60 'spare' per month is no wiggle room at all.

What skills do you have? What is your WFH job? I'm a huge, huge proponant of a non-traditional working model as a way to supplement income around a family life or other commitments, not just training and education as a way to increase trading your time for money. If you want to change things then let's see what options are there for you.

If you feel well off that’s great. No need to earn more. Crack on.

It isn’t unfathomable to me, because I used to live on a very low income as a single parent. But, given the cost of living crisis going on, I do wonder how people are coping now because I know I couldn’t have back then if there had been similar price increases.

Wondering why this is in Work ...

Are you saying your total income is 12k per annum or that your salary is 12k and you also receive benefits?

Yes, I do wonder how you cope.

This. UC is very generous to parents who work even part time, I can absolutely see how you can live comfortably on that, child benefit and £1k per month.

I'm assuming the job is a Drip Feeder

Yeah that sounds extremely tough. The lowest paid job I had in the past was £8k and that was in the mid 90s! Much more recently I was a teaching assistant for a bit and things were desperate, ds still at primary school, dh unable to work but also brutalised by the benefits process so we stopped claiming. I tried doing care work on Saturdays for more money but found it exhausting. It was only about eight months in my case.

Hope you find something that works better for you soon.

Presumably this is what you earn yourself before you receive your benefits?

What’s stopping you from earning more yourself?

I assume with benefits included you would be on much more than 12k a year, plus the additions of free prescriptions, possibly free school meals, possibly extra support with energy bills etc. I can see how it's possible

So a 12k salary plus what?

You don't survive on that though?

Assuming you get UC? Your rent will be paid for, childcare paid for etc.

Yes it'll be tight money wise but it's disingenuous to say you're surviving on £12000 a year total.

When my dd was younger I was earning similar amount but the tax credits was more than my income.

OP is self employed so no "salary", instead earnings from her work.

You mention UC, is that covering your rent or is the £12k the total amount out of which you pay your housing costs?

If you earn 12k from your business
With 0 costs
With 0 pension
With 0 tax
With 0 ni

Rent of 750
1 child age 6
You are single aged 28
And get no money from ex (dc parent)
I put you in a random town south east with an RH post code

And no other income at all then entitledto.com says

Total benefits entitlement
£358.25 / weekly
Our estimate is based on the information you have entered and does not guarantee entitlement. It uses 2022/23 benefit and tax rates.

This amount is made up of the following benefits:

Universal Credit
£317.28 / weekly
We estimate your monthly Universal Credit award will be £1,374.91.

You could also be affected by changes to the .

If you made a claim for Universal Credit today this would be paid into your bank account on 23 March 2023. Our estimate is based on you receiving earnings of £12,000.00 and other income of £0.00 in the period between 17 February 2023 and 16 March 2023 (your assessment period if you claimed today).

Council Tax Support
£19.17 / weekly
Your full Council Tax bill of £19.17 per week will be reduced to £0.00 per week because of your entitlement to Council Tax Support.

Child Benefit
£21.80 / weekly
You will be subject to the Child Benefit high income tax charge. This charge will be the same value as your Child Benefit and you may instead choose to stop receiving Child Benefit. To find out more about your options see .

We have used the information you provided to search for other entitlements you may qualify for. Get more information about:

I'm not sure how good the entitledto website is, but if you're not claiming why aren't you?

And if you are claiming then you're not on 12k

But you & your child(ren) are not surviving on 12k ...
You receive to up benefits towards housing and and other basic costs.

And ideally some maintenance from their father

Please add up everything you receive and come back with the actual yearly household income you have!
And them we can talk about being poor ...

I know it's not the point but I did lol at contents insurance being on an essentials list

What we actually need is your total income not just your pay as outlined by the poster.

We also need info on what if any assistance you get from friends or relatives be that childcare or you have dinner every Sunday at a relatives kind of thing, parents maybe buying school coats.

I doubt you will be popping off on an expensive holiday anytime soon. But every single permutation regarding incoming and outgoing money is different for every single household.

I'd assume that on that salary and with a child you'd be receiving top up benefits from the government. What's your entire income compared to your actual salary from work?

I'm fascinated how you do it. Would you share you income and outgoings?

How much do you have in total per month including benefits?