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.

@IgglePigg we would be financially better off if dh stopped working and claimed carers allowance instead.

Hang on - a PP claims to receive UC topping up to £4k per month and she doesn’t need to pay rent out of this and it also doesn’t include the DLA for 2 kids??! This can’t be right surely??!

No transitional protection for fsm not for UC. If you currently claim tax credits and are entitled to fsm then you start working you keep your fsm until the UC rollout continues. It was to protect legacy benefits claimants as originally all UC hit fsm.

*got

WTC is only a no for new fsm claims not if you already claim them that's where the TP comes into play. Equally you could earn £100k a year and keep fsm if you qualified at the time of award.

@MrBallensWife if you scroll to the bottom it says UC or legacy benefits. ( I work for a charity advising on benefit entitlement)

@MrBallensWife would help if I included the link sorry www.salford.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/free-school-meals/transitional-protection-for-free-school-meals/

Yes that's right. But that person gets additional allowances in her UC because she has disabled family members.

Most people on UC are not getting that much.

Argh,now I understand!,Ive been on and am still on WTC for years but didnt apply for FSM until DD was in year 3 (shes in Yr5 now)as they were free before then due to her age.It was a straight no as even though I claimed CTC which was an eligibility criteria,they said because I work and claim WTC I wasn't eligible.🤦‍♀️

It's really unfair but the government brought the TP in as they had no choice because when then first introduced gave everyone on UC and gave even those with tiny awards fsm. To counter that when they changed the rules to earnings limit they bought in TP and had to include legacy benefits to make it equal WTC is a marker of low income and fsm should in my opinion definitely be given.

So here, DLA is not counted because it is specifically for costs associated with needs above those if a non disabled child.

Yet in threads about budget setting, the majority claim that it is just included in their every day costs because they don't have to justify how it is spent!

Ultimately, being on long term benefits, however well it pays is never a good thing in the future. Unless the children have very severe disabilities and always need FT care, once the children move out, it's a very different story. No home ownership, limited entitlement to UC, expected to work FT until 67, no private pension.

Sometimes the financial comfort of the present becomes a nightmare of the future, and the future falls upon us much quicker than we see it coming.

I commented that our DLA isn’t counted because it’s specifically for the costs associated with my child. I’ve never posted on any other thread that it’s included in my every day costs and I don’t have to justify how to spend it. Really novel idea I know but maybe it’s different people posting on the different threads?

And just to mention that when you receive DLA for your child the letter is very clear on the sort of thing it should and shouldn’t be spent on.

Oh and one final point… DS’s DLA is the only ‘benefit’ we get, nothing else.

thats not actually true you just as the appointee have to spend it in the best interest of the child. How you do that is up to you, it could be household budget if it in a tiny way goes towards a lost wage due to the child's disability.

Hi I can believe it because I also earn 12 K a year or lower. Im self employed as a music teacher with a few sidelines. It's hard to make much money. Im very happy with my work life balance and love what I do so it is worth it. However I dont have children and I live with my housemate. Also our mortgage is paid off. I get an extra £110 a month in working tax credit. I am guessing you get quite a bit extra in benefits as you would be entitled to them. Hats off to you for supporting your child and working hard on a low income. A lot of single mums are in the same boat. It must be very hard. Being on a low income in order to survive you become an expert in money saving and bargain hunting. Im great at both. I dont go out much but I can afford a couple of holidays a year ( by shopping for the bargains. ) . I also manage to save a little. Hats off to all of us doing our best on low incomes especially those supporting children x

Ps ( Im not sure how you edit on here ) I found your message as I was curious to find others like me who live on a low income and how they manage. I think there are a lot more of us than people realise x

Have you tried the MSE forum? The old style boards are full of people living on a super tight budget, along with lots of tips and recipes

Hi I can believe it because I also earn 12 K a year or lower.

Is that gross or net?

Hi repsonse to Nettel, No I haven't heard of MSE forum. It sounds useful .

12k is below the tax threshold isn't it? So take home pay of 1k per month. Plus the WTC. So £1110 per month.
No DC so only you to pay for. No rent in mortgage.

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't consider that to be a particularly low amount to live on. Its not loads either I'll admit. But it's not 'low'

This isn't really that low an income for someone with no housing costs. I lived on less than that after housing costs while renting in London.

I manage and I can save and go on holiday so not compared to many who are struggling no . It's more like £900 a month though and I have just lost a piece of regulary work and will have to cut back a low. It is a low amount compared to the national average but I know there are many worse off than me.

So clearly OP was talking out of their arse

It’s not unfathomable at all…. every person and their circumstances are different. And people cut their cloth to suit, whether by choice or necessity.

it wouldn’t work for us as we have high mortgage and childcare etc. but clearly it’s manageable for some.