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.

So based on Ceryneianhind's calculations, you'd have a total monthly income of approx 2,400, which is equivalent to approx 35-40k ish earnings (once tax, NI and pension contributions are taken into account), and quite considerably more than your highest ever earnings!

Honestly, I think one adult, one child with that kind of income would manage fine, albeit not luxuriously. It's a manageable amount, and similar to what many live on.

This. I can see how that could easily turn into the same amount as I bring home net, and I’m not far off being a higher rate taxpayer.

Make sure you’re claiming all you’re entitled to - sounds like you work part time, helped towards childcare might enable you to work full time.

But yes, I do wonder how a great many people cope, especially with the COL

Wait - what?! How does that work??

Do you have to pay housing out of that 12K or do you get 12K then housing benefit on top? Cause that can make a huge difference.

£12k is low, but alongside benefits your income is about the same as ours without benefits, so no I don’t particularly wonder how you manage.

No I don’t wonder. Lots of self employed people earn 12k. For various reasons it’s a popular amount.

You will, i assume be getting benefits, so not actually be living on 12k.

Also, I wouldn’t know you were on 12k unless we knew each other well. I was a single parent to 2 kids and earned well, so I wouldn’t assume you earn very little because you are a single mum.

So based on Ceryneianhind's calculations, you'd have a total monthly income of approx 2,400, which is equivalent to approx 35-40k ish earnings (once tax, NI and pension contributions are taken into account), and quite considerably more than your highest ever earnings!

And there’s me working full time on 27k with a kid, paying nursery fees and entitled to nowt. Maybe I should start a thread on how I cope?! 😂

Probably there are more people than you think who have been on your salary and are now on much higher salaries. I remember having £5 per week for food and walking round Iceland doing sums on how to make it go furthest, so although it’s very far from my reality now, I can imagine what it’s like.

So your benefits top you up, why can't you work more rather than claim benefits?

I could survive on 12k a year.
I'm the main earner but mortgage is due to be paid off soon.

So costs will go down significantly.
But husband also works.

So I could probably quit work.

How do you become entitled to this sort of income from benefits though? I'm doing something very wrong.

Yes, lots of people choose that lifestyle 😂😂😂

I'd imagine you get a lot of benefits so life is probably OK tbh

Do you get benefits as well as the 12K like others are suggesting?
If so you are not living on 12K
How much money (including any housing benefit) do you actually get then we can judge better.

But is 12k your entire household income? or is it 12k plus benefits?

How much do you actually get in your pocket each month and how much are your essential outgoings? I think you might find once it’s all taken into account, that you aren’t significantly worse off than a lot of people who earn too much for benefits

No. If you earn £12K, you will be in receipt of welfare benefits to enable you to live. Your housing will be paid for which is the biggest cost most of us face unless paying for under 5s childcare.

That feels really low. Is this all you live on? Do you get any benefits or payments to cover your housing costs? If not its worth rechecking you get all you're entitled to.

Benefits are subsidising an enormous number of employers. They pay their workers a wage that they can't live on and then taxpayers pay the rest.
The system was never meant to enable massive numbers of Working Poor.

And then, people like you turn round and blame the employees. It's ridiculous!

I was going to say, after benefits you will be on the equivalent of at least £30k! Saying you live on £12k is misleading.

Use your imagination better! 🤣

*Benefits are subsidising an enormous number of employers. They pay their workers a wage that they can't live on and then taxpayers pay the rest.
The system was never meant to enable massive numbers of Working Poor.

And then, people like you turn round and blame the employees. It's ridiculous!*

She works from home self employed. Try reading the OP

Sounds like she's entitled to a lot of benefits if she earns 12k. Maybe look it up?

I’d be interested, I’m a single parent earning 22k ish but on top of that I get some Uc, child benefit, council tax discount, help with childcare in the holidays.

Even if don’t have rent to pay you’d have to take home £1400 a month before you received no UC and you’d be getting CB.

If that's your total income then I'd love to know. And have some tips.
Because my income is 16k and its hard!