Why people choose not to work and how are people coping with the COL crisis?

[MsMH]

I hope this doesn't come across as judgemental but I'm genuinely curious.
What are people's reasons for not working and being on universal credit instead? Is it even a choice and how are they coping with the cost of living crisis?
I'm not well off myself and work part time 3 days a week. My partner works full time at a university and we have a little boy who goes to nursery 2 days a week. We're only just making enough to stay afloat but struggling to save anything. I don't know how we would cope if one of us loses our jobs.

I want desperately to work, to be well enough to. I'm in constant pain, agonising most of the time currently, 8/10 on a good day. Nothing's worked, I'm out of options and modern medicine can't even give me any relief form the pain. I have 3 Autistic kids and an abusive Ex. I don't tell people any of these things for a multitude of reasons. I don't owe anyone an explanation, I don't want to talk about it, don't want to deal with even kind reactions or kindly meant questions. How bad I am now even just talking about it can make me cry, so I don't talk about it. I don't know a single person who's chosen not to work. I'm sure some people do make that choice, but for the majority of people who appear to be making this choice to you it's just that you don't actually know enough about them and their lives to know the very valid reasons they have no choice but to try and survive on benefits.

Maybe they don't have a partner and cant work with childcare. Have a partner amd want to be stay at home mom work hasn't worked.

Poor health poor mental.health lots of reasons

I know he is on the fiddle. He has told us that he is claiming he is unable to work because he can't leave the house and is receiving benefits.

I also know for sure he is working cash in hand because I see him going out to work in the morning and coming home in the evening. I also know the person he is working for/with.

I have reported him twice but nothing has happened so far.

It never ceases to amaze me how open all these benefit cheats are about their cheating. Well at least the ones that Mumsnetters know.

I have reported him twice but nothing has happened so far

You are allowed to work and claim disability benefits. So maybe that is why.

@uhtredsonofuhtred1 stop passing on false information. There are in the UK, only a dozen or so truly multi generational families who have never had anyone working in them(Joseph Rowntree; 2021).
This is a common smear used by the likes of the Daily Mail and the Tories to attack working class people. Being in housing services, you should have professional value base and stop judging people.

I do not work but do not get any benefits. My DH earns a good wage so is happy for me to be at home.

@Portakalkedi Ooow aren't you a good citizen eh? Maybe Boris the Covid Conman and Robber will present you will a medal along with King Chas and his Millions? You can sit back and feel soooo PROUD of yerself!!!!

Edited as got wrong end of stick I think!

@IClaudine why strange? Poster is talking about neighbour or friend or whoever who is unable to work due to having some mental health breakdown,then decides to grass said person up for allegedly working on the sly ? Seems that person is taki g delight in the misfortune of others. They have no idea what their neighbour's circhmstance are. They could now be working & receiving disability benefits which is permitted in some circumstances.

Do you have to pay your rent from that?
Or do you get rent paid in addition?
(sorry - know nothing about UC, so genuine question)

Did you see I edited? For some reason I misread and thought it was a reply to you rather than from you! Old eyesight must be going.🧐

Most people on UC work in professional jobs.

UC isn't quite as simple as that. It's made up of elements.
So I receive
Adult element
Child element
Housing element.

The amount of housing element you get depends on how many bedrooms you're "entitled" to, and how much the local housing allowance is in your area. LHA is based on average rents for your area.

So my rent is £800 pcm which is just under LHA rates, I get 800 housing element. If I lived somewhere where the rent was less I'd get less housing element.
If my rent went up up over LHA rate I'd have to make up the shortfall.

Edited to add: all of these elements combined make up UC rather than being separate payments like it used to be with tax credits and housing benefit.

Everyone I know is working their socks off. Reasons for being on UC are generally language barrier or physical or mental health problems. UC is tough to get with a lot of conditions. I doubt anyone is on it for entertainment.

Absolutely this. Read what Nurses, council workers etc are on then count up the cost of living in the South East. £30-40k does not go far.

My personal situation is slightly different because I’m disabled but if you enter information fur an adult, no disability, living on their own , this what you get (photo)
Yes I’d have to pay rent with that money.
fwiw in my LA, the ‘average’ rent according to HRMC for a 1 bed house/flat is £300. You can’t find anything at that price.

If you actually read my post you will see that he claims he cannot work because he cannot leave the house due to panic and anxiety attacks. But he works between 3 and 5 days a week out of his home! He has done that for months.

He has been completely open about telling (lying to) his GP that he has terrible anxiety and panic attacks and how that means he can claim benefits and not have to have any sort of medical.

He is one of those people who tell you everything about themselves (and bores me to tears) plus he seems to think he is so clever getting benefits he is not entitled to and getting paid for working and not paying any tax or NI on it.

I assume you are talking about me?

Again, if you had read my post properly (and it wasn't that long) you will know that it is my neighbour who told his GP that he was unable to work as he could not leave his house and yet manages to work 3 to 5 full days every week. He works cash in hand.

That is all true so yes I have reported him.

Maybe he could work legitimately and claim some sort of benefits but I know for sure you can't work cash in hand, not declare it and therefore not pay any tax or NI and also claim benefits. I also would assume that if your disability is that you can't leave home due to terrible anxiety and panic attacks you would not then be allowed to claim benefits when you are in fact working away from home 3 to 5 days a week.

We get that plus rent money

What percentage of people on Universal Credit are working?
More than 5.8 million people claim UC in England, Scotland and Wales. About 40% of claimants have jobs.

The majority of UC recipients do not work - many for very valid reasons. Even those who do work will often only work part-time
I doubt than the majority are in any way professional type workers such as teachers, nurses etc - unless they have very high rents or caring commitments.

I think and sure people will correct me if I'm wrong

But if on uc they will pay 80/85% of registered childcare costs

So you would look for an after school nanny if want /need. 121 or a cm which are both ofsted registered

I get Scottish Child Payment, Child Benefit and CTCs. Have put a claim in for one of DC who has additional needs for Scottish Child Disability Payment. No idea how long that takes 🤷🏻 hardly living the high life!

@Mitheringmash erm I'm not "judging" anyone. I'm stating the FACTS that I see with my own eyes and hear with my own ears when visiting these families in their homes. Now I'm not saying that their usually absent fathers and grandfathers didn't work but the vast majority of people we work with are in single parent households because they are the most vulnerable and so were their mums and often grandmothers too. Not really sure if you're trying to suggest that I'm a Tory voter pedalling bullshit here but I am certainly NOT! Maybe the Joseph Rowntree figures include where the absent fathers worked but I can name at least a ten families we support where there are at least 2 adult generations who have never worked. In fact, my ex husbands sister has never worked and neither do her 3 adult children so there's an example even closer to home for me. Anyway, this has got a bit sidetracked away from the point of the post hasn't it? I work with the most economically vulnerable people in society so of course I'm going to see hugely skewed figures of the general population but it doesn't make it untrue I'm afraid.

Unable to find work or minimal wage temporary jobs. No one wants to be in that situation.

I'm a single parent, not through choice and work full time. I also receive universal credit. Everyone I know on UC works.