Has anyone heard of the change to UK benefits/tax credits called Universal Credit?

[Tasha]

Next year in juneish i will have a new baby. My parter is full time and im contracted 24 hours which ill go back to after maternity .. so will the current tax credit system not be there like EVERYONE applies for universal credit? even though the only thing im entitledtoo/applying for is tax credits??

It does not come in until October 2013, so June ish you would apply for tax credits. You will eventually be transfered over to the universal credit though x

 

[Tasha]

I am trying to find wherre DH put the letter x

 

[// arcadia]

Next year in juneish i will have a new baby. My parter is full time and im contracted 24 hours which ill go back to after maternity .. so will the current tax credit system not be there like EVERYONE applies for universal credit? even though the only thing im entitledtoo/applying for is tax credits??

It does not come in until October 2013, so June ish you would apply for tax credits. You will eventually be transfered over to the universal credit though x

Ooooo ok, thanks

Does anyone know if they have played around with the cutoff points for next year, i cant seem to find anything online, i think at the mo its £32,000 for 2 children x

 

[highhopes19]

So will it be the same amount do you reckon that I already get for wtc and ctc just changed the name to universal credit.

Me and my partner both work me part time (signed off with PND at the moment though) and my partner full time so not sure how it will affect us x

 

[omfgski]

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[Eternal]

I read that if it's minimum wage, partner 1 has to work 35 hours and partner 2 has to work 20. If partner 1 earns above minimum wage to the amount that partner 2 would have earned doing their 20 hours, partner 2 doesn't have to work. If partner 2 chooses not work when partner 1 earns minimum wage, this would count as refusing to fulfil their part of the bargain (for lack of a better word) and the family would not be eligible for financial help.

So basically it seems we all must work but there are not enough jobs so we could all end up at a workfare programme from 9-5 every day?

But I can't find where in the official information that it explains this as I can't get my head around it all so I'm going off news articles, blog posts, forums etc. The fact I cant find a simple explanation is making me worry even more that this part of it could be true

Eta: thank you for looking Tasha

That does seem like a lot of hours to find, although I do believe one partner should work full time. I guess they must be helping with childcare costs, I hope that make that's universal as we get no benefits and I can't afford to work and I really can't afford not too either.

 

[kintenda]

I've just seen this and am a bit worried... does anyone know how this would work for students? Our baby is due in April, I'm taking a year out from my child nursing course then going back for the last four months of placement and then I'll qualify. A bit concerned! Will we not receive any child benefit/whatever this new credit is then until I start work again? Four months of no child benefit is a bit poo, especially when it's a course leading to a professional qualification!

 

[omfgski]

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[omfgski]

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[tina_h75]

I read that if it's minimum wage, partner 1 has to work 35 hours and partner 2 has to work 20. If partner 1 earns above minimum wage to the amount that partner 2 would have earned doing their 20 hours, partner 2 doesn't have to work. If partner 2 chooses not work when partner 1 earns minimum wage, this would count as refusing to fulfil their part of the bargain (for lack of a better word) and the family would not be eligible for financial help.

So basically it seems we all must work but there are not enough jobs so we could all end up at a workfare programme from 9-5 every day?

But I can't find where in the official information that it explains this as I can't get my head around it all so I'm going off news articles, blog posts, forums etc. The fact I cant find a simple explanation is making me worry even more that this part of it could be true

Eta: thank you for looking Tasha

That does seem like a lot of hours to find, although I do believe one partner should work full time. I guess they must be helping with childcare costs, I hope that make that's universal as we get no benefits and I can't afford to work and I really can't afford not too either.

I agree that someone in the household should be working, the part that worries me is having to put LO in a nursery to go on a 9-5 workfare type thing I really hope the places I read that have misunderstood and that that part isn't true. I did read that childcare could be up to 70% paid for but it wasn't clear if that was just for two working parents or if it included situations with one working while the other is at a workfare thing. I couldn't find it clearly explained whether it was just for low income families or for everybody either. I wish it was written clearly so that I could understand it lol.

If they expect me to sit in a room all day looking for jobs then they can pay 100% nursery fees or the kids come with me!

 

[Eternal]

It makes most sense to cut employers costs, and increase minimum wages, make it a living wage and the the need for top ups will be reduced and stop adding benefits after 2 kids. So that help is there for families but the state isn't paying for people to keep having kids.

I wrinkles will be ironed out in time, it sounds like you excising claimants won't need to worry until 2017!

 

[LPF]

I guess no one is going to make you get a job or sit in a room looking for work - they just aren't going to give you any money to choose to stay at home.

Personally, I believe if you can't afford to live, you should work. If you can afford to stay at home, great, but the state shouldn't support you. If you can't afford childcare, you kind of have to stop having children - just my opinion and my situation exactly. I think this is what the government are trying to achieve too - they have to make it pay to work not stay at home.

I think by getting rid of the huge benefit debt will free up a lot of money in the economy to create much needed employment.

 

[tina_h75]

I guess no one is going to make you get a job or sit in a room looking for work - they just aren't going to give you any money to choose to stay at home.

Personally, I believe if you can't afford to live, you should work. If you can afford to stay at home, great, but the state shouldn't support you. If you can't afford childcare, you kind of have to stop having children - just my opinion and my situation exactly. I think this is what the government are trying to achieve too - they have to make it pay to work not stay at home.

I think by getting rid of the huge benefit debt will free up a lot of money in the economy to create much needed employment.

The thing is, I can't afford to work. I won't be able to manage my rent, bills, food, clothes for the kids and nursery fees on a basic salary which is why I intended to use this time, before the kids started school to retrain, get a qualification to enable me to hopefully get a better job with a higher salary. My concern is that I won't be able to do this now and will instead be expected to find the first job that comes up, possibly on a minimum wage and end up being worse off.

If the Government want to make it pay to work and not stay at home, then they need to look at energy costs, council taxes and rent fees as these are extortionate and make it impossible to survive on minimum wage.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I couldn't afford to work due to my son being disabled, lucky I am exempt from it at the moment due to getting carers but still. His childcare costs would be rocket high!

What happens when Labour gets voted back in???

 

[Eternal]

I couldn't afford to work due to my son being disabled, lucky I am exempt from it at the moment due to getting carers but still. His childcare costs would be rocket high!

What happens when Labour gets voted back in???

I didn't know your child was disabled Hun reading that either way you're fine, it doesn't affect carers.

 

[kintenda]

I've just seen this and am a bit worried... does anyone know how this would work for students? Our baby is due in April, I'm taking a year out from my child nursing course then going back for the last four months of placement and then I'll qualify. A bit concerned! Will we not receive any child benefit/whatever this new credit is then until I start work again? Four months of no child benefit is a bit poo, especially when it's a course leading to a professional qualification!

I think child benefit is being kept separate from the universal credit but child tax credits is being absorbed into the universal credit. So you'll still get your child benefit while a student at least I think! It's so confusing.

Phew, thank you! X

 

[baby D]

What happens when Labour gets voted back in???

Hmmm. I am not convinced Labour will get voted back in

What does everyone else think?

 

[Harveysmum369]

This is the way things go.....Labour get voted in,they balls everything up,give out money we don't have...conservatives get voted in,they have to sort out all the mess Labour got us into,so are seen as the devil for making all these cuts,then people think ahhh nice Labour....

 

[Eternal]

What happens when Labour gets voted back in???

Hmmm. I am not convinced Labour will get voted back in

What does everyone else think?

I don't think much of any of them, although I imagine if this wasnt a joint Tory/lib dem gov it would be better. The are both on opposite ends of the spectrum so it was never going to be a good idea.

I think whoever gets in in the states will have an effect too.

But no idea.

 

[Harveysmum369]

Lets not forget it was Labour that brought in the welfare state way back when....