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

[mummylove]

I get DLA. My OH works his self employed so we have to pay rent and council tax. We get a little help but not much

 

[Abz1982]

So, if you are sitting apply for jobs all day are they giving it at national minimum wage - so £6.19 an hour? For those 8 hours a day?

I'm trying to work out how we can afford everything next year. Even though we both mor - oh 40 hours for 22.8k and I do 24hrs for 12.7k................but after bills and nursery we have £400 a month left. Child care for each child is £500 a month, so 1k.........I make £739 a month............DD is 3 so does get her 12hours funded, but we have to pay for it then get refunded 3 times a year.
We dont live extravegantly....we never go on holiday and my car is falling apart. We do have debts that have to be paid off though.........and cant avoid.

 

[honey08]

well were just f**ked then

 

[mummylove]

Im not even gonna get into this all im gonna say is but its ok for the government to be throwing money away to other countries that we dont have!! And letting people that come into this country laim benefits and nothing is said

 

[Harveysmum369]

One thing,in my opinion,that needs to stop is child benefit being paid to children that aren't even in this country..xx

 

[Kate&Lucas]

There is a lot of money being wasted in this country - not just on benefits.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

^ agreed. Everyone seems to think all the debt is due to benefits...Its really not.

 

[mummylove]

What made me laugh was where i used to live the council build a 1million car park (for themselves then council was complaining there wasnt enough money for them to fix problems in the council houses lol

 

[LPF]

I cant find the letter but essentially it said that from next year single people will be able to have up to £350 a week in benefits (the universal credit) and couples/families £500 a week (so they are doing the whole not helping the more children you have thing). It said it included housing benefit (council tax benefit is being scrapped), child benefit, child tax credits and a few other benefits but not dla or carers allowance.

It also said that the cap doesnt affect those on DLA etc and also those families who qualify for working tax credits. I think the idea is that then you will be better off on a minimum wage job than on benefits, which is just how it should be IMO.

£2000 per month for a family to live is a lot of money isn't it?!?! Some people wouldn't earn that surely.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

£500 is the cap. I've yet to actually meet anyone who receives this amount in benefits - it seems very high!

 

[Tasha]

£2000 per month for a family to live is a lot of money isn't it?!?! Some people wouldn't earn that surely.

Well they dont instantly lose all help by going to work. A minimum wage job would mean the cap doesnt get inforced as they would be getting working tax credits (because they would be below the threshold). So for instance someone on minimum wage would tae home (roughly) £225 in wages, they would then still get quite a bit of help on their housing costs (this obviously depends on how much they pay), working tax credits and child tax benefit, plus child benefit.

It does sound a lot but take into account rent costs.

£500 is the cap. I've yet to actually meet anyone who receives this amount in benefits - it seems very high!

We did for a little while after Riley Rae died, when Matt was out of work because of missing time off work (sympathetic employers ). Our rent alone was £340 a week (we are in London and didnt have the choice of moving as we were in a contract, it isnt even an amazing place but a third floor flat on a council estate, it is the cheapest three bed round here), then £25 a week council tax benefit, £100 a week JSA, £160 a week in child tax benefits, roughly £47 a wee in child benefit. He is working now

It all adds up, but the main thing here is the housing benefit. The government really needs to get a grip on the rent amounts issue.

 

[Boony]

My husband gets paid £2000 a month before tax after tax its more like £1500 but we manage perfectly fine and have quite a few luxuries so to see that people on benefits can get more than us is shocking tbh!

I dont think the universal credit will affect us too much though as hubby earns enough for both of us anyway. However i do feel sorry for the working families that are going to be affected by this.

At least they've given people notice though as it looks like this wont be in until this time next year at the earliest for most people.

 

[Tasha]

My husband gets paid £2000 a month before tax after tax its more like £1500 but we manage perfectly fine and have quite a few luxuries so to see that people on benefits can get more than us is shocking tbh!

I dont think the universal credit will affect us too much though as hubby earns enough for both of us anyway. However i do feel sorry for the working families that are going to be affected by this.

At least they've given people notice though as it looks like this wont be in until this time next year at the earliest for most people.

In general they dont, but I think it is mainly London that they do.

I know £500 a week sounds loads and it is, but if it were in last year then we couldnt of moved cos of our contract on our flat. So £365 of that would of been gone straight away every week on rent and council tax, so £135 for all electric, water, gas, food and all other bills isnt that much for a family of five. DOnt get me wrong we would of managed cos we would of had to, and of course we would of been grateful to have any help at all

 

[Tasha]

That said I do think the amounts are too high atm and this should help to get people out to work cos they will be better off. I just wonder if they realise how much genuine people will struggle, if there rent is say £400 a week (cos they were earning that and more) and are now using JSA in the right way as a short term solution.

 

[Eternal]

Well we dont get benefits because husband earns too much and we get no where near 2k a month! It does seem awful that they tell us that we earn too much and happily take tax from us and give it to others so they can have more a month to live on than us.

 

[chell5544]

I have to agree working should pay more then benefits we had move out of my home town where I would have loved to have raised my kids into a quite rough town because we weren't entitled to housing benefits and couldn't afford the rent plus bills etc.

However the thing I hate about this government is instead of cutting foreign aid and everything else that they waste our money on they cut public sector jobs witch means more people forced onto benefits which brings up the welfare bill because the private sector can't keep up and they still refuse to shut our boarders

Surly stop more people coming untill the jobs are their for people already in the country

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I dont think foreign aid is a bad thing really. I do think the economy will always have problems as the population is growing so fast and there are already existing problems. x

 

[Boony]

I also so don't what the big deal is about it going monthly instead of weekly? Most working people get paid monthly and have to budget it to make it last the month so i cant see why people on benefits cant budget?

£500 a week is still a lot of money to live on. If i can do it with a family of 5 getting less than that then i'm sure people on benefits can!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I think its because when you are on low money that paying £5 a week is easier to manage than £20 a month etc x

 

[tina_h75]

I also so don't what the big deal is about it going monthly instead of weekly? Most working people get paid monthly and have to budget it to make it last the month so i cant see why people on benefits cant budget?

£500 a week is still a lot of money to live on. If i can do it with a family of 5 getting less than that then i'm sure people on benefits can!

From what I can tell, £500 is the maximum amount of benefit awarded and is not typical for the majority of claimants. Also, speaking from my own experience I have budgeted my bills based on weekly payments. I have staggered DDs and pay my utility bills weekly. Its not a huge deal to switch over to monthly payments just more of an inconvenience.