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

[Pink Flowers]

MF sometimes I think they are. When we got hb Martin was on 20k and we could afford bills. We got nearly 500 towards 750 rent. We were much better off.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I mean people one JUST benefits though not the top ups. I dont think they get much?

 

[Pink Flowers]

Oh I read it wrong I think a person with 2 or 3 children can get more than 20K in benefits. I read that on the net before. X

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

we were claiming before OH got his new job and didnt have any disposable income on benefits LOL. x

 

[Lydiarose]

We were claming jsa hb etc when dan was jobless and we had about £30 a week for food nappys etc after bills.

Our rent is £550pcm,so no in mst cases your living on the poverty line.

My mums out of work sinse having breast cancer a few years ago,cant find a job anywhere shes having to sell her house because she just cannot afford the mortgage and lives on £50 a week for her and 2 teenagers.

Not an i pad,flat screen tv in sight.

I do get abit annoyed at benefit bashing because thers only a very small amount of people who do live this "luxury" life style and sit on there arse all day,.

 

[lucy_x]

I do get abit annoyed at benefit bashing because thers only a very small amount of people who do live this "luxury" life style and sit on there arse all day,.

I get annoyed too . It isnt easy, The only way we had a disposable income on benefits was house sharing, that way we got more bedroom allowance and therefore more of the rent paid.

The other thing that annoys the hell out of me is when ignorant people say "its my taxes paying for all that stuff". Well yes it most probably is, but the vast majority of them paying tax get TAX CREDITS which covers some of that money, so its a non starter argument really When OH worked full time, he got all of the tax he had paid, given back to him in tax credits.

One thing that does bother me on another note with this universal credit, is small work at home mums. Im literally sunk, Il loose the business iv paid 5k into because it still starting up, unless i make 24hours minimum wage (£148.00) a week i cant do anything. Sometimes, when business is good i can make that, but some weeks theres no business at all & tax credits covers the weeks when there isnt anything, Guess that system will change though.


Oh well, can only be glad my mum is buying some land for the smallholding and im happy to live in a damned caravan - in the mean time, i figure il take my driving instructor training and a course in childcare cant be bad to further my job opportunities

 

[chell5544]

I really dont think people are better of on the usual benefits in all honesty! The people you see with loads of money must have loans or something as you really dont get "loads" of money. JSA is like 71 a week according to website?? Thats not alot!

i dont know about anyone else but i suppose i see it as better off as people can get more on benifits then those working which means technically you can bring your kids up in nice areas or bigger homes where when me and OH couldn as we were together and working we had to move out of our nice home town.
why would you get a job if it meant you would have to move town to pay your rent

when i was on mertenity with dd1 OH wages covered rent, council tax, car insurance and petrol getting to and from work so my SMP which was 124 at the time had to pay all bills and food it was hard but it felt like we were no better off as those not working luckly OH has now got a better paid job and were not struggerling as much

 

[chell5544]

sorry can i add what would happen to our situation?

dan works 50 hours a week on jus above minimumwage,i stay at home with oscar and louie we get wtc ctc and cb? xx[/QUOT

CB will be safe as far as i no once your youngest is 1 you will have to prove you are looking for a job to carry on recieving CTC and WTC as they will be combined into universal credits

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

^ I bet that wont come into place right away until they sort the childcare issue?!

 

[chell5544]

^ I bet that wont come into place right away until they sort the childcare issue?!

we can only hope cant we

 

[Lydiarose]

thats awful!!!

 

[mumandco]

So if your part of a couple you'd both have to work to be entitled to ct and wt?

 

[special_kala]

I don't understand how this would even work.

There are not enough jobs for everyone.

If they will make mums of over 1s sit in a room all day looking for jobs then they would have to pay childcare which would be more expensive then what they were getting in benefits in the first place!

I think to lower benefit costs they should sort out council houses. People who earn lots of money should be made to move or pay market rent so that lower earning people can get subsidised housing rather then relying on housing benefit

 

[Lydiarose]

I don't understand how this would even work.

There are not enough jobs for everyone.

If they will make mums of over 1s sit in a room all day looking for jobs then they would have to pay childcare which would be more expensive then what they were getting in benefits in the first place!

I think to lower benefit costs they should sort out council houses. People who earn lots of money should be made to move or pay market rent so that lower earning people can get subsidised housing rather then relying on housing benefit

it doesnt make sense to me either,


Is this 100% definite because i havnt seen/read anything official.

 

[Tasha]

I had official stuff about the universal credit but it did not mention a thing about this one year old thing. I think it probably would come in when all the other stuff is done in 2017, if it is going to happen.

 

[freckleonear]

This is copied and pasted from an article I wrote about universal credits back in January of this year. Hopefully it explains some of the points raised on this thread. Obviously it isn't up-to-date, so I can't guarantee that this information is accurate.

The Bill will replace a range of existing means-tested benefits and tax credits, starting from 2013. In order to be eligible to receive the new Universal Tax Credit:
- If you are the responsible carer for a child under the age of one, you are not subject to any work-related requirements.
- If your child is aged between one or two, you will be subject to work-focused interview requirements only.
- If your child is aged three or four, you will be subject to work preparation requirements including work placements.
- Once your child is aged five, you must be available for and search for work.
(See sections 19-22 of the Welfare Reform Bill.)

Claimants who are lone parents with responsibility for a child between the ages of 5 and 12, or for an older child who has exceptional care needs, will be able to restrict their work search and availability to work which:
- fits with the hours their child is in school;
- provides reasonable time to take and collect their child from school;
- takes into account their child’s care needs, including whether child care is available and affordable, in particular during the child’s school holidays.

A couple with a child under 13 will be able to nominate one member of the couple who will be treated in the same way as a lone parent for conditionality purposes (i.e. who will be able to place limitations on their work availability and work search as above). Couples who choose not to nominate and who prefer to share child care and work responsibilities will be able to do so, as long at collectively the couple are looking for work at least equivalent to one person working full-time and one person working as many hours as a lone parent would be expected to. In addition, both members of the couple must continue to have reasonable prospects of finding work within this limitation.
(See Universal Credit Policy Briefing Note 12)

As far as I can tell, the main earner will be expected to work full time (35 hours) at minimum wage or above (currently £6.08 per hour, £212.80 per week). Once the youngest child is 5, the carer/lone parent will also be expected to work 20 hours at minimum wage or above. Once the youngest child is 13, the carer/lone parent will be expected to work 35 hours as well. Claimants should be engaged in work search for at least the number of hours they are expected to be available for work. Self employment will not count unless the claimant is earning equal to the minimum wage for the required number of hours. (I haven’t managed to find official confirmation for some of those figures as the thresholds seem to have been changed several times.)

 

[omfgski]

[Q.

 

[xLaurax]

Does anyone have any idea how it would affect a full time student? I've just started a degree at a main stream university, my husband works 40 hours a week and we receive tax credits and child benefit.... How does it work in terms of myself having to work?