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What I don't get is why the government is subsidising savings for people on universal credit?
Is it even enough left over to save anything???!
Get help with savings if you’re on a low income (Help to Save)
Get help with savings if you're on a low income (Help to Save) - how it works, what you'll get, eligibility, how it affects your benefits and how to apply online.www.gov.uk
No it isn't, it just tops up my husband's income. I'm a Carer and can't work at the moment because of those caring responsibilities.
My husband is self employed and the Mininmum Income Floor is a nightmare ...especially in families like ours where only one adult can realistically work. Ironically we'd be better off if he gave up self employment and took a minimum wage job but he loves what he does.
In months where his income is under £1000 UC still assumes he has earned £1000 ...venue of he's had a really bad month and it's half that. It doesn't happen often thankfully but when it does we end up really struggling......and that's a horrible experience.
Thankfully now life is more normal again his work is picking up. I hope we will get back to previous levels of income and not need UC.
I’m sad to see the £20 extra is being stopped. Prices have gone up and people struggle so much already on it. when you think how much the subsidised expensive fancy meals and alcohol costs the tax payer for rich MPs it makes me sick that we can’t spare an extra £20 a week for people on UC (just to say I’m not on it)
That makes me so angry. Just look at carers on UC, working 24/7 and saving social services hundreds of thousands of pounds in some cases, yet they clearly aren’t making enough effort!
Boris Johnson Says Universal Credit Claimants Should Rely On Their Own 'Efforts' Not Welfare
PM risks backlash as he defends £1,000-year cuts due in Octoberwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk
Conservative MPs call on Boris Johnson to make temporary £20 Universal Credit uplift permanent ahead of October deadline
The temporary increase in Universal Credit was introduced last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and extended in March - but it is due to be scrapped in early October.news.sky.com
Boris doesn't have a clue how the average person has to live and when his own party is telling him to keep it, that should tell him something. If he gets rid of the £20 for people and doesn't extend it to legacy benefits then he will soon find out how unpopular that will make him.
Throughout Covid I found myself not working again (it is a long story), and we had the same situation again where they deemed my husband as earning too much. I genuinely had to fight tooth and nail to get a little bit of cash, It was made harder as you couldn't see anyone face to face due to Covid so it was all rubbish journal entries and me ringing up the jobcentre day and night. I came off it two months ago but told my husband that it was my last ever experience on there.Same for myself and my partner! Absolutely ridiculous
I sent a cheeky message to them on my journal, basically asking even if there was anything at all, I could claim! Just to take pressure off my partner more than anything! He's paying utilities, rent , council tax, Internet! Basically told 'nothing" as he's just over the threshold where we can still claim u.c!
He is able to support me of course, but it makes it more difficult
I think the general thought is if youre living as a cohabiting couple the bills would be spilt right down the middle, therefore you would both be paying into a joint account and have joint savings to use to pay the bills if one of you came out of work.
I dont know for certain. *Dont shoot me.*
I’m on it and I think it’s awful.
Signed up initially after finishing university so they could aid me in finding a job. Laughable effort. I have cerebral palsy which means I struggle to walk, stay on my feet, and carry things (I receive full PIP and told them all of this) - no word of a lie EVERY job they sent me for was inappropriate - I was told to apply for the Amazon warehouse (you know the one where you’re on your feet working for your Entire shift and you’re penalised if you’re too slow?) turned that down they told me to try waitressing (again on my feet and having to carry heavy plates - impossible) they then implied i was trying it on and being purposely difficult because I was turning the jobs down.
Gave up, decided to go back to university to complete my masters, told them this so they could adjust my payments (this was in october 2020). Guess when they paid me my first payment of UC? Go on?
July this year. Yes really. This was after months of arguing back and forth with them as they based my payment off of how much student loan I am entitled to and they refused to believe how much I was getting and again implied I was lying. In July I finally sorted it, and they pay me the princely sum of £30 a week
The thing is, i still live at home with my mother - so I really appreciate the privileged position I’m in, I really appreciate that I don’t rely on UC to get by and I’m just using it as ‘pocket money’ on top of PIP. But the way they run the system is AWFUL, they really see you as just a number, there’s no considering those who really do rely on that money.
Signed up initially after finishing university so they could aid me in finding a job. Laughable effort. I have cerebral palsy which means I struggle to walk, stay on my feet, and carry things (I receive full PIP and told them all of this) - no word of a lie EVERY job they sent me for was inappropriate - I was told to apply for the Amazon warehouse (you know the one where you’re on your feet working for your Entire shift and you’re penalised if you’re too slow?) turned that down they told me to try waitressing (again on my feet and having to carry heavy plates - impossible) they then implied i was trying it on and being purposely difficult because I was turning the jobs down.
Gave up, decided to go back to university to complete my masters, told them this so they could adjust my payments (this was in october 2020). Guess when they paid me my first payment of UC? Go on?
July this year. Yes really. This was after months of arguing back and forth with them as they based my payment off of how much student loan I am entitled to and they refused to believe how much I was getting and again implied I was lying. In July I finally sorted it, and they pay me the princely sum of £30 a week
The thing is, i still live at home with my mother - so I really appreciate the privileged position I’m in, I really appreciate that I don’t rely on UC to get by and I’m just using it as ‘pocket money’ on top of PIP. But the way they run the system is AWFUL, they really see you as just a number, there’s no considering those who really do rely on that money.
Its based on household income, and rightly so.
I bet if you applied for one of those jobs they would then say well clearly you lied on your PIP as you said you have CP but we saw you applying to work full time in a warehouse and you can carry heavy trays loaded with plates!I’m on it and I think it’s awful.
Signed up initially after finishing university so they could aid me in finding a job. Laughable effort. I have cerebral palsy which means I struggle to walk, stay on my feet, and carry things (I receive full PIP and told them all of this) - no word of a lie EVERY job they sent me for was inappropriate - I was told to apply for the Amazon warehouse (you know the one where you’re on your feet working for your Entire shift and you’re penalised if you’re too slow?) turned that down they told me to try waitressing (again on my feet and having to carry heavy plates - impossible) they then implied i was trying it on and being purposely difficult because I was turning the jobs down.
Gave up, decided to go back to university to complete my masters, told them this so they could adjust my payments (this was in october 2020). Guess when they paid me my first payment of UC? Go on?
July this year. Yes really. This was after months of arguing back and forth with them as they based my payment off of how much student loan I am entitled to and they refused to believe how much I was getting and again implied I was lying. In July I finally sorted it, and they pay me the princely sum of £30 a week
The thing is, i still live at home with my mother - so I really appreciate the privileged position I’m in, I really appreciate that I don’t rely on UC to get by and I’m just using it as ‘pocket money’ on top of PIP. But the way they run the system is AWFUL, they really see you as just a number, there’s no considering those who really do rely on that money.
I once sent a cheeky sarcastic message once in my journal saying something along the line, ' I know I'm at the bottom of the pile and not that important...' As we got told our claim was not important and we were at the bottom of a list.
A benefit system shake up has been long overdue it has always been far too cushty to be on the dole long term in the uk. However they've gone from easy hand outs to extreme jumping through hoops over night with one huge change. It's made it far too difficult for those genuinely in need to recieve the help they need. I do think we need a simpler and fairer system for all but more importantly work should pay and benefits should not provide a lifestyle of luxury that's unachievable for those in work. Again its swings and round abouts because I know plenty who live far better than I do who claim uc then theres others who survive because they claim uc. Baffling.
People who work and earn a low income are often entitled to a little something kn u.c depending on their circumstances . Enough people get this 'extra ' , that they think it is a good system and don't oppose it.
The actual claim process seems like such a faff , I pleased I'm still on tax credits
The actual claim process seems like such a faff , I pleased I'm still on tax credits
I find those who are living a good life on benefits tend to have some form of undeclared income.
The woman across the road to me does okay but I happen to know she and the chap next door are growing cannabis and selling it. Yes it's been reported but they are a small cog in a bigger machine. They are not a priority when you consider the bigger players the police are after.
Others have occasional cash in hand work or relatives who will help financially by providing food, gifts etc.
I don't know anyone getting rich from them or making huge savings in accounts. If they are living better than you then it's worth asking why and how. Usually it's not the benefits that are helping them.
Having always worked though I do like the once a month payment. I have rent, council tax etc set up to come out on the day UC goes into my account,
My husband contributes from his self employed earnings ....this can be fun if people haven't paid and he's having to chase the payment.
It's a struggle financially as I can't work due to the needs of my son who is autistic. We do get extra as a result of this but we still struggle.
Generally though we manage, we can't afford holidays and I live in fear of the washing machine etc breaking down but otherwise it's doable....just.
One big help is that my son gets PIP at the enhanced rate for care and mobility. This means we could lease a car under the Motability scheme so I have no tax or insurance to pay as the Mobility component of PIP pays for all that. I just need to put petrol in the car. It's a massive help as my previous car cost me £150 to buy as it was so old and I lived in fear of it breaking down.
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Its not a cushy life depending on benefits; be it fully reliant or a top up. There is no luxury solely from benefits. Benefit fraud, more like. It absolutely is like a benefit trap. Work needs to pay. After kids, I got a part time job and ended up worse off working. That should never happen. Benefits should be a stop gap for anyone who uses them.
I'm self employed at the moment and debating giving it up and getting a paid job instead. Not because I dont love what I do but because a steady income seems a bit more secure are the moment than my self employed up and down life seems to be. Back in the day when I was on my own with the children before I met my partner I was alot better off financially and didnt need to worry about being poorly and missing work because the benefits payment was always in regardless. I just do not know how the government can justify 2 working adults having a combined income of less than a single non working parent. The bills are higher and more mouths to feed aswell as paying for school meals and dentists bills/prescription costs etc on top when you work vs getting it all for free when you stay home unemployed just doesnt make sense.
Exactly!
I’m on it to top up, I am better off not working. But for my sanity I have to. How does that work, it’s an awful system! I see people abuse it everyday!
I claimed it for a few months when I was job-seeking. I also claimed JSA before UC came in years ago when I was in between jobs. Really don’t know how people survive on it full time - think it’s just that, surviving.
I find the staff really patronising and demoralising. I only have access to public transport yet my ‘work coach’ wanted me to travel well outside my area where I live for work. Your self-esteem goes and you feel a failure walking into the jobcentre. The sanctions are ridiculously cruel. Watch I Daniel Blake by Ken Loach, it’s a real eye opener.
I find the staff really patronising and demoralising. I only have access to public transport yet my ‘work coach’ wanted me to travel well outside my area where I live for work. Your self-esteem goes and you feel a failure walking into the jobcentre. The sanctions are ridiculously cruel. Watch I Daniel Blake by Ken Loach, it’s a real eye opener.
I was on it for approximately 1 1/2 years , I found the forms really easy to fill in (maybe because I was a single claimant). I used to have to see my advisor once a month and got petrol money for going. I received £380 a month didn’t get any housing benefits. I think the amount I was claiming went up by £100 + just after I stopped claiming (March 20).
I could only keep uc if I was working full time
those who don’t believe they should support a partner financially that they are living with in the case of redundancy etc do you also think that pensions etc shouldn’t be given? It’s been in the news a lot as cohabiting couples want the same rights as married couples
I could only keep uc if I was working full time
those who don’t believe they should support a partner financially that they are living with in the case of redundancy etc do you also think that pensions etc shouldn’t be given? It’s been in the news a lot as cohabiting couples want the same rights as married couples
Wait, you got a student loan AND UC? That wasn’t allowed in my day.I’m on it and I think it’s awful.
Signed up initially after finishing university so they could aid me in finding a job. Laughable effort. I have cerebral palsy which means I struggle to walk, stay on my feet, and carry things (I receive full PIP and told them all of this) - no word of a lie EVERY job they sent me for was inappropriate - I was told to apply for the Amazon warehouse (you know the one where you’re on your feet working for your Entire shift and you’re penalised if you’re too slow?) turned that down they told me to try waitressing (again on my feet and having to carry heavy plates - impossible) they then implied i was trying it on and being purposely difficult because I was turning the jobs down.
Gave up, decided to go back to university to complete my masters, told them this so they could adjust my payments (this was in october 2020). Guess when they paid me my first payment of UC? Go on?
July this year. Yes really. This was after months of arguing back and forth with them as they based my payment off of how much student loan I am entitled to and they refused to believe how much I was getting and again implied I was lying. In July I finally sorted it, and they pay me the princely sum of £30 a week
The thing is, i still live at home with my mother - so I really appreciate the privileged position I’m in, I really appreciate that I don’t rely on UC to get by and I’m just using it as ‘pocket money’ on top of PIP. But the way they run the system is AWFUL, they really see you as just a number, there’s no considering those who really do rely on that money.