That’s assuming you earn enough money to save any. We both work (don’t claim UC) and we don’t live extravagantly but there’s no extra to save. If one of us lost our job we’d be screwed.
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Joint savings
Hubby has just been offered work which will hopefully take us OFF of UC all being well. He's self employed so if all goes well we will be better off.
We got £1100 in UC last Friday, after tomorrow there will be £75 left.
That's rent, council tax, gas, electric, water, internet , phone and basic TV package. I've also filled my car up with petrol and bought last minute bits for my son who goes back to college tomorrow. Also did a weeks worth of shopping.
While £75 left over doesn't sound much it's pretty good given we've paid the roof over our heads etc plus hubby is owed around £400 for a few days work he did in the last couple of weeks .
Biggest expenses this month will be petrol and probably shopping
We do get extra UC as my son is disabled and gets PIP so we are better off than many.
We got £1100 in UC last Friday, after tomorrow there will be £75 left.
That's rent, council tax, gas, electric, water, internet , phone and basic TV package. I've also filled my car up with petrol and bought last minute bits for my son who goes back to college tomorrow. Also did a weeks worth of shopping.
While £75 left over doesn't sound much it's pretty good given we've paid the roof over our heads etc plus hubby is owed around £400 for a few days work he did in the last couple of weeks .
Biggest expenses this month will be petrol and probably shopping
We do get extra UC as my son is disabled and gets PIP so we are better off than many.
You know what, you get the fools on Facebook and because they've watched a few benefits programmes on channel 5 which rile them up (they know what they're doing) but no one I know on UC is living the Life of Riley.
In fact the opposite, struggling. Whereas they always comment that the people on it have big TVs, the latest phones, designer clothes etc. A lot have to use food banks. That monthly payment is hard for a lot. In the first week or so after bills and everything it's gone. I think a lot prefer the old scheme.
In fact the opposite, struggling. Whereas they always comment that the people on it have big TVs, the latest phones, designer clothes etc. A lot have to use food banks. That monthly payment is hard for a lot. In the first week or so after bills and everything it's gone. I think a lot prefer the old scheme.
They have done this to my disabled brother too he has autism and spina bifida and is in a wheelchair unable to walk they keep sending him job requests that he's not able to doI’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.
They did this to me when I was on job seekers. Someone had deleted the information about my disabilities.
My mum gets UC right now due to an injury that's stopping her from work. We're honestly lucky we live in a council house so it's a lot cheaper than privately renting, but even then we're struggling with money here and there and have had to watch what we spend a bit more. I know she's had to borrow money from family also
I'm sure there are a couple of people here and there who do decently well on UC, but the majority of people certainly aren't
I'm sure there are a couple of people here and there who do decently well on UC, but the majority of people certainly aren't
The client group I work with are mostly on UC. There was a period I was putting in a lot of claims for them - it was that time when they'd leave them a month without payment whilst it was 'processing'. So almost everyone got the advance payments which leaves them in debt even before they've got their first full UC payment. UC don't seem to do much to explain what it will mean either and merely put it as 'taking a little bit off each month' which sounds fine but is no good when the monthly payment is tit anyway. When you're trying to explain the temptation of the advance payment is too much and they just take the full amount offered. Which I imagine is common amongst most who claim it as otherwise they'd be left with nothing.
The only merciful thing they've done in the last few months is make the number free. As a simple call can take hours. Then even with the login there different passwords, PSN numbers and codes sent to phones which all adds to the jumping through hoops.
The only merciful thing they've done in the last few months is make the number free. As a simple call can take hours. Then even with the login there different passwords, PSN numbers and codes sent to phones which all adds to the jumping through hoops.
I applied for UC not long ago. Went to the interview with all my documents etc and was told my first payment would be 10th September. Just got my first statement and we're entitled to zero 
When i started on uc in nov last year after living in a woman's refuge after fleeing DV and moving council's and county's but same area moved from ESA they messed my payments up completely for a few months and could only pay less than half my rent was only managing to pay like £150/£200 my rent is £352 and I ended up in rent arrears like £500 finally managed to catch up and pay the arrears off each month by £50/£60 some months I've been paying £400+ on rent because of their mistake started a new job recently so hoping I don't have to rely on uc for much longer
I applied for UC back in January, got my payment after 5 weeks, I was so used to having 2 incomes in the home but split with my ex just before Christmas last year, jointly we bought in 2k a month, I now bring in just over £800 a month with my job (that’s a long story) a huge drop, some months I’m really struggling, I didn’t know about losing the £80 a month until a few weeks ago, plus my older son has finished full time education so I’ve lost just over £14 a week too, every month I’m on edge in case I’m not paid, plus they are taking over £100 a month off me for overpaid tax credits (my ex sorted that out, calculations all off) I’ve tried to get free school meals to help me out but earn too much as well!
still getting constant jobs I've had 4 today, 3 were one after another before 11am, I work full time, I panic when I see the message incase its important but turns out its jobs so annoying
I know someone who was made redundant from her part time job at the end of July. She applied for UC. Waited 5 weeks and she was paid £5.41 two days ago, because her partner's earnings for that month which was less than £750 reduced her payment. (No kids or housing claimed for and she's a carer).
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the £86 or however much it is deduction is going to be so crazy in october. it will be all over the papers really awful, especially to be stopping it in the colder months. people will struggle!
It was only ever temporary and that was made clear from the off. It's already had one extension and the end of that was clearly told in plenty of time. People have been calling it a cut when it's just a return to how things were. I have more sympathy for those on benefits like JSA who have missed out on around 1500 quid from it not being extended to them.
It's still a cut when you have become accustomed to it
The cost of living has increased in recent months. Food and energy bills are 2 things that I have noticed an increase in myself, fuel for the car too. Whether it’s a ‘cut’ or not is just semantics. The government hasn’t taken these increases in living expenses into consideration. A lot of people are going to struggle without that ‘extra’ £20 a week over the winter months through no fault of their own.
You can also have sympathy for both groups. The government treats both uc claimants and jobseekers appallingly in my opinion.
But yet the cost of living continues to rise? My gas bill is going up by 21% from next month. My eyes nearly popped out when I got the letter. I get a letter every few months telling me the rates are increasing (where I am they are included in the weekly rent amount). With the £80 cut and the NI increase they are blatantly making the working class poorer.
I’ve had 2 emails in the past 6 months from my energy supplier announcing an increase in prices. It’s getting hard to keep up.
I can see why people are arguing the payment should stay though IMO, like I said above, I'm getting paid £160 which after the removal of the payment will go down to £120 and if you take that weekly or for someone living payment to payment it's not much at all. I get that it's going back to the pre-COVID payments, I get that they can't magic money out of nowhere but it really is going to be a kick in the teeth for those who have come to rely on the extra cash especially in winter and with Christmas coming up too