would i be ripping offf the state?

Contains_Mild_Peril

missk_ensington wrote:

I've never been as wealthy as I was on income support! Had no rent to pay, no council tax, and about £200 a week spending money as I was in recipt of DLA!

No council tax? I thought everyone on benefits had to pay at least 20%.

seven-day-weekend

Contains_Mild_Peril wrote:

No council tax? I thought everyone on benefits had to pay at least 20%.

No, don't think so....are you thinking of the Poll Tax?

manhattan

the best option imo,would be to find yourself a part-time job of 16 hours or over(30 would be better-wtc top up bonus) and claim wtc and ftc try the entitledto website for a quick assesment.

your 30k will not be taken into account in this situation,but i think you will not be able to claim housing benefit or council tax benefit.

put the money into a high interest savings account,i would reccomed https://www.ingdirect.co.uk as it is a no catches savings account so if you need the money asap it will be in your bank account within 2 days.

30k would give you about £90 a month interest which you can withdraw each month,which should help your finances,also if you earn under around 5k? a year you can register your savings tax free.

missk_ensington

Scarlett- Why does it give single parents a bad name? I was getting it for 12 months whilst studying for my A levels at the time 5 days a week 9am - 4pm so couldn't physically work as well and I was fully and legitimately entitled to DLA. Think being on income support for a measley 12 months is pretty good for a teenager with a baby. Normally its more like 6 years!

Scarlett1

missk_ensington wrote:

Scarlett- Why does it give single parents a bad name? I was getting it for 12 months whilst studying for my A levels at the time 5 days a week 9am - 4pm so couldn't physically work as well and I was fully and legitimately entitled to DLA. Think being on income support for a measley 12 months is pretty good for a teenager with a baby. Normally its more like 6 years!

now you have explained it, it will show people why you were getting the money that you did get, before it just seems that you were giving the impression that living on benefits was like living in luxury. People on income support dont see it as having pocket money, they see it as money to survive on, its £57 odd so hardly luxury

missk_ensington

£57 for a single person, but for a single parent you get free rent, free C/T and about £93 a week pocket money. I do think its more than enough to live off you're only buying food, gas, elec and water with that money. If you're a single parent and baby food shouldn't be more than £20 a week, gas and elect in a flat £10 a week water £6-7 a week. Lets say its £50 a week and thats being generous, it still confortably leaves over £40 a week disposable income, which is more than single parent who work have!

My friend works 37.5 hours a week for about £11,000 a year, after she's paid her travel,20% of chidcare, C/tax, rent she's calculated that she's £21 a week better off than if she was on income support, technically meaning she's earning about 57p an hour!

Don't know what the solution is, but it certainly isn't fair and its no wonder people go on income support at 29 weeks pregnant and stay on it til their kids about 6-7 years old (then have another kids and start again).

Scarlett1

missk_ensington wrote:

£57 for a single person, but for a single parent you get free rent, free C/T and about £93 a week pocket money. I do think its more than enough to live off you're only buying food, gas, elec and water with that money. If you're a single parent and baby food shouldn't be more than £20 a week, gas and elect in a flat £10 a week water £6-7 a week. Lets say its £50 a week and thats being generous, it still confortably leaves over £40 a week disposable income, which is more than single parent who work have!

My friend works 37.5 hours a week for about £11,000 a year, after she's paid her travel,20% of chidcare, C/tax, rent she's calculated that she's £21 a week better off than if she was on income support, technically meaning she's earning about 57p an hour!

Don't know what the solution is, but it certainly isn't fair and its no wonder people go on income support at 29 weeks pregnant and stay on it til their kids about 6-7 years old (then have another kids and start again).

Its hard for single parents whatever they do, but it is misleading when you say that living on income support leaves you with £40 disposable income.

Not all single parents live in council flats, some privately rent and cause the rent is so high the council dont pay all of it, which leaves a top up to be paid. Also, when you privately rent you have to pay you're own water rates which is based on the value of the property, when in council housing its a few pounds a week.

So apart from gas, electricity, rent top up, water rates, there is food to be bought, tv license, contents insurace, clothing for yourself and a child, school uniform, school shoes etc.

The only reason you were living in luxury was cause you were claiming DLA on top of the income support, normal income support on its own isnt luxury, that with child tax credit and child benefit brings you just over a hundred pounds, literally half of what you had to live on, so its not pocked money its money to survive on.

missk_ensington

I have never lived in a council house and always rented privately before buying my own house, as a pregnant 17 year old I went to a tennage pregnancy antenatal group with a dozen or so other girls in same situation. Ended up becoming good friends with a few of them, but one thing (regadless of whether these girls became frineds or not) that was consistent - they all had enough money to go out every friday and every Thursday after the group we'd walk into town and go to New Look (this was when the babies were born beause we continued the group for several months) and they'd spend £10-40 every week in New Look ready for going out Friday and Saturday night. Oh and at least half of them smoked at least 10 fags a day.

Don't get me wrong they were nice people and some still very good friends, its not them I'm blaming them, but something has to be done to give incentive to work - £21 a week isn't an incentive from what I can see! Even being £30-40 a week better off working doesn't seem much incentive considering most young, single parents wouldn't be able to get jobs paying more than £12,000 a year (I say most, there are exceptions).

I've bought my own house now, its 3 bed and water is only £16 a month, gas/elect £40 Direct Debit for the both. TV £10 so lets see we'll assume rent top up is £15 a week, water £7 (£30 a month, which it probably wouldn't be anyway)£12 a week gas/elec (£50 a month which again, its unlikely to be) Food £20 (milk is free and soon so will fruit and veg) This thus far adds to £64 that leaves £30. You wouldn't need clothes every week, probably every 6-8 weeks you would need to spend £20 on some new stuff, equating to about £2.70 a week.

I was on income support for 3 months before the DLA was awarded and didn't struggle, even managed to run a car and pay car insurance on it (as did a couple of the girls from our group).

It isn't luxurious, you can't go to Barbados and eat at the Ivy, but you can afford regukar takeaways, regular nights out, cigarettes, new clothes. For what? For sitting at home turning oxygen into carbon dioxide!

Scarlett1

missk_ensington wrote:

I have never lived in a council house and always rented privately before buying my own house, as a pregnant 17 year old I went to a tennage pregnancy antenatal group with a dozen or so other girls in same situation. Ended up becoming good friends with a few of them, but one thing (regadless of whether these girls became frineds or not) that was consistent - they all had enough money to go out every friday and every Thursday after the group we'd walk into town and go to New Look (this was when the babies were born beause we continued the group for several months) and they'd spend £10-40 every week in New Look ready for going out Friday and Saturday night. Oh and at least half of them smoked at least 10 fags a day.

Don't get me wrong they were nice people and some still very good friends, its not them I'm blaming them, but something has to be done to give incentive to work - £21 a week isn't an incentive from what I can see! Even being £30-40 a week better off working doesn't seem much incentive considering most young, single parents wouldn't be able to get jobs paying more than £12,000 a year (I say most, there are exceptions).

I've bought my own house now, its 3 bed and water is only £16 a month, gas/elect £40 Direct Debit for the both. TV £10 so lets see we'll assume rent top up is £15 a week, water £7 (£30 a month, which it probably wouldn't be anyway)£12 a week gas/elec (£50 a month which again, its unlikely to be) Food £20 (milk is free and soon so will fruit and veg) This thus far adds to £64 that leaves £30. You wouldn't need clothes every week, probably every 6-8 weeks you would need to spend £20 on some new stuff, equating to about £2.70 a week.

I was on income support for 3 months before the DLA was awarded and didn't struggle, even managed to run a car and pay car insurance on it (as did a couple of the girls from our group).

It isn't luxurious, you can't go to Barbados and eat at the Ivy, but you can afford regukar takeaways, regular nights out, cigarettes, new clothes. For what? For sitting at home turning oxygen into carbon dioxide!

I know where you are coming from though, I have a friend who smokes 20 a day and is out every friday and saturday night, and often, a night in the week too. The reason she can afford this is she gets maintenance from her ex, and doesnt pay her bills, she has rent arrears, gas, electricity and water arrears

I personally couldnt live like that, so all my money goes on living within my means, I was in serious debt once and never want to go back there again, so if it means not going out for months on end or buying myself a new pair of shoes then thats what I do, cause I have bills to pay.

It does seem an age thing, for teenage mums their money is probably pocket money, but for us older ones :whistle: its used for what its meant to be used for.

Agree there doesnt seem to be much incentive to going to work for some, you're friend will probably find that once her child is in full time education she will see more money being saved not paying childcare.

missk_ensington

They should pay 100% childcare for single parents working full time and earning under £14,000 a year. They should also give people who are only earning 10-11,000 a year some Council Tax reduction, at the moment this is deemed aboved the threshold yet its around £200 a week BEFORE tax. Some people on this salary will bring home £650 a month, their rent will be £400 Council Tax at least £100 leaving £150 a month for everything else!

Rant over!