universal credit

Sixer

partysis81 wrote: »

ive been reading all of the posts and have a few questions, please bear with me as i am a mother of twin toddlers so i have baby brain x 200% lol

What benefits will UC replace? i currently receive tax credits, LHA and chb, will it cover all of these?

LHA and tax credits but not CHB. CHB will remain with the local authority and is changing (people will likely get less). I'm vague on CHB details, so you'd have to research it.

partysis81 wrote: »

My twins are 18 months old, so does that mean i automatically get UC until they are 5? i do not work, but my husband works 37 hrs a week on 7.93 ph.

Until your twins are 5, you will have a cash threshold of 35 x £6.08 (or whatever NMW is at the time).

partysis81 wrote: »

are the target figures based on gross or net pay?

Gross (after pension contributions).

partysis81 wrote: »

Also, my husband is offered overtime on an "as and when needed" basis, as he works in manufacturing, they get offered overtime when the company need extra orders out on time etc, so some weeks he may earn more than others, do you think they will allow for this?

It is going to be based on information from a completely new PAYE government IT system which will report in real time, so benefits can be adjusted up and down in real time (ie monthly, weekly, however the claimant is paid).

Whether or not this IT system will a) come in on time and b) actually work, is a matter of opinion. I personally think it will be an unmitigated disaster.

MissMoneypenny

Sixer wrote: »

It is going to be based on information from a completely new PAYE government IT system which will report in real time, so benefits can be adjusted up and down in real time (ie monthly, weekly, however the claimant is paid).

That's like the Australian welfare payments. While their claim is open, their claimants are required to phone every week with the wage they earned that week, even if they know they get $0 in welfare that week.

MissMoneypenny

Deleted_User wrote: »

I think it's a great idea. The minimum wage has backfired, it was brought in to stop people being exploited, but now too many big blue chip companies who profit billions are using NMW as a starting point and expecting the Government to top up low wages, that is wrong. Hopefully people will push for pay increases.

I'll second that. But Blair did nothing about it when he saw companies using the NMW as a starting point though.

Blair also brought in LHA and some landlords' used that to raise their rents and Blair did nothing about that either (apart from buying his own buy to lets and making new laws so that it is easy to kick tenants out).

Low wages and high rents make it very hard for people to get away from being dependant on the welfare state. What the country needs is; a fair days wage for a fair days work; rent caps just as some other EU countries have; make it harder for the workshy.