Universal credit - how it will work

NPowerUser

Will everyone be under pressure to increase their hours to 35 or risk losing Universal Credit or sanctions?
http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/how-universal-credit-will-destroy-part-time-work/

Sixer

NPowerUser wrote: »

Will everyone be under pressure to increase their hours to 35 or risk losing Universal Credit or sanctions?
http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/how-universal-credit-will-destroy-part-time-work/

Yes, but not if they have children - reduced hours/earnings expectations depending on couple/single parent and age of children.

There are upsides to this - I hardly need to go into them on here as they're upsides that fit with the prevailing view on this forum, which is that most people on tax credits working short hours are doing so because benefits make up their money and can't be ar5sed to do any more, rather than availability of work, childcare, costs of working, salaries available, etc etc etc. I'm sure there are people who can't be ar5ed to work full-time due to tax credits, but I've yet to see evidence they're the majority of low income claimants. I'm sure some/many people will be along to elucidate.

However, what worries me is the implementation. Briefing notes go on and on about how conditionality will be personalised so nobody will be asked to do anything unreasonable - eg give up a 25 hour per week permanent job with training in favour of a 30 hour per week job on a term contract with no training.

This is all well and good, but quite how they are going to personalise conditionality for hundreds of thousands of low income claimants whilst using an online-only, software-based progam, I can't imagine. We've all seen the problems with the WCA and disability. It'll be "computer say no" all over the place.

MissMoneypenny

kerrypn wrote: »

My only concern with the overhaul is whether hard working low income families will be worse off under the new system.

That's an oxymoron.

Hard working families will not be affected much by UC as the parents' will already be working lots of hours. Low income parents will be made to work more hours to contribute towards their families, so may think they are worse off under the new system.

kerrypn

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

That's an oxymoron.

Hard working families will not be affected much by UC as the parents' will already be working lots of hours. Low income parents will be made to work more hours to contribute towards their families, so may think they are worse off under the new system.

How so an oxymoron? Full time hours in a NMW job is low income.

These are the people I worry will be chastised by changes. Or would you have parents work 70+hours a week each, not be there to raise the children and the knock on effects that has?

It needs to be faced up to that there are genuine cases out there of people who do work hard to put food on the table but simply are not paid enough, and its these that do deserve the top ups because until policies are brought out to address that the NMW is not sufficient to maintain any kind of living-and I am talking bare essentials here-then these people need financial help.

Companies who are making billions in profit are getting away with paying the bare minimum and this should be priority number one IMO.

Cate1976

gravity tolls: I know that even in Norfolk, we'll need some help but am hoping that if everything works out, that we'll be off the means tested benefits mainly the IS and CA before the girls are at full time school. I know it's likely that we'll be both entitled to and need tax credits. I don't count tax credits as being benefits although I know some people do. One of the reasons we're moving is better employment prospects, Northern Ireland has been hit harder by the recession than rest of UK. I'm also aware that depending on how well the economy recovers from the recession that I'm maybe being too optimistic in wanting to be off the means tested benefits within the next 2 years but it's what we want. We never intended bringing our girls up on benefits, my husband had to leave the job he had when I was pregnant due to work related stress caused by a colleague bullying him and nothing was done.

Under the UC rules does anyone know or have an idea of what would happen to a family in situation of one being able to and looking for full time work, other partner disabled and only able to work part time max 20 hours week and they have 2 children?

Also with the changes to tax credits mainly the number of hours you have to work to get WTC, what would happen if I get a part time job 20 hours week? My husband is disabled currently waiting for DLA to be renewed. From what I've read about changes to tax credits, we wouldn't be able to afford to pay for the essentials if one of us gets a job but it's less than 24 hours?

BigAunty

I can't advise you about the changes under UC - find the proposal paper on the DWP site.

For working tax credits now, here's the position on a parent with a disability. AFAIK, The 24 per week rule for WTC is for parents without children where the adults do not have a disability.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/start/who-qualifies/workingtaxcredit/disability.htm

krisskross

Jumbo_Cod wrote: »

I think this forum might actually be better off if people who actually grew up in deprived communities contributed rather than all these so called experts who claim they "work in deprived communities."

!!!!!! does that actually mean? LOL...."I work in a deprived community therefore I can judge what is best for those I happen to be near from my office."

It seems a bit naughty for someone just arrived in this country, and already taking advantage of our generous benefit system to be criticising. Just thank your lucky stars eh?

MikeR71

So is child benefit included i this? for someone who only gets CB, this makes little sense. Will it be reduced?

BigAunty

NPowerUser wrote: »

Will everyone be under pressure to increase their hours to 35 or risk losing Universal Credit or sanctions?
http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/how-universal-credit-will-destroy-part-time-work/

I'm not sure if there will be a loss of UC or sanctions, as such, but there will be higher conditionality and the ditching of those arbitrary 16/24/30 hour WTC thresholds.

I'm in favour of the UK reversing its part-time employment mentality, particularly as it stands where more than 200,000 households of 2 parents with children work a 3 day week between them because it's not cost effective to work any longer on a low income without affecting the benefits they receive.

I also like the message sent out in the UC paper that the self employed should aim to earn at least the NMW from their business. Hopefully this will clamp down on low or no profit microbusinesses like ebay and car boot selling which have been primarily set up so the claimant doesn't have to sign on and actively seek work on JSA.

MissMoneypenny

kerrypn wrote: »

How so an oxymoron? Full time hours in a NMW job is low income.

What do you think full time hours per week are?

People who worked hard at school, are not on mimimum wage.

Ironic really that that those who worked hard at school despite those who mucked about in class making it hard for them to learn; are now having to support those peoples families.

kerrypn wrote: »

Or would you have parents work 70+hours a week each, not be there to raise the children and the knock on effects that has?

140 hours between both parents on mimimum wage would be just over 45k. If they were prepared to work that hard, then they wouldn't be on mimimum wage for long.

How about striking a happy medium and both working enough hours to provide a reasonable standard of living and limiting the number of children to the amount they can afford to keep themselves?

The knock on effect on children from seeing their able bodied parents claiming long term welfare, is worrying too. Children learn by example. UC will go someway towards making these types of parents, change.