How do people survive on UC?

poppy12345

kimwp said:

poppy12345 said:

kimwp said:

calcotti said:

kimwp said:

Folks - very interesting, but please keep it to practicalities and benefits available on this thread - I chose this forum board rather than the discussions board for my question because I thought the answers might be useful to someone.

The short answer to your question is, for the most part, they can’t. And, regardless of what you want, if you start a discussion (which this forum isn’t meant to be used for) you don’t get to control how the discussion develops.

Right, but I do get to request that people abide by the rules of the forum which is that this board isn't meant for discussion of the rights and wrongs of the benefit system, hence why I didn't start a discussion about this - but instead started a thread asking about how the numbers involved and benefits available would enable someone to survive. It seemed to be understood by the posters before you and you even point out that this forum isn't for discussions, so I am not sure why you have responded in this way.

You can of course ask this but you can't tell members what they can and can't comment on and how they comment. You simply asked a question that was inevitably going to start a discusion.

Thank you for telling me what I can and cannot say, I do enjoy irony.
I could wax lyrical on how it was not inevitable that my question would lead to a discussion, but I think that it would inevitably.... lead to a discussion.

I did say you can ask people. What i said was you can't tell people what they can or can't comment on or how they comment. This is a public forum..

DCFC79

As to the thread title, I've no idea but it must be hard trying to pay mortgage etc.

calcotti

DCFC79 said:

As to the thread title, I've no idea but it must be hard trying to pay mortgage etc.

Anyone with a mortgage has no chance of surviving on UC. There is no help for paying a mortgage until a claimant has been on UC for nine months without any earned income at which point they become eligible for a government loan, secured against the property, to help them pay mortgage interest. If they then find any work and have some earned income their entitlement to the loan ceases.

DCFC79

calcotti said:

DCFC79 said:

As to the thread title, I've no idea but it must be hard trying to pay mortgage etc.

Anyone with a mortgage has no chance of surviving on UC. There is no help for paying a mortgage until a claimant has been on UC for nine months without any earned income at which point they become eligible for a government loan, secured against the property, to help them pay mortgage interest. If they then find any work and have some earned income their entitlement to the loan ceases.

Thanks, had no idea that was the case.

allison445

Easily some people who work live on less and manage granted not so easy if you have a mortgage.

sparkycat2

If in fuel poverty they might get warm homes discount from their energy supplier £140 credit to their energy bill.
If in water poverty they might get a discount off their water bill from their water supplier.
There is also a BT lower cost phone/internet package for those on welfare benefits.
And there is some charity support like food banks.

But, the simple answer in the real world long term is you cannot survive if you are having to make up a shortfall between support for mortgage interest and mortgage payments, housing benefit and rent, council tax reduction and council tax, or have any extra costs like higher food costs due to a medically restricted diet. As even if you can manage short-term you will probably not be able to cope with any other expenses, household repairs if a home owner, repairing or replacing white goods when they brake, even things like shoes and a winter coat will be difficult, let alone replacing worn out carpets and furniture. 

That's why the government gave UC claimants an extra £20 a week. The government did not want the masses of newly unemployed realizing how truly dire the situation usually is for the unemployed, disabled people, and carers on Universal Credit and still is for legacy benefit claimants (mostly disabled people and carers).

allison445

That's why the government gave UC claimants an extra £20 a week. The government did not want the masses of newly unemployed realizing how truly dire the situation usually is for the unemployed, disabled people, and carers on Universal Credit and still is for legacy benefit claimants (mostly disabled people and carers).

Think you may have forgotten the thousands still living with parents who pay a small amount each month to them and they now have an extra £20 a week as their parents are paying for everything else the system is generous to some and not so generous to others. 

Spoonie_Turtle

allison445 said:

That's why the government gave UC claimants an extra £20 a week. The government did not want the masses of newly unemployed realizing how truly dire the situation usually is for the unemployed, disabled people, and carers on Universal Credit and still is for legacy benefit claimants (mostly disabled people and carers).

Think you may have forgotten the thousands still living with parents who pay a small amount each month to them and they now have an extra £20 a week as their parents are paying for everything else the system is generous to some and not so generous to others. 

Awfully judgemental to think those living with their parents are scroungers living the life of luxury.  Also quite a sweeping judgement to think all the parents can afford to keep their adult children without said adults paying their way!

Also for a lot of people, living with parents is the last thing they wanted to do and this kind of attitude is exactly why there is stigma attached.  I see the problem if adult children don't pull their weight or pay their way, but for many people it is the only viable option - often for the parents as well as the children.

And FWIW my £20 per week mostly goes to my parents.  The little bit that doesn't has still gone towards the increased cost of things thanks to the pandemic.


[Edit:  I was never well enough to work full-time to earn enough to move out, even though I really wanted to.  Now, ironically, I would most likely be able to afford to move out, but I am far too unwell to be able to do so.]

allison445

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Awfully judgemental to think those living with their parents are scroungers living the life of luxury.  Also quite a sweeping judgement to think all the parents can afford to keep their adult children without said adults paying their way!

Not judgemental at all just stating that for some the £20 a week increase will just be extra cash and not like for others be the difference between eating and not
I do have a 30 year old son who is more than happy to live at home go to work and as you put it scrounges off me but there was a time when I was unable to work due to ill health and was on benefits I did not qualify for housing benefit because him and his sister were working so they paid the rent and I scrounged off them.
Everyone's situation is different and its not a one size fits all requirement unfortunately the powers that be don't recognise this and think if they treat everyone  who is on benefits the same the system must be fair.

Spoonie_Turtle

allison445 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Awfully judgemental to think those living with their parents are scroungers living the life of luxury.  Also quite a sweeping judgement to think all the parents can afford to keep their adult children without said adults paying their way!

Not judgemental at all just stating that for some the £20 a week increase will just be extra cash and not like for others be the difference between eating and not
I do have a 30 year old son who is more than happy to live at home go to work and as you put it scrounges off me but there was a time when I was unable to work due to ill health and was on benefits I did not qualify for housing benefit because him and his sister were working so they paid the rent and I scrounged off them.
Everyone's situation is different and its not a one size fits all requirement unfortunately the powers that be don't recognise this and think if they treat everyone  who is on benefits the same the system must be fair.

Fair point.  I'm not convinced the powers that be care about what's fair anyway but yeah, no human-made system will work for everyone.  Honestly I think if they could have got away with it the £20 extra would probably have only gone to new claimants, but happily for us existing claimants (many of us being accidental beneficiaries, which I freely acknowledge) there was no way they could have administered that difference considering they couldn't administer all the new claims very well anyway!