Cost of living help?

F70

A little background, me and the wife mid 40s children grown up homeowner do not claim any benefits. We both work just above minimum wage full-time. Apart from the £150 rebate and £400 coming in the winter is there any more help available or is it just for people on benefits?There doesn't seem to be much difference between what people on benefits get and someone on minimum wage is it a case of falling down the crack?
I've spoken to others at work and they seem to be in the same position but I find it hard to believe there's no help for us so I thought I would ask.
I've checked with benefits calculator and we're not entitled to anything in the way of benefits.

Spoonie_Turtle

There doesn't appear to be any other help for you.  If you're struggling to afford necessities you could try your local council for the Household Support Fund, and/or your energy supplier (though help from them is more likely to be advice and help to reduce costs, rather than financial help, unless you are already deep in energy debt).

F70 said:

A little background, me and the wife mid 40s children grown up homeowner do not claim any benefits. We both work just above minimum wage full-time.
…
There doesn't seem to be much difference between what people on benefits get and someone on minimum wage is it a case of falling down the crack?

Just to help put it in perspective, someone in your circumstances if they were out of work would be entitled to a maximum of £525.72 per month on Universal Credit. 

55% of earnings are deducted so you and your wife could earn up to ~£955.80 per month between you to still remain eligible for literally only pennies of a UC award.  To have been eligible for a Cost of Living payment that's the highest your income would have to be.

poppy12345

F70 said:

There doesn't seem to be much difference between what people on benefits get and someone on minimum wage i

If that's what you think please try living off benefits alone, it's not easy

F70

So I take it there is no help?

tomtom256

You could always make a claim to UC and/or run your circumstances through a benefit calculator to see if you would qualify for any benefits.

Or do as Spoonie has recommended and apply for the Housing Support Fund.

poppy12345

F70 said:

So I take it there is no help?

Based on your circumstances now, then no you don't qualify for the first payment of £326.

poppy12345

tifo said:

For many, benefits pay very well  ......

If a person is claiming a disability benefit then yes they can do. For basic benefits such as JSA or UC standard element then no they do not.

peteuk

With the cost of living continuing to increase and likely to do so for the foreseeable future, the OP does make a point that those on and minimal/average wage are also feeling the pinch.

Sadly unlike those on benefit there’s no payment mechanism or obvious identifying structure to make a payment.  

Child Benefit? Would exclude anyone with no children
Council Tax - band not always reliable to reflect household income
Fuel bills - wouldn’t distinguish between average and well paid.

So whilst there is a perception that benefits pays well (as previously disgust so please don’t shoot me) it is understandable that the COL payments are questioned.  Given that there are threads about holiday abroad whilst on benefit, do we get two payments as both me and daughter/son are on UC.  

So I understand why the question is asked, but at present other than the £150 CT rebate and the £400 electricity bill help, there is no other help, from the government, available for those on a minimal/average wage, at present.

NedS

As has been amply demonstrated above, the simple fact is there are no easy answers. This is an incredibly complex area and the Government has had to roll out solutions extremely quickly (normally a Government would spend months/years planning major policy changes). We have to trust that the people working on this are a lot brighter than you or I and have access to a lot more information on which to base their decisions than we do. The Government managed to make nearly 8 million payments in a matter of days to the most vulnerable families in the country. As acknowledged, there are always going to be vulnerable families who fall through the net. The government have made additional funds available to local authorities to help support these as a further safety net, and that should be the next port of call for those why were not eligible under the current scheme.

In April, benefits and state pension payments are likely to rise significantly (around 10%) in line with Sept 2022 CPI inflation reading which will again help close the gap for the most vulnerable, whilst those in employment receiving far lower increases may benefit from further proposed tax cuts.

Ultimately this all has to be paid for out of taxation, and at the expense of other services (NHS, social care, dentistry, education, defence etc) which are already massively underfunded. The Government can only spend our tax pounds once and I don't see many people proposing we pay more in tax?

sheramber

People on minimum wage have holidays abroad as well.

It depends on where your priorities are . 

They may not run a car.

They may not go out anywhere during the year. Don't smoke or drink.

They may rent and get help with their rent , instead of paying a mortgage.

They may not have money to pay their fuel bill come the winter but are not concerned about that at present.

A friend of my sister came back from a holiday in America on a Saturday  to zero bank balance and  no money for food for
Sunday, so invited themselves out to someone's house for a meal.

They had access to money on Monday.

Spoonie_Turtle

NedS said:

In April, benefits and state pension payments are likely to rise significantly (around 10%) in line with Sept 2022 CPI inflation reading which will again help close the gap for the most vulnerable, whilst those in employment receiving far lower increases may benefit from further proposed tax cuts.

If this is the case, it may make a lot more people on the borderline become eligible for UC (their wages are hardly likely to rise that much!).