Couples threshold with 1 looking after an under 3

freesha

seatbeltnoob said:

they are bloody difficult. I'm self employed and earn around £2000 a month. My wife is stay at home mum, and she has to attend some BS "preparation for work" jobs. She had to leave and go to a job centre on  commuter path at 9:15 in the morning.

Her task is to research childcare places in the area to show that she's looking at her options.

This must be because you are claiming UC or the like, yes? In which case, it is perfectly acceptable for them to expect her to do what they are asking. If you don't need state support for her to be a SAHM, she wouldn't be asked to do anything.

OhWow

calcotti said:

kaMelo said:...because pensioner benefits at £137 billion, account for 47.6% of the entire welfare budget. 

https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/welfare-spending-pensioner-benefits/

Interesting that State Pension alone is now 42% of the welfare budget.

Are there any figures to show how that SP is split?

e.g.

those who paid the most expensive Type 1 NI Contributions

those who paid the  cheaper Type 2 NI Contributions

those the EU free movement rules say the UK must pay their SP

those who were given NI Credits throught the welfare benefits they claimed as they didn't work

those who piggy backed a state pension via a partner as they didn't work/or didn't work many years

etc

OhWow

kaMelo said:

not least because pensioner benefits at £137 billion, account for 47.6% of the entire welfare budget.

Are there any figures for how much Pension Credit is costing the welfare state?

I was shocked in 2010, to see the billions per year the benefit Tax Credit was costing the welfare state.