Money Moral Dilemma: Should my daughter claim Universal Credit?

jagu

If the focus of her life is on making her own way and not on claiming "entitlements", I am sure that will be good for her in the long run.

Mstake

To sign up for UC she will have to commit to looking for work for 35 hours a week and actively showing her work coach her applications. Savings are on a rolling rate so if she has under £6,000 it won't affect her entitlement. Her payments will be reduced by £4.35 for every £250 she has between £6,000 and £16,000. 

Another £4.35 is taken off for any remaining amount that is not a complete £250.

Hope this helps her make a decision on whether or not to claim.

swdabs

It isn't simply about money - UC also covers her NI payments. It may seem too early to think about but full pension requires complete NI payments.

justwhat

swdabs said:

It isn't simply about money - UC also covers her NI payments. It may seem too early to think about but full pension requires complete NI payments.

You are correct , however some people may think the claimant does not NEED the NI payments as they could make it up in the rest of there working life. Some people may say the claimant could afford voluntary contributions.

i still think they should claim lol 

mylifestory

Yes claim, because it gives you national insurance credits. Ur not taking money from anyone else.

frances_scotland

I kind of agree with the daughter.  she may be entitled to it, but if you don't need it, why would you place a burden on the state by claiming it.  
It's like pensioners receiving the heating allowance when they didn't want it or need it.  
my mother never claimed family benefits even though entitled.

Good for her seeing the bigger picture.

Captivemarket

I'd advise to claim. A benefit of claiming is that your daughter will obtain NI credits and if she receives UC long enough should get a full year's contribution - or more. She may be grateful for this in later life when the number of years of NI contributions is totted up to determine the level of state pension she may get.

ksarah

Dare I say… this isn’t really a question of the money. For some there’s an adverse psychological impact of being in circumstances that bring entitlement to benefits. Maybe she recognises that for her it would not be a positive step. If she can manage without then she as an adult is free to choose not to make the claim. 

MSE_JC

Hello all,

Following feedback, we've now moved this thread from the Benefits board to the Student board.

While we appreciate the contentious nature of the discussion (it is a Money Moral Dilemma after all), we ask that you stay on track and are mindful of the banner message at the top of the page:

"We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions."

Thanks!

MSE JC

Tim11111000111

My opinion is that she shouldn't worry about claiming it from a moral point of view. If she's entitled to it, then she's entitled to it. Anyone who doesn't like that should write to their MP and ask them to review the rules about who is and isn't entitled.

That said, she might not want to for other reasons. In particular, I understand there are fairly onerous requirements to attend appointments with your "work coach", and to take any suitable job offered to you. This could include jobs that are incredibly menial or even unpleasant, a long way away (up to 90 minutes travel each way is deemed acceptable) anti-social hours (as she wouldn't seem to have any commitments/caring responsibilities that prevent those) etc. If she doesn't need the money to get by, she might prefer not to claim, and have more flexibility to go for jobs that suit her preferences.

Without getting into political discussion, this is of course a deliberate feature of the system - it's designed to be unappealing so that those who don't need it often choose not to claim even if they are eligible.