[Shotoflight]

Benefit families speak out

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16876486

Father-of-five Ade, like Raymond, is happy to detail his income and expenditure. But unlike unemployed Raymond, who has not worked for more than a decade, Ade works as a full-time systems analyst, on take-home pay of £20,592.

But because he and his wife Christine have a large family, including a child with autism, the couple are also entitled to a range of benefits that boosts their income to £40,874 a year.

Like millions of other British families they fund their lifestyle on a mixture of wages and benefits. And that means - despite Ade's relatively modest income (just above the UK median salary) - they are able to run two cars and take a low-cost annual holiday with their children.

The family's biggest outgoing is the mortgage on their home, a three-bedroom end-of-terrace. But, says Ade: "One day we will own it outright so it's not wasted money."

Ade says: "We live a very easy life. We are pretty happy with what we have."

Ade says he has no problem at all with claiming benefits that almost double his salary.

Ade used to work for the Benefits Agency in London and handled dozens of claims every year.

"Once I handled a claim from someone who had not worked in 18 years. It was then I decided to leave the agency," he says

This post has been edited by Shotoflight: 21 February 2012 - 01:13 PM

[Jason]

BBC: "So the first article didn't get public support for the anti cuts brigade, now we've tried again".

Edit: Now I've read it, they get £20,592 in benefits. So they will not be affected by the cut; I'm not really sure what the article is trying to achieve apart from saying the cost of living is astronomical.

They also could save on the £5,980 they give to church, I don't disagree with this - just the amount as that's rather high!

[SeeYouNextTuesday]

I am interested to learn how much extra they get in child tax credit due to the disability of the son. Anyone know how to work it out?

[SeeYouNextTuesday]

Jason, on 21 February 2012 - 01:05 PM, said:

BBC: "So the first article didn't get public support for the anti cuts brigade, now we've tried again".

Don't smoke, don't drink, no SKY, no mobiles its like they tried acting on all the comments from last time

[bomberbrown]

SeeYouNextTuesday said:

1329830171[/url]' post='3267173']
I am interested to learn how much extra they get in child tax credit due to the disability of the son. Anyone know how to work it out?

Pop the details in here.

https://www.turn2us....calculator.aspx

[SeeYouNextTuesday]

bomberbrown, on 21 February 2012 - 01:18 PM, said:

Pop the details in here.

https://www.turn2us....calculator.aspx

Too complicated to "replicate" their circumstances. I would just like to know what is means tested on the basis of having kids and what is based upon the disability. Obviously the DLA and carer's allowance are separate.

[Jason]

SeeYouNextTuesday, on 21 February 2012 - 01:18 PM, said:

Don't smoke, don't drink, no SKY, no mobiles its like they tried acting on all the comments from last time

Quite, but if you add the charity and saving for a holiday that's £767 per calendar month in disposable income. I have to say that is rather good, and probably equivalent to my disposable income yet I'm single with no kids. That is with a much smaller monthly mortgage (nearly half the amount) and I earn about 35% more in net income.

[SeeYouNextTuesday]

Jason, on 21 February 2012 - 01:25 PM, said:

Quite, but if you add the charity and saving for a holiday that's £767 per calendar month in disposable income. I have to say that is rather good, and probably equivalent to my disposable income yet I'm single with no kids. That is with a much smaller monthly mortgage (nearly half the amount) and I earn about 35% more in net income.

What I want to work out is that he takes home £400 a week but gets £286 of child related benefits (child benefit £68 and child tax credit £218)

From April 2013, someone taking home about £600 a week gets nothing, no matter how many kids they have.

So unless the disability element of the the child tax credit is more than half of the element there seem little point in earning more than the 30 grand or so he earns unless you earn far north of what? £60K?

[tomandlu]

SeeYouNextTuesday, on 21 February 2012 - 01:32 PM, said:

What I want to work out is that he takes home £400 a week but gets £286 of child related benefits (child benefit £68 and child tax credit £218)

From April 2013, someone taking home about £600 a week gets nothing, no matter how many kids they have.

So unless the disability element of the the child tax credit is more than half of the element there seem little point in earning more than the 30 grand or so he earns unless you earn far north of what? £60K?

I'm in a similarish boat. Any pay rise I get from now will mean no more child-related tax credits iirc. I suspect that this might be deliberate - a lot of people must be refusing pay rises on this basis.

[Damik]

Shotoflight, on 21 February 2012 - 12:59 PM, said:

Benefit families speak out

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16876486

Father-of-five Ade, like Raymond, is happy to detail his income and expenditure. But unlike unemployed Raymond, who has not worked for more than a decade, Ade works as a full-time systems analyst, on take-home pay of £20,592.

But because he and his wife Christine have a large family, including a child with autism, the couple are also entitled to a range of benefits that boosts their income to £40,874 a year.

Like millions of other British families they fund their lifestyle on a mixture of wages and benefits. And that means - despite Ade's relatively modest income (just above the UK median salary) - they are able to run two cars and take a low-cost annual holiday with their children.

The family's biggest outgoing is the mortgage on their home, a three-bedroom end-of-terrace. But, says Ade: "One day we will own it outright so it's not wasted money."

Ade says: "We live a very easy life. We are pretty happy with what we have."

Ade says he has no problem at all with claiming benefits that almost double his salary.

Ade used to work for the Benefits Agency in London and handled dozens of claims every year.

"Once I handled a claim from someone who had not worked in 18 years. It was then I decided to leave the agency," he says

so you have to earn 60k pa to have same standard of life as somebody, who is earning 20k pa

Am I the only one who thinks it is wrong ???

[Guest_James Toney_*]

Damik, on 21 February 2012 - 01:39 PM, said:

so you have to earn 60k pa to have same standard of life as somebody, who is earning 20k pa

Am I the only one who thinks it is wrong ???

no , it is wrong, but this is the sort of thing that keeps people now,

at least they get to own their own home,

keep house prices high as possible,

[Patfig]

Damik, on 21 February 2012 - 01:39 PM, said:

so you have to earn 60k pa to have same standard of life as somebody, who is earning 20k pa

Am I the only one who thinks it is wrong ???

pay cuts all round win win

[SeeYouNextTuesday]

Damik, on 21 February 2012 - 01:39 PM, said:

so you have to earn 60k pa to have same standard of life as somebody, who is earning 20k pa

Am I the only one who thinks it is wrong ???

I would not wish a disabled child on anyone, it would be difficult to determine their standard of life in monetary terms alone. However I would like to know how that CTC is split

[Tonkers]

Damik, on 21 February 2012 - 01:39 PM, said:

so you have to earn 60k pa to have same standard of life as somebody, who is earning 20k pa

Am I the only one who thinks it is wrong ???

Yep, this is, er, making work pay, that's their slogan isn't it? What a mess!

[Democorruptcy]

Working is discouraged and saving is demonised.

Tick... tock...