A MOTHER and self-confessed “benefits scrounger” has shared her honest thoughts on the “broken” Universal Credit system.
Amba Rose, a single mum from the UK, claimed that the system keeps recipients “stuck” and means she can’t earn a penny more than £1,600 a month.
Posting online, Amba, who works part-time in supported living, acknowledged that regardless of how many hours she works a month, she is limited to how much cash she takes home.
As a result, the content creator is eager to “ease the stigma” and believes the “benefit system should be reviewed.”
Not only this, but she shared her desire to “grow,” “progress” and “do well” in her field of work, but claimed that she “can’t.”
She thinks that the system doesn’t support financial stability and claimed that she has even had to “turn down” pay rises and often doesn’t get paid for any additional meetings or training sessions she attends.
Revealing all on her situation, Amba said: “Benefits Britain, eat your heart out – I am a benefit scrounger and this is my take on the benefit system.”
She then slammed: “The benefit system is a shambles and it doesn’t allow people to become financially independent – it keeps people stuck.”
Getting candid on her situation, Amba acknowledged: “I am a single parent household and I work as much as I can – I receive a Universal Credit top up and each month, regardless of what I work and regardless of my earnings, I will end up with the same money each month – and here’s why I think it’s flawed.”
According to Amba, Universal Credit has a “baseline of what they believe people can live off.”
For her, that baseline is around £1,600 a month, which includes her earnings.
She stressed that if she earned £1,400, Universal Credit would give her that top up of £200, and if she earned £1,000, they would give her a top up of £600.
As a result, Amba, who has a five-year-old daughter, claimed to be “stuck” in a hole.
Amba, who typically works 24 hours a week, explained that she volunteers to work during the Christmas period, as it “usually means a higher rate of pay.”
How much Universal Credit can you get?
TRYING to work out how much Universal Credit you can get can be overwhelming.
There are so many different elements that can affect your claim and it makes the whole process even more complicated.
There are several free calculators that you can use to help you get an estimate, such as Gov.UK, Citizen’s Advice, MoneySavingExpert, StepChange and Turn2Us.
You will need:
- Details of all your income, such as existing benefits, tax credits, earnings from employment and your pensions,
- Details of your partner’s income if you’re married, in a civil partnership or living with someone as a couple. You will be assessed as a couple
- Information on any savings you have,
- How much you pay in council tax per year, and whether you get any discounts, reductions or exemptions,
- Details of your rent or mortgage payments,
- Employment and income information about anyone else living with you, such as grown-up children,
- Details about your carer’s allowance if you receive it.
You’ll need to make sure that the information provided is as accurate as possible to get the truest estimate.
But having said that, this isn’t actually the case for this mother, as she acknowledged: “Any extra I earn gets taken straight back off of me so that I’m at that base line of £1,600.”
Not only this, but she then shared: “As a society, I believe that this only creates a workforce that doesn’t want to work – what is the incentive? What is the progression? There isn’t one there and that’s where the benefit system is flawed because you’re keeping people in the same boat, keeping the rich rich and the poor poor.”
Big divide
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ambsrose24, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 62,200 views, 2,635 likes and 569 comments in just three days.
But social media users were left totally divided by Amba’s claims and many rushed to the comments to share their thoughts.
If you want more money you’ll have to work full time 40 hours a week, unfortunately that’s life
TikTok user
One user sympathised: “How extremely frustrating and upsetting for people like yourself that are working and trying your best to provide for your child.”
A second chimed in: “Yep. I had the exact same experience. There is zero incentive to work more. I worked this out quite quickly, and just worked the minimum I had to, and spent the extra time with my kids.”
Am I entitled to Universal Credit?
According to the GOV website, if you’re on a low income or need help with your living costs, then you could be entitled to Universal Credit.
To claim, you must live in the UK, be aged 18 or over (with some exceptions if you’re 15 to 17), be under State Pension age, and have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments.
Other circumstances are if you are out of work, or unable to work, for example because of a health condition.
Whilst someone else wrote: “Absolutely agree!! As someone who has lived on both sides of the line, it’s horrendous!!”
One person said: “This is what’s wrong with this country … let me get this right … you want work and keep all your benefits … how entitled are you … other people have to work their socks off to pay their bills with no Universal Credit top up.”
Another added: “Try working all week plus overtime to lose 40% of it to tax.”
Meanwhile, a third snapped: “If you want more money you’ll have to work full time 40 hours a week, unfortunately that’s life.”
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