Mum on £4,000 Universal Credit left ‘counting pennies’ | UK | News
There are currently 8.4 million people claiming Universal Credit in the UK (Image: John_Lamb via Getty Images)
A mother of four has spoken candidly about life on benefits after revealing she receives approximately £4,000 monthly in Universal Credit payments. Despite the amount she receives, she maintains she frequently finds herself anxious about finances and has described herself as being “skint”.
TikTok creator Millie discussed her circumstances in a recent video that has generated considerable debate online. The unemployed mum outlined how rapidly funds can vanish, despite the assistance she gets each month.
Speaking in the clip, she said: “UC gave me £4,000 a few days ago and I am back to counting pennies yet again.” Millie then acknowledged she was partly joking about her financial predicament, clarifying that she was not literally counting loose change. She added: “I don’t know how these people high up can just expect people to live off the bare minimum because £4,000 a month just is not enough.”
The content creator swiftly made clear the remark was tongue-in-cheek. She told viewers: “But now that I have got you watching a little bit of my video, thank you, because that would mean that I’ve now got paid for you viewing. And no, I’m not being serious. I’m not actually counting pennies.”
Millie revealed she chose to create the video after observing the response similar content typically receives online. She said: “But you know, when you’ve got little pots here and there of random change, I thought why not just make a video about it? Because I know it winds people up, and I found the comments absolutely hilarious on videos like this.”
The mother of four also disclosed she is currently trying to save money for new carpets throughout her home. She mentioned her “carpet fund” had fallen behind target following difficulties uploading content to TikTok.
The mum joked she’s forced to ‘count pennies’ (Image: Kanatip Chulsomlee via Getty Images)
She said: “Now my carpet fund is slacking massively. For some reason TikTok wouldn’t let me upload at all today, so I’m really hoping that this video will actually go up, but I guarantee that I’m going to get nowhere where I need to be for the carpet fund, and I’m gonna have to find the money elsewhere.”
Millie also indicated she was contemplating establishing an Amazon wishlist. She emphasised she wanted to guarantee any items featured were authentically needed before sharing it with her followers.
She added: “If you did watch my live video yesterday, I am actually still doing an Amazon wishlist. I’m just trying to get something together, I don’t want to just be putting things on there for the sake of it. I want to actually genuinely need it.”
The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions reveal that millions of households throughout the UK are in receipt of Universal Credit payments. The benefit is intended to assist people with everyday living costs, including those who are out of work, unable to work, or earning a low income.
Data released by the Department for Work and Pensions indicates that Universal Credit payments can differ considerably depending on individual household circumstances, such as housing costs, childcare commitments and the number of dependent children.
Larger families, in particular, may be entitled to significantly higher awards than the standard monthly allowance.
Millie’s remarks have sparked a divided response online, with some viewers showing sympathy over the mounting pressures of household expenditure, while others questioned whether £4,000 per month should be sufficient to cover day-to-day outgoings.
The row comes at a time when countless families continue to feel the strain of elevated food, energy and housing costs, despite inflation showing signs of easing in recent months. Further details on Universal Credit rates and eligibility criteria are available on the GOV.UK website.
