Dave said:
I cannot believe they would get that much in benefits. I worked itr
out and it came to much much less
This is how I worked it out:
Income support/income based JSA rates are approximately:
£4500 for a couple.
£2000 per child plus an extra £1000 for the first child (inc child benefit). So
for 8 children, about £17000. Tax free.
Housing benefit will cover the full rent, providing the council don't decree the
rent is too high or the house is too big for the family. Council tax benefit
will pay the full council tax for a property up to band E. Both tax free.
For a house big enough for a family of 10 I'd guess a rent of about £300 per
week - £15500 per year. Council tax I'd guess about £1500.
Making a total £38500. No income tax to pay, only the adult JSA is taxable and
that falls within the personal allowance.
For an illustration try a web based benefits calculator like:
http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/benefits/wbc-03.htm
Note the "applicable amount" for the family size you enter - this is the amount
the government thinks you need to live on excluding housing costs, and is about
what your income will be made up to in income support/JSA if you don't earn that
much. Then add housing benefit and council tax benefit.