SHAMELESS mum-of-three Whitney Ainscough is raking in £480,000 a year by showing her one million followers on social media how to get as much cash as possible from the benefits system.
And despite her huge income, she still lives in a reduced-rent council house — at a time when 336,366 households were on waiting lists for social housing last year.
Whitney boasted: “I see my role as educational in helping real people who need benefits and can’t understand the system.
“I am not ashamed.
“I consider myself a benefits influencer success story and should be praised for how I earn my money.
“The amount I earn is increasing every day.
“I’m in a council house, but saving up.
“I am going to pay cash for my house, and it will be an amazing day.”
She adds: “The best thing is you don’t get kicked out because you become a big earner.
“I had to wait more than five years to get a council house and I know people in real need are waiting for their own council property.
“That’s not my fault — councils need to build more housing.”
Her life of luxury has already enabled her to splash out on a £4,000 gastric sleeve in Egypt — taking her from a size 16 to a size four — a £9,000 Zante family break, a £1,200 iPhone for her pre-teen daughter, a £7,000 three-day trip to Disneyland and a £60,000 Range Rover.
‘Why should I trudge to job interviews?’
Acknowledging that she got rich by showing others how to claim more from the public purse, she bragged: “I just want to say a big thank you to all the people that go to work and pay tax to pay for my car for me.”
Whitney, 31, lives with “dad- fluencer” Joel Christopher, 32, and their children Cora, 12, Addison, seven, and Adley, three, in Rotherham, South Yorks.
Her journey from benefits claimant to social media mega-earner began when she went on maternity leave from her job in a pharmacy.
She decided that increased nursery fees and childcare costs were too high when contemplating returning to the workplace in 2022, choosing to go on benefits instead.
Whitney says: “I had no option but to stay at home, care for the three kids and claim benefits.
“I couldn’t afford to return to work.
“And why should I trudge to job interviews?
“Instead I got to sit on my sofa, with my feet up and — thanks to the taxpayer — learnt how to be a social media star.”
Prior to her internet fame, Whitney’s monthly Universal Credit payment was £1,151 and included housing benefit, standard adult allowance, the child element payment and child benefit.
She also had £30,000 worth of debt and was on a management plan to control it.
So, in early 2023, she started a social media account — initially TikTok but subsequently Facebook and Instagram — to share “mum things”.
I’m not ashamed. I consider myself a benefits influencer success story and should be praised for how I earn my money. And the amount I earn is increasing every day
Whitney
As well as advocating benefits, her “slummy mummy” posts also show her feeding her kids beans on toast and facing court for taking them on term-time holidays.
She explains: “People wanted to know how I spent my Universal Credit and so I shared my grocery buys, cheap recipe tips and my everyday life.
“I also shared controversial things — like sending my daughter to school in designer gear after saving up my benefits.”
Her posts became so popular she was able to start selling things through TikTok’s commissions page and endorse brands.
She came off benefits in September 2023 and in December that year earned £4,000.
In February 2024 she earned £15,000 and was soon on track to make £200,000 that year.
And back when she was on Universal Credit, much of her £30,000 debt had been written off when she began earning more.
Whitney says: “When I first shared my UC payment, talked about how I had claimed it, my followers dramatically increased.
“I gained even more views and fans by adding the tags #universalcredit, #benefitsmum and #PIP.
“I do it to help people but also to get followers — but that’s good for me and the economy. I’d be dim if I didn’t.
“I loved sharing how the Cost of Living payments I got were being used to buy new phones for my kids or being used to fund my Botox and fillers.”
People are terrified and don’t understand the system when they start claiming
Whitney
Having claimed herself, Whitney reckons the system is intimidating.
She says: “You have to be brash and bold to get the best benefits.
“People are terrified and don’t understand the system when they start claiming.
“I was scared initially but I learnt you have to be brazen.
“You have a right to claim as much as possible.
“It’s not illegal.
“Benefits are offered for a reason.
“People need to stop moaning about people getting benefits they deserve — and other people helping them do that.”
Having earned just £13,812 in April 2023 when she was on benefits, Whitney now has a personal accountant and a corporate structure for her earnings.
She says: “I am taxed at 40 per cent, not higher, because I have set up a company and pay myself a salary from it.
“But I’m proud to give back.
“People forget I was paying tax when I worked at the pharmacy before I went on Universal Credit.”
She now rakes in more than the 1,092 council penpushers who make £150,000, according to figures released from the Taxpayers’ Alliance, and more than twice the £172,153 salary of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
In November last year Whitney made a staggering £60,000, in December £50,000 and in the first three months of this year she pulled in £150,000 — all thanks to TikTok shop commissions.
‘I deliberately court controversy’
But with having found online fame, she experienced a barrage of critics branding her a “benefits scrounger”, a “sickfluencer” and a “bad mother”.
Whitney says: “People think if you’re on benefits you are brainless.
“They couldn’t be more wrong.
“I quickly realised using specific hashtags combined with my everyday relatable videos about life on Universal Credit meant the social media algorithm recognised what I was talking about was a hot topic.
“I was shameless about bragging about my benefits.
“I knew the more I bragged about getting Universal Credit, the more trolls and followers I’d attract.”
Whitney argues if she had not been forced to claim Universal Credit and be a stay-at-home mum she would have never taught herself social media skills, which helped her to start earning money on various platforms.
She says: “It was key to my success.
“It’s why I still share tips on claiming Universal Credit, Motability cars and other taxpayer-funded benefits.
“I don’t actually use these things any more but I lived on taxpayer handouts, and I know the system is broken.
“I know I am not the reason the system is failing.
“That’s down to the bureaucrats.
“It’s ironic that while overpaid council bosses are slashing benefits,
“I’m making close to half a million telling my followers on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook how to get them.”
Whitney adds: “I like to help people.
“I grew up in a council house and know the hardships of being a mum of three on benefits.
“Martin Lewis tells people how to claim more.
“I do the same. If you troll me, then troll him or experts like him as well.
“The Government wants people who find a job like me to earn big and yet people criticise me for it at the same time.
“I refuse to be criticised.
“If you want to label me a benefits scrounger that is fine.
“It means I get more followers, views and cash in the bank.”
And she admits that she enjoys provoking people with her output on social media.
Whitney says: “I deliberately court controversy.
“I post videos to deliberately wind up people who troll me.
“My devoted fans know the truth and it makes them laugh.
“I learnt to be an influencer while claiming and now I earn more than the Prime Minister.
“That’s what the Government wants people to do — to earn more to pay more taxes.”
