Universal Credit has docked me £300 due to BH pay dates - am sick with worry

[FeelSickItsSoUnfair]

Background info - I am a single mum, I work as a TA on just above minimum wage so am at home when DCs are. My earnings are tiny and I rely on UC to get by. I am 1st port of call for ill and aged parents, and have various illnesses myself so cant work F/T but do as many hours as I can, whilst balancing not over doing it and being ill.

My work paid me on July 31st and then again at the end of August. Because of Bank Holiday Monday (31st) they paid me on the previous Friday (28th).

Due to this, UC have seen that I was paid 2 lots of amounts in a 4 week period and have taken £300 from my payment and I have been told they cant do anything about it - just sent me
a link www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-youre-paid

Has anyone had this before and managed to get their payment rectified for the full amount or is that it and Im stuffed? Looking at other bank holidays I see this could happen again next May/June and possibly this December as work may decide to do payments a week early for xmas. So that will be 3 times in a year I will be penalised and overall down nearly £1000. I have explained that is my electricity money and a large part of my food bill bill I am down, but no luck.

If anyone has been in a similar position and managed to sort it I would really appreciate the help.

I don’t think there’s anything you can do about it unfortunately, a friend had a similar issue as our NHS trust pays the last Wednesday of each month so dates sometimes fall within a four week period.

I don't believe you can get it rectified.

That's part of the problem with universal credit - it doesn't work with actual real-life jobs and pay dates.

Sorry OP

I think you'll have more luck asking your employer to change the pay day than you will with UC 😔

Yes maybe your employer would re-run and change pay dates if you explain.

The DWP lost a case about this (www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/22/universal-credit-rules-irrational-and-unlawful-judge-says) not long ago, although I haven't seen anything about them actually acting on the judge's decision.

I'm sorry, OP, it is a terrible system: the courts have told them they have to change it so there is recognition it is unfair, but as things stand I don't think there are many options for you.

www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/22/universal-credit-rules-irrational-and-unlawful-judge-says

Sorry, link didn't work before

I know in the grand scheme it isnt earth shattering, but I could cry I really could. I earn less that £500 a month as it is.

Thanks for the info all, I do appreciate it, will go and look at that link too thank you

Maybe as the last day of September is wednesday 30th and I will get paid then, it will come up as no income between 29/8/20 and 29/9/20 and I will get more?

We’ve had this issue at work before and it’s down to how they’ve recorded your payment date - we outsource payroll and they managed to rectify it

They should have recorded it as your normal pay date - 31st August

I’m not sure how your payroll will run, but we can make changes and corrections up until the 5th of the month

cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights/legal-test-cases/universal-credit-assessment-period-inflexibility

There's a template letter to fill in to request reconsideration based on the case law.

If you are on Facebook there is a group called Universal Credit Essentials which is a charity that can assist with any UC problems.

The system is deliberately designed to impoverish people. They know about the hardship this causes. They continue. Because that's what they want.

This happens to me one month every year as I get paid every 28 days so we end up with 13 paydays a year . So two of them end up in one assessment period with universal credit .

Unfortunately it's just how it works . And i have to budget carefully during that month

We're in the same boat. You'll get more next month as you won't have any wages within the pay period, but it makes for a shit month this month. I'm just going to have to put on my credit card, but understand I'm lucky to have that option.

Gutted for you all in the same boat as me. I have only started on UC since June and it didnt even cross my mind the amount would change if my wages didnt.

Well the poor UC guy has just had a grown woman grizzling down the line at him - he said he had had a lot of calls today saying the same thing. Bet he cant wait for the weekend to start.

Probably like a lot of us, it's been a lot of outgoings this month with uniform and shoes etc. Was hanging on till today....

It's really shit isnt it

@MoroseMoose

If you are on Facebook there is a group called Universal Credit Essentials which is a charity that can assist with any UC problems.

Thank you will look them up

This is so outrageous. It makes me spit feathers. I'm sorry I have no advice but I am raging for you. Our government is full of morally broken fucktards.

Is it possible that your September pay date will fall outside the Assessment period so you get significantly higher at the end of this month, as it'll show you receiving zero earnings in September?

make dentist and eyetest appointments for October and see if you can get any prescriptions renewed for then if you do

@MitziK - how do you dental appointments? my dentist is only doing emergencies as they cant get enough ppe & they say its takes so long to clean between patients although they are happy to give advice by phone

[quote mumwon]@MitziK - how do you dental appointments? my dentist is only doing emergencies as they cant get enough ppe & they say its takes so long to clean between patients although they are happy to give advice by phone[/quote]
Hopefully, they'll be in a position to provide care by then? I've got kids going to various dental appointments at work this month, so I thought services were beginning to come back.

@Marriageoftrueminds

This is so outrageous. It makes me spit feathers. I'm sorry I have no advice but I am raging for you. Our government is full of morally broken fucktards.

Thank you, do you know it does actually help that others are outraged too. What a crazy system it is. Ive asked payroll to change my wage date. Can only try

@MitziK

Is it possible that your September pay date will fall outside the Assessment period so you get significantly higher at the end of this month, as it'll show you receiving zero earnings in September?

make dentist and eyetest appointments for October and see if you can get any prescriptions renewed for then if you do

I have worked out that with no wages being accounted for, I will get the full amount with no deductions and this amounts to less than a third of the £300 back. £210 gone because of being paid a day or 2 early.

The system is working the way it was designed, and the government wants it to work. If not, they'd change it. They want it to work that way because they despise the citizens and want to punish anyone who needs help. They don't care that vulnerable people are suffering.

@PigletJohn exactly this. They are not incompetent, they are evil

revenuebenefits.org.uk/universal-credit/guidance/entitlement-to-uc/rti-and-universal-credit/

Have a look and see if any of this helps.

Section 1.8 HMRC guidance states that where a regular payday falls on a non-banking day (Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday) and, because of this, payment is made on the last working day before the regular payday or next working day after the regular payday, the date reported on the FPS submission should be the contractual pay date instead of the date the person was actually paid. This can be important for UC claimants as explained below.