Universal Credit - Self Employment

[Rosyleigh]

I wonder if anyone can shed some light on a Universal Credit claim when you are self-employed?

I have been invited to an appointment to see if I my self-employment is valid.

The work I do is seasonal and in the summer months I make more profit than in the winter months but over the year it evens out. I wondered if anyone could advise how they test for eligibility. Do I need to send them details of income every month? Do I need to take my tax returns along with me or do they already have access to these?

I thought there may be someone on here who is in a similar situation and can advise me.
TIA

Rosyleigh, sorry you didn't get a reply, I'm now migrating as well and self employed.

How did your assessment go?

Yes, each month you have to submit your income and permitted expenditure from your self employment. No, they don't link up with your tax returns as they are done retrospectively and your UC payment is based on the previous month only. My payment date was 5th, my assessment period was 30th to 29th so everything I earned from 30th of one month to the 29th of the next I had to enter on 29th then they used that to work out what I would be paid a few days later.

They don't look at your income across the year, it is month by month. When you're earning more in peak season you'll get less UC, possibly nothing, then more UC on the months you've earned less.

There was a thread on this the other day. Somebody's UC was stopped as she only earned £1K over the whole year. I think you need to earn £12k a year for your self employment to be viable. You get a period of grace. A year think.

I keep reading that they won't stop the UC, they just won't make up the difference you should be earning to meet the minimum income floor. As in you're expected to meet that, but from that they would top up. If you don't meet it, they just top up what you'd be entitled to if you were meeting it.

Maybe it depends on how below the MIF someone is..