Universal credit...£0 award....this can't be right surely

[UCconfused01]

NC for this.

We recently made the switch from tax credits to universal credit. We did the switch online and double checked all the details before submitting. We also did an online calculator which said we should be getting between £600-800 a month when we moved over to UC (our tax credits were around £500)

But our statement shows our award is £0!

We are panicking now as we obviously have not been paid. We got an advance which we used on the 5 week wait but now we are due to get out first UC this week and it's saying £0.

We have left a message on our journal but they haven't replied.

DH works full time and his take home pay after tax/ni/pension is £2800 a month and it's the same every month.

We have a mortgaged house

I'm a sahm/carer to our severely disabled child.

We have 4 children all under 16 but one is born after 2017 so not counted in UC calculation I believe?

We get DLA for 1 disabled DC of higher care and low mobility.

We also get child benefit for 4 children and I get carers allowance of £300 ish a month

So we were expecting a UC award of £600-800 (different calculation for before new tax year and after new tax year)

What are we meant to do? if we don't get UC we are down by at least £500 a month.

Any advice? Is there any other advance we could get or something? Really don't want to have to take out a loan just for living costs

Check your payment brakedown and make sure they have included all the elements you're entitled to. I also switched this month and got £0 payment notification yesterday. When I looked they had missed the children off the claim entirely. I messaged them yesterday afternoon, but haven't heard back yet, just wondering if it might be the same problem?

Look at your statement.

Does it include all the child related elements? Does it include the carer element?

If the child elements are missing (due to a backlog in child verification ATM) then you won't have had a work allowance applied either which will lower your payment even more.

What elements do you mean? We have put the children on the application form and it says I'm getting carers allowance (which they take off the award)

It tells you on the statement how much for each element. PP is suggesting you check they've put all of the elements on there.

Look at your statement. What elements are listed? Is there a work allowance?

Post a pic with names covered if you can't work it out.

What's child verification? Do we need to do anything extra for that eg send in birth certificates?

I cant post a pic as obviously it's got our details on but it says we are entitled to £617 as we are in a couple and then it lists all the deductions for carers and DH wages which leaves us with £0.

If this is a mistake what are we meant to do for money this month?

You telling them when you claimed does not mean they've actually added them. It's not that efficient or simple a process. I know it should be, but it's not!

What do you have listed for each part of your statement?

• standard allowance
• housing (will be nil due to mortgage)
• children
• disabled children
• carer element
• childcare if applicable

Then deductions-

• Wages
• Carer’s Allowance
• advances
• recovery from other benefits

@IDoLikeToBeByTheSea this makes sense.

Ok so from that list we have ...

Standard allowance listed of £617 as we are a couple

Then it goes straight to deductions so deductions for DH wages and my carers allowance.

It sounds like they've missed the children off?

How do we sort this and what do we do for money this month?

Leave a note on your journal under "payments" and start it with URGENT. Explain that your children are missing from your statement. They will sort it out but not until next week now.

You will be entitled to much much more once it's sorted out!

Send a message in your journal for the children and explain what has happened, nightmare for you but hopefully it’ll get sorted out, I got my statement yesterday but don’t get paid until 24 may so bit of time until then hopefully they will adjust it for you, I’ve not had that happen though so I don’t know how long it takes. Stressful for you op hope they fix it soon

They’ve missed off the children, the disabled child element and carer’s element (this is separate to carer’s allowance). I would put another message in your journal and I would also call the UC 0800 number. Stress it is important and has put you in financial vulnerability. Request they do a same day payment. It may not be sorted today but should be done Monday or Tuesday.

“If this is a mistake what are we meant to do for money this month?”

Have you worked out your monthly out goings? Sounds like the numbers you gave your getting at least £3,500 a month (without UC). Is there anything you can cut back on?

There's a bit at the top of the payment page, that says which element are included. Mine currently just ha standed allowance (for couple) and carer, totalling £815 before deductions.

As far as I can tell I should also get

• first child (£333)

-second child (£287)

• disabled child (£156)

These have all been missed off mine, which is why I was wondering if they had missed similar elements from yours. Not having the children on has also meant they haven't applied the income disregard they should.

This page list all the elements you might qualify for, so you can work out what should be on there.

www.gov.uk/universal-credit/what-youll-get

Speak to them we recently switched and have had a few teething problems ,with information being left off etc .

By my reckoning you should have
UC SA £617.60
Child element £909.17
Child element for disability £487.58
Carer element £198.31
Less earnings £1169.83
Less unearned income £354.90

Total £687.93 (-deduction for the advance)

So check your statement for what you got and how much was deducted.

Also was your DH paid twice in the assessment period? That can mess up payments.

At the moment there are delays in verifying children and it seems like yours are not on the claim which obviously will make a huge difference especially when you have four. Also having children on the claim gives you a work allowance which affects wage deductions. You need to call them asap.

They can do a same day payment once its sorted ,probably not until Monday though .

Also put the journal message as ‘payment’ from the options so it goes to the case manager.

You've got 2800 + 200 + 300 and high rate DLA which is around 500 quid? coming in without UC? Surely there can be cut backs on spending until it's sorted?

Thanks all, definitely sounds like theyve missed off the children. We will do another journal message.

Thanks again

Without UC your income from your husband's wage plus carers allowance, DLA and child benefit is roughly £3800 a month. I'm confused by you saying what are you going to do for money?

Your dh takes home £2800 monthly and you are still eligible for benefits?
Mind
Blown.
That's nearly £100 a day to live on. And that's without child benefit...
No disrespect op but that's loads... If your uc is nil spend dh's wages instead...

Seeing as OP hasn't mentioned housing costs they probably have a mortgage, so their fixed outgoings could be really high. Disabled children don't come cheap either, it can be really hard to cut back on activities that they need, or on the food that they will actually eat. And they may well need to run 2 cars so that OP can transport the children to appointments or specialist schools etc, whilst the other parent uses the other car for work.

Ditto