To start a thread about the new uc and how it affects entitlement to tax credit.

[morethanpotatoprints]

Just as the title suggests.

How many people actually know how this will affect their personal circumstances?
Millions of workers will be affected and so many people will lose out.
This is not welfare cuts for the unemployed its anybody not working for 35 hours earning the minimum wage.

[domesticgodless]

interesting Frothy. I can't find that bit in the UC document, it treats LPs of children over 5 as 'full jobseekers' subject to full conditionality. Odd. Wonder where gingerbread get their info from. (I'm sure they are right as I did hear it from elsewhere).

Frothy I assume it must be legal. Look forward to generations of latchkey kids and antisocial behaviour spiralling in a suburb near you!!

[FrothyOM]

www.gingerbread.org.uk/content/916/FAQs

These are gingerbreads Univeral Credits FAQ's

[InTheNightGarden]

I dont understand it....the government are shooting themselves in the feet!!! I feel a massive strike across England coming soon! it is strictly minimum wage as in £6.08 an hour??

[Wigeon]

I have emailed MNHQ suggesting a webchat.

I have some professional interest in this (although not knowledge of the detail of how UC will affect people in specific circumstances) so I have offered to suggest possible webchat guests.

[pumpkinsweetie]

Yes InTheNightGarden, you are correct £6.08

[CakePops]

Atm, I am claim mortgage assistance benefit (smi I think its called) as h moved put and refuses to contribute to joint mortgage and I had to quit work due to childcare issues.

What is going to happen to this benefit? And is it true I can't claim UC as I a homeowner (of a house with no equity)

[aufaniae]

CakePops I think (but am not sure) that you can own a house as long as you live in it. What will make you ineligible for UC is of you own property you don't live in.

A poster on another thread gave an example: she owns a share in a property which was impossible to sell, and gave her no financial benefit, but that would exclude her from UC.

[domesticgodless]

Found this on Resolution foundation website:


A study out today by Resolution Foundation on in work conditionality in Universal Credit risks raising undue alarm among tax credit claimants.

?@resfoundation: Study shows 1.2 million workers face threat to benefits under Universal Credit ? our new press release out today t.co/ANNFvnTS?

In fact, in-work conditionality under Universal Credit is, for most, no more onerous than eligibility for tax credits today. For example: A lone parent has to work 16 hours to be eligible for tax credits today. Under Universal Credit, in-work conditionality would apply for a lone parent with young children in primary school if earnings were less than 16 hours multiplied by the national minimum wage. In addition, they would only be expected to seek work during school hours.

For most adults without caring responsibilities, in-work conditionality would apply for earnings below 35 hours x national minimum wage, currently £216.65 with the minimum wage at £6.19. This is not dissimilar from eligibility for working tax credit (30 hours), and less onerous than the current system if wages are above £7.22 per hour.

I love the last sentence: less onerous FOR EVERYONE EXCEPT THOSE WHO EARN THE LEAST.

how the flipping HECK is that ever justifiable???

[aufaniae]

I don't know what happens to Mortgage Assistance Benefit specifically.

[domesticgodless]

So it appears LPs of children aged 5-13 will end up losing benefit if they cannot find a 16 hour pw job at minimum wage. But are expected only to work within school hours.

What the eff does that mean for school holidays???

[thekidsrule]

this is utter madness,a whole change of the benefit system arriving shortly and the goverment has no "one stop shop" for us mere mortals to find out elegibility,rates,limits etc this is an utter disgrace

on the other hand maybe the goverment now see the expected start is to early and the whole thing is way behind time scale with lots of problems cropping up,now showing up through rushed,ill thought out policy

[domesticgodless]

They haven't adjusted the timescale, thekids.

It's still coming in from Oct 2013.

Expect riots like I said.

The best (!) we can hope for is a massive IT f* up (not unlikely). However I wonder if this too would just rebound on the poor as no one will get paid and everyone will just have to wait to eat until the computer starts to say yes.

[pumpkinsweetie]

And what will happen in October- Will we have to apply for the UC, how long will it take or will it be automatic?
Basically how long will we be left with no tax creds, HB, jsa, cb before we get any money....2 weeks?, 4 weeks?

Are we going to be left in the lurch for x amount of weeks with nothing whilst its being processed? Thats what is worrying me

[CakePops]

Thanks aufanie, that is reassuring to know.

[thekidsrule]

but it wont be fully cross country till 2015 or more i read somewhere (though i have read so many "bits) i think my brains exploding

atleast now if you are entitled to IS,ESA,etc there is plenty of info and basic understanding,this UC on he other hand is lacking in basic info

[domesticgodless]

From dwp document, apologies for formatting error as copied from pdf.

'A provisional timetable has been developed with a view to completing the transfer to Universal Credit by October 2017:
October 2013 to
April 2014
All new claims for out-of-work support are treated as claims to Universal Credit. No new Jobseeker?s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support and Housing Benefit claims will be accepted. Customers transitioning from out-of-work benefits into work will move onto Universal Credit if they are eligible.
April 2014
No new claims are made to Tax Credits.

April 2014 to
October 2017 During this time we would begin to work through existing cases.'

[domesticgodless]

I think it would be fair to say 'expect a massive f* up on a national scale'.

[thekidsrule]

just reading peeps concerns on this thread proves there is very little information out there,this is peoples lives and the goverment is treating us very bad

[thekidsrule]

agree domestic

[InfestationofLannisters]

If working over 35 hours per week should bring in NMW, I wonder if they are going to quadruple Carer's allowance to reflect that?

[domesticgodless]

caring, Lannisters??

that is something the lower orders/non-wealth-creators do and as such needs to be discouraged. Clearly.

[InfestationofLannisters]

Yes, but I bet DC said he was putting in 35 hours per week to get the fifty quid. Despite not having a clue (well-documented on MN webchat) how many nappies his son needed / was supplied with.

[morethanpotatoprints]

I know I have said this on other threads but for those who don't know.

The new uc is to be trialed in Tameside, Wigan, Warrington and another town I forget.

This is due in April 2013 and Civil Servants in benefit office in our town (One of the above) are currently working overtime in preparation.

My friend is one of these people and she is as much in the dark as we are.

[Wigeon]

pumpkinsweetie - no, you won't be left in the lurch with no money. They are moving people over to UC in stages. The first stage, starting this month, is people who are starting a brand new claim.

They are then going to stagger the migration of people who are already claiming benefits - some people won't be moved over to UC until 2014. From what I remember, the plan is that if you have a "material change of circumstances" - eg you become a lone parent, you start working when previously you didn't, then you will get migrated (by DWP) over from your old benefits onto UC. And then the final group to get migrated over will be people who are already claming benefits, but who haven't had any change of circumstances at all.

In theory it will all be seemless, and there won't be a big long stretch between being on your old benefit, and receiving UC, where you are without any sort of benefit. And if you are already claiming benefits, you don't have to proactively make a UC claim - you will be notified by DWP when you are going to be moved over to UC (and when this is will depend on your circumstances).

There is a bit more info on this here and here.

[morethanpotatoprints]

Food for thought

Have the gov manipulated this?

LP will have to work during school time jobs available TA, or teacher now they no longer need to be qualified.
As TAs don't usually work 35 hours those already in the job will be forced into other work to receive their tax credit.