Universal Credit won't be paid in months with 5 weeks. (WTF?) AIBU to think no one realises

[raisinsarenottheonlyfruit]

If you get paid weekly, and there are 5 weeks in a month, in those months your pay will likely go over the Universal Credit limit and your UC will be stopped. You will have to go without that month and apply again.

WTF are they thinking?

Have they never heard of averages FFS? (That's how Tax Credits works). This is going to screw over so many people. It's ludricous.

The people claiming UC aren't any richer that month, they get the same amount of money as if it was paid in 12 monthly chunks.

This will happen to thousands of people every time there's a month with 5 weeks. (I guess they mean 5 Mondays?)

This is farcical.

There's 5 weeks in January, so if you get paid weekly that's you fucked for February.

April, July, October and December also have 5 Mondays.

This is utterly farcical and just plain callous.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41651684

Just read this, this morning

It says her Child Benefit was stopped- that's not included in UC, although £20 a week is useless if you've got absolutely nothing else- that would probably cover gas and electric, if that :(

In a rush so can’t do links on phone,

Search Facebook for Dundee against Austerity, actions and demonstrations going on next week. Was shard by Benefits and Work page which is worth following too for other actions.

Also, because this thread has started to make me do my homework (!) about all things UC, this is what they say regarding working hours and single parents on their website:

If you have children
If you’re a single parent or the lead carer in a couple, your responsibilities will change as your youngest child gets older and will be tailored to your personal circumstances.

Age of your youngest child Your responsibilities
Under 1 You don’t need to look for work
Aged 2 Have regular interviews with your work coach and do work preparation activities (for example, writing your CV)
Aged 3 or 4 Work a maximum of 16 hours a week (or spend 16 hours a week looking for work)
Aged between 5 and 12 Work a maximum of 25 hours a week (or spend 25 hours a week looking for work)
13 or older Work a maximum of 35 hours a week (or spend 35 hours a week looking for work)

So according to that, it is not until your youngest DC reaches 13 that you'll be required to work/look for work for 35hrs. But the word "maximum" is confusing here. It seems to suggest working more than that will have an impact on UC?

Sassy I hadn’t seen that the hourly requirement is different for single parents. I think that sounds more doable, though I agree with you that the use of the word ‘maximum’ is confusing.

I still think it’s horrendous for those too disabled to work and I still think as someone pointed out on another thread, with families with one SAHP - why does it make sense for them to go to work and then claim money from the state to pay for childcare when they could be saving the state that money by working from home 🤔

Out of interest - for those that have done so, what constitutes as proving you’re looking for work hour by hour? I’ve never had to account for my time and usually just use the online job searches and apply via those. Say I was in the bracket of needing to prove I was working/Job hunting to the total amount of 35hrs/week and my job was 16hrs/week, I’m not sure it would cut it to say I sat online going through job sites for 19 hours?

Lots of places won’t let you hand in CVs at random in person anymore (we haven’t done for years). I know there’s agencies as well I suppose.

Pop24 no the agreement says you need to earn nmw x35. The hours are irrelevant.

Pop24
Henry The 'agreement' you have to sign seems very standard though. It reads along the lines of 'you must do all you can to look for full time employment' even if you are already in employment and trying to claim the wtc/ctc element. At least that's my experience. I'm sorry but I don't believe that if you work part time on a decent wage yet still need a top of UC they will let you get away with it for long without a lot of hassle/meetings ect . Just a warning. They will pressure you to look for full time employment akin to if you were claiming Jsa

I know you mean well pop24 but you could could unnecessary stress. Henry wil not have to increase her hours.

So according to that, it is not until your youngest DC reaches 13 that you'll be required to work/look for work for 35hrs. But the word "maximum" is confusing here. It seems to suggest working more than that will have an impact on UC?

The sassy it means you need to earn nmw x35. The maximum number of hours you will need to work to earn nmw x35 is 35 hours.
If your hourly rate is higher you can work less hours.

Thanks MyDc - so in theory then, if you are earning approx £13,650 (£7.50 nmw x 35hrs x 52 weeks) regardless of hours worked, you won't need to prove you are available or looking for further work? If you are earning below this regardless of hours worked, you need to prove you are still looking for further work?

Yes that's exactly right sassy.
In addition a couple can combine their hours and earn nmw x 70 or 55 between them.

They're right saying my responsibilities will change as my kids get older. It's getting harder to work even part time as a lone parent, they need me far more than they used to and my mental and physical health isn't what it used to be.

Yes, my fourteen year old needs me much more than my ten year old does.

I had to leave my last job because of her. I was working nights and weekends and never seeing her. Her mental health took a massive downturn when she reached thirteen and I'm sorry but if it comes between my kids or helping the government meet their employment targets, my kids come first, always.

Thankfully, we aren't in a UC area and not due to switch until 2019. I'm not sure how we'd have managed it otherwise, but staying in work wasn't an option and I couldn't find any work during school hours. She was threatening suicide and refusing all help.

She's up and down these days but mostly doing a lot better now I'm home with her more often.

A couple of times a premium rate phone number has been mentioned in relation to UC - I had a question about UC today and the phone line I rang was free from my mobile. It would also have been free from my landline under my phone package. It was an 0345 number. Is this the one referred to?

It's not free on pay as you go, or if you run out of minutes. Or if you don't have a landline. HTH

Fair enough. That makes sense. In which case, that's utterly ridiculous. I can't believe this is all happening.

Oh, and I checked with the guy on the phone and yes, a six week wait even if you're being migrated. Unbelievable. It's a mess.

Those that will be getting UC starting end November/beginning December will have nothing over Christmas and new year, minimum 6 week wait.

Any time of the year, it’s bad. But Christmas. How awful

I was chatting to my friend last week about UC. She thinks UC is a good idea because of those that abuse the system.

I explained that very few people abuse it. If anyone abuses the system it’s businesses. She reads the daily mail, and she does believe what they print.

I then explained that she’d be moving onto UC soon, as she is in receipt of some CTC and she genuinely had no idea.

I wonder how many other people are not aware?

My friend is lovely. But honestly, I can’t believe how much garbage people believe because of the daily fail.

Sick, disabled, unemployed and now low income. They are targeting the most vulnerable and it makes me feel sick thinking about it all.

Is there anything we can do?

I wrote to my MP ages ago about this, but he’s a cunt, so it got me no where.

We are stretched and cutting back everywhere, but we’ll be increasing our food bank donations. Because no one is exempt from a sudden change in circumstances.

Oh, and despite it being free for me, it took quite some time to get through to a real person, with lots and lots of options to get through "press 1 for ..., 2 for ... " etc.

And no doubt the waiting times will get longer the more people are claiming/migrated to UC.

I'm probably going to be able to deal with the six week wait. Just. However, I'm fully expecting it to be longer than six weeks. Let's face it, it's usually longer when it comes to benefits. And it's not just daily living expenses that will be withheld, it's rent money too.

That's what's so bloody awful about it - not only do they withhold your money so you can't eat or heat your home....they withhold your rent money so you are quite likely to LOSE your home.

DP and I are both paid monthly. We have had 3 months this year in which we received nothing, including last month. Now this month our claim says we've been paid £6100 between us (we havent, by a very very long shot!!!!) So we'll be receiving nothing again this month.

I'm curious to understand what is going wrong here. Can you appeal and tell them their figures are wrong? (I don't claim UC, so I don't know how it works.)

Are you saying that their figures were wrong in other months as well? If so, what did they say when you told them?

It should be impossible for the figures to be wrong, as your employer's payroll software should be telling the correct figures to HMRC.

If you're self-employed or have other non-payroll income or if for some reason your employer doesn't make submit the information then I can see that there's room for error.

If you are just bog-standard employees of a company that is supposed to be reporting salaries correctly to HMRC, I wonder if your company payroll is submitting rubbish information. UC is not going to work if companies are not submitting the correct info.

gluteous read out a few of my posts to your friend Especially the one about people on low wages in the hospitality/food sector.

Figure can be input wrong and mistakes are made both by payroll and HMRC - it happens

Firesuit the discrepancy is in the dates not the figures, the UC system can't cope with people not getting their wages on exactly the same day every month which of course most employees don't.

As ever with govt they cut corners to save money and it goes tits up. Same done with csa and tax credits!

A post by someone on the other UC thread in Chat said the care sector are hiring part timers. Wait till this affects the people and MNers who have elderly rellies in nursing homes. What happens if the care workers cant afford to get into work............or cant practise basic hygiene (obvs i mean not being able to shower at home) due to that little problem of having no money for weeks.

This is more far reaching than many people think.

And then there is the matter of getting into work on Christmas Day/Boxing Day which will cost them even more of that money that they shant be getting for weeks.

This thread is so useful! So can I just double check if anyone doesn't mind answering, if one parent is a SAHP to a 3 year old and the other parent earned more than the equivalent of 32 hours a week NMW (2 x 16 hours), would this mean the SAHP would not be required to do any further work/seek further work?