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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is anybody on universal credit?

29 replies

NotUmbongoUnchained · 02/08/2018 16:49

Posting for my sister again.

She’s a single mother full time student. In the old days, during the holidays she could claim income support during her holidays but now she’s had to claim universal credit. She has to wait 5 weeks for a payment but they have stopped her tax credits and housing benefit in the mean time. She also cannot apply for an advanced payment loan until she’s had a commitments meeting which isn’t for another 2 weeks. Luckily I’m in a position to help her out but what the fuck is she supposed to do if I wasn’t?! Are we missing something really obvious here is this genuinely what they’re doing to people?

OP posts:
Coulditbeme · 02/08/2018 16:54

I am. Yes this is what they are doing to people. Horrendous system that isn’t fit for purpose. I’ve been on it since 2015 and had no end of problems.

Original poster
NotUmbongoUnchained · 02/08/2018 16:58

It’s disgusting. I have to pay her rent for her this month and everything. I imagine she will have no end of problems when she’s goes back to uni and they can’t work out her income properly.

OP posts:
Coulditbeme · 02/08/2018 17:01

I’ve had to borrow from my mum to pay my rent after many a UC cock up. It’s horrendous! Like you say, not everybody has family to bail them out!
There’s not been much said about it up to now but as more and more people are going onto it more and more people are finding out how awful it is. There will be uproar when the whole country goes on UC.
It is a mess.

chasegirl · 02/08/2018 17:03

Has she asked for an earlier appointment? Worth a try as they may have cancellations (but then it is peak annual leave season so possibly no other free slots).

They can do her advance payment at her appointment tho and get it into her account the same day

Original poster
NotUmbongoUnchained · 02/08/2018 17:03

She’s bit herself in the ass a bit by leaving the application so late, but that’s because everyone was talking her not to do it and she thought she might be able to survive on just the tax credits. It’s such a shame.

OP posts:
Original poster
NotUmbongoUnchained · 02/08/2018 17:20

She can’t get an earlier appointment, they’re fully booked.

OP posts:
Pickleypickles · 02/08/2018 17:26

If it wasn't for the bank of mum and dad I don't know what I'd of done, my money took 7 weeks to come but I still had to pay rent and buy food for those weeks. It's because they pay in arrears apparently to make it "more like work" but I don't know any job that makes you wait 2 months from starting to being paid!

Then I had the issue of they won't pay nursery till you have paid nursery but how can you pay nursery till they have paid you?!

I currently owe my mum and dad around £800 purely from changing from tax credits to UC. Without mum and dad it would of been payday loans, I can very easily see how peoples debt spirals on the stupid system.

Snugglepumpkin · 02/08/2018 17:31

This is genuinely what they are doing to people.

It will be 5 weeks if she is lucky & everything goes smoothly, but some people are still not getting the correct money a few months later.

Original poster
NotUmbongoUnchained · 02/08/2018 18:25

Her payment date says the 1st September so fingers crossed it all goes smoothly. Otherwise she will have another 2 weeks to wait for her student finance

OP posts:
Coulditbeme · 02/08/2018 18:55

How many children has she got?

Singlenotsingle · 02/08/2018 19:01

When I went to uni, a single parent with 2 DC, I could only claim my student grant in term time. Nothing in the holidays, no HB, nothing. I had to ask my mum to come and look after the DC in the holidays so that I could go and do temp work in London. And this was many years ago, so nothings changed.

Downtheroadfirstonleft · 02/08/2018 19:08

I thought students couldn't claim in the hols. Aren't they expected to get holiday jobs?

MummytoCSJH · 02/08/2018 19:13

Students can't claim anything usually, no. But if you have dependants you can.. not that it's much help if it doesnt arrive until just before student finance does!

Hellywelly10 · 02/08/2018 19:25

The rollout of uc is directly related to increased use of food banks.

TheBigFatMermaid · 02/08/2018 19:52

I am just going on to it, having been persuaded that we will get more money on it.

I applied on the Wednesday, had our interviews at the job centre on the following Tuesday. We did apply for an advance, with the help of the person doing the interviews, which we got two days later.

Luckily UC is a top up for us, as DP works, so he pays the rent.

I did get a couple of food bank boxes to help us get by too.

We are due our first payment on the 18th of August, around 4 weeks after we applied.

I do not understand why some peoples experiences are so different.

Original poster
NotUmbongoUnchained · 02/08/2018 20:41

Yes students can claim if they have children, they always have been able to.
It’s just so shit. A friend of hers was told they were going to change her onto UC too and to “start saving”. As if a single parent of 3 on benefits has anything left over to save!

OP posts:
chasegirl · 02/08/2018 20:43

I don't know if anyone who us better off on UC. Most people seems to be worse of than on previous benefits/tax credits

Original poster
NotUmbongoUnchained · 02/08/2018 20:45

It’s shit. She was also told if she wrote in the online journal someone would reply during office hours. She’s posted 3 questions over the last 2 weeks and no one has gotten back to her.

OP posts:
catsoup · 02/08/2018 21:00

Yup your sisters experience is similar to a friend of mine. Took 6 weeks to get her payment, she had to use a food bank as well. She was also advised she should have saved 6 weeks worth of money before applying.

Horrendous system and it does not work.

dreamingofsun · 02/08/2018 21:06

And this is also a reason why landlords dont like renting to HB tenants. DWP didnt even bother responding to our request to have HB paid directly to us because tenant was way overdue with rent....they are supposed to reply within a certain time period....20 working days from memory

FoofFighter · 02/08/2018 21:10

I am also on income support for the student holidays. Us came in two weeks after I claimed. the way UC works, I won't be entitled to any between my dc 5th birthday next week and first day of uni back - as the income over the assessment will be over what I can "earn" as by then my student loan and bursary will have been issued(even though it's a loan, and a double payment... )so also no housing benefit either.

Sometimes you got to wonder why you bother

DaisysStew · 02/08/2018 21:18

She can apply to Universal Credit for an advance while she is waiting for the first payment (it’s available to all new claimants but no one tells them). It can be for up to 50% of her total payment (including rent) and she’ll pay it back interest free in 10 instalments that they’ll deduct from her regular UC payment. When she calls and they ask if she needs it “urgently” tell her to say yes and they’ll do it as a faster payment so she’ll get it the same day.

Butterflykissess · 02/08/2018 21:22

How does it work? Do you have to apply or do they change you over automatically?

FoofFighter · 02/08/2018 21:36

You have to apply. There is no automatic changeover for existing benefits claimants.

flopsyrabbit1 · 02/08/2018 21:41

well thats gonna be a hell of a mess if you dont get changed over

i know everybody is supposed to be on UC in the next couple of years but cant see that happening as they mostly have been dealing with single claims,the more complex are the ones with children and disabilitys

thats why they started on the single non children first

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