To the think this Universal Credit rule is so so wrong!

[ilovewelshrarebit123]

I'm a single parent, one DD and I work 30 hours a week.

I didn't get my UC payment this month which was a complete shock. I get paid my salary on the 15th of every month, and as the 15th of August was over the weekend I got paid on the 14th.

After investigation which has taken over a week, UC say I've been paid twice in the assessment period (15th to 14th) so I get nothing. I was paid on the 15/8 and 14/9 but it isn't two payments in one month is it. It was just a day early because of the weekend.

I'm £600 down and i just can't get my head around this policy. They've said there is nothing that can be done and I won't be getting this payment. It will also happen in January due to Decembers pay date.

They suggested I cancel my UC claim, start another one so the assessment period is different. But then I have to start the claim again and wait the 6 week assessment period with no payments.

Please don't tell me not to 'rely' on UC, I have no choice and I work hard.

So that's it, I'm stuffed this month through no fault of my own and UC is a crock of shit! 😡

Could you ask your employer to pay you a day late rather than a day early?

So if you’re paid a day late you’re delaying the problem until the following month... you will still end up with two pay days in one month - won’t you

I wonder how the system will cope if there is mass unemployment in one go, say for instance, a car plant closing post Brexit, resulting in 3,000 job loses?

Oldshuck, they wouldn’t all be able to claim UC at the same time. Many different levels of redundancy would mean that there would be a staggered claiming period for the ex employees.

And everyone situations would be different, some people would not be able to claim at all if they had savings or depending on their individual circumstances - eg if they had a working partner and no kids and owned their home outright they may not even be eleigible.

@Morgan

"If you earn over £338 as a single person and £550 as a couple you won't have to attend interviews. Other than when you first set up your claim."

This depends on the age of your kids right? For the single person?

OP for your assessment period 15/9 to 14/10 You won't have recieved any earnings will you? Because you were paid 14th Sep and 15th Oct? This means that in October you will receive your full UC entitlement with no deductions for earnings

Hi eastmidlands. No that's for everyone. Unless your child is less than 2 years old in which case you're not required to work at all.

Once you earn over £338 you'll be in a work group called light touch. You will be required to look for additional work but will not be required to attend regular appointments and you can not be sanctioned for failure to attend

Morgan - what do you think of my 53 year old friend being asked to write an essay on a day in the life of a receptionist ? So demeaning. Are work coaches really allowed to set this kind of task , she feels like she's back at school. Is it a power trip for some of them - can she complain ?

No that's does sound like a power trip doesn't it. She should request to speak to that work coaches line manager and explain how the work coach has made her feel and how this is not helping her back into work. She can then ask to see another work coach. I'm sorry that has happened to your friend. I first came to UC as an unemployed single Mum and I have been treated badly by some of them. It's such a shame that people like that are in the job. There are some good ones though.

Thanks @babyroobs, v helpful.

@albert92 my area is universal credit only. I was on TC and WTC but when I changed my job I had to go over to UC.

Worst decision ever!

If she doesn't want to ask the work coach directly to speak to their manager she should ask the service delivery team (who are at the front door) to speak to a manager

Morgan have you ever heard of Charlotte Hughes.

@babyroobs, re sdp my understanding is I will get transitional cover but as sdp has been abolished over time inflation will erode the amount as UC without SDP works out less.

Babyroobs I’d love to think my dd might be better off, my concern was mainly about that shocking 6 week wait. That would be when i’d have to help her out.

Yes Helena I have

What is your opinion of her blog?

@babyroobs, to be clear I worked out how much UC I would get as someone too sick to work, in receipt of HB etc, if my claim was new and the total is lower than what I get in receipt of ESA support group and my enhanced disability premium and severe disability premium. So in time any transitional cover in the difference will be eroded by inflation.

coolmule - it's a 5 week wait not six, and your dd could apply for an advance but then would have to pay it back over a number of months.

I think she makes some excellent point

ilove welsh rarebit - just because you changed job should not mean you needed to go onto UC unless you dropped below the hours to continue to claim wtc.

So to be clear, do you get extra the following month, so the annual amount remains the same?

Or do you lose that months payment completely?

I don’t get much in the way of tc but the former I could just about cope with. The latter would leave me unable to pay bills.

This whole situation happened to me too this month. I did some maths and this is the conclusion I came to. If they paid me based on my monthly wages they'd be paying me around £300 a month but because of their silly rule they'll be paying me the full entitlement of £1069 every other month. This then works out as £534.50 per month. So they're shooting themselves in the foot essentially.

I had to change from TC to UC when I left husband in July. I'm not trying to rip the government off but they came up with this wankyness so I'll play by their rules I guess.

they'll be paying me the full entitlement of £1069 every other month.

@LucyMorningStar, shouldn’t the non payment one monthly assessment period and full amount next monthly assessment period only happen once in the calendar year? Thanks