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! 😡

It sounds very difficult. I suspect where people can manage it coming off these benefits entirely might be better and easier in some ways eg original poster works 30 hours. I have worked at least 50 hours week even with only weeks old babies and always full time and we often had a second job and at least it meant avoiding these awful benefits rules. They sound a terrible nightmare for people.

I'm about to start a new part time job after being signed off for a couple of years due to ill health, I'm basically being forced back into work, I got kicked off ESA after 18 months because it was decided that, despite having been diagnosed with a serious heart condition, I'm suddenly fit for work again, (God bless the WCA) even though there have been no changes in my condition. So my choices were, go back to work full time and hope my heart doesn't explode, or go back part time knowing that I'll HAVE to claim UC in order to make ends meet, (it's only just being phased in in my area so it's chaotic at the minute) I don't even know that I'm entitled to anything, different websites give me different info and my job coaches are pretty much clueless about UC, not their fault, I know.
One of my best friends was in a similar situation a couple of years ago, despite a long history of mental health problems he was switched over to JS and told to start looking for work. He tried to tell the DWP he wasn't fit for work, applied for ESA, did the WCA test, failed, appealed it, got his MP involved, the whole shemoigle. Then the sanctions started after he missed some appointments, after the third sanction he opened his 17th floor bedroom window and, well, gravity is a bitch.
What does it say about a government and it's policies when the fucking UN steps in and says that their policies are detrimental to disabled people and their well being. How these fuckers sleep at night is beyond me, I'm assuming that you need to be a sociopath to be a Tory MP, or just a cunt.
As for that bitch McVey, you can bet that Mrs.Thatch will be looking up from her throne in Hell, smiling and saying "that's my girl"
I've despised the Tories, and anyone who votes for them, all my adult
life and I'll never understand how anyone who considers themselves to be a decent, compassionate, honourable human being, can vote for them in good conscience, they are beyond vile.

It sounds very difficult. I suspect where people can manage it coming off these benefits entirely might be better and easier in some ways eg original poster works 30 hours. I have worked at least 50 hours week even with only weeks old babies and always full time and we often had a second job and at least it meant avoiding these awful benefits rules. They sound a terrible nightmare for people

What a simple solution.
Oh how easy this would be for someone who doesn’t get to bill their time out by the hour and for more than £8.

Yes indeed wouldn't that be nice. I have work full time and have two kids on my own. I need universal credit to cover the cost of childcare. My childcare is more than I make an hour. I would love to live without UC but while my kids are small I need it to be able to work

Wow!! How can they do that?!

Does anyone know if weekly pay (my job is weekly pay) would be affected or is this just for monthly/4 weekly?

Hang on though. If there are twelve paydays in a year. And twelve UC assessment periods. And in one UC assessment period there were two paydays. Doesn't that mean that in another UC assessment period there will be no payday? Will you get more UC then?

(I'm not saying it isn't all bollocks, budgeting wise, but isn't that what will happen?)

Needs a Sock It sounds like you went above and beyond.

Xenia Sometimes the extra hours just arent there. Employers arent going to give the extra hours when they are not getting the footfall from their customers because their customers have been transferred over to UC or been sanctioned for dubious reasons.

Im using mass market retailers as an example.

Because these policies WILL affect the economy.

George - yes that's exactly what people are saying.
Snap - if you are paid weekly then some months you will get less UC ( when 5 days fall in your assessment period) and some months you will get less UC ( when there are 4 pay days). It would probably be best to plot out pay days and assessment periods so that you can plan.

I know sometimes the extra hours aren't there. My son drives a van full time and a lot of his colleagues are often after overtime. However someone above is going back full tie not part time in order to avoid (as they are paid enough full time ) claiming benefits so sometimes my advice does work. I have not said it works for everyone. Those worried about UC and who are working part time do consider if you can make your part time money up to enough to pay the rents with a second job and no benefits however. My other son cycles for Ubereats and Deliveroo and those kinds of jobs do mean you can work when you choose and there is often demand at weekends when some couples have a bit more free time and their partner can look after the child whilst they do a shift. Cycling for work (if you can afford to buy a second hand bike) does also tend to keep you fit and happy too so it can be win win doing that kind of work.

@SnapAndFartAllDayLong Does anyone know if weekly pay (my job is weekly pay) would be affected or is this just for monthly/4 weekly?

Definitely yes - with weekly pay you will have usually 8 months a year where you have 4 paydays and 4 months a year where you have 5 paydays. Your income will therefore be assessed as being 25% higher in those 4 months and your entitlements will be completely different. You would be expected to just factor budgets on the assumption of only getting benefits 8 months a year.

I'm really struggling to get my head around this! Can someone please explain, sorry if this is stupid but I really don't understand! I get paid on the 1st of the month but if that falls on a weekend or bank holiday I will get paid on the Friday before, so if I start my UC claim on the 1st of the month that is when my assessment period starts and they will count me as having been paid twice on the months my pay goes in a day or 2 early and I will therefore not get any UC that month. Is that money just lost or do you get that or some of it back another month? And does that automatically end your claim and mean that you have to go through all the paperwork and job centre appointments again? If I make sure that I put the claim in, say on the 15th, is that enough to make sure that that will never happen? Is there anything else I should be aware of before starting a claim? Its all so complicated! I'm not in an abusive relationship but it is definitely over and apart from this life will be much better when h has moved out, there will be a lot of women though who will stay longer in abusive relationships to avoid all of this UC nonsense and that is awful.

Fox - Yes best to keep your assessment start/ end as far away from your payday as possible .

Babyroobs thank you

Does anyone know if weekly pay (my job is weekly pay) would be affected or is this just for monthly/4 weekly?

Weekly pay depending on amount can hit UC very hard.
If you are NMW 16h per week you could be capped for several months of the year where are an employee doing the same job same hours for the same wage but paid monthly will be fine.

I'm beginning to think Xenia is Esther McVey. Get on your bike people, cycle twenty miles to the closest place that offers Ubereats and you're quids in!

FFS.

No Xenia is not Esther.
She’s an exceptionally talented ex island owning legal bod who is actually trying very hard not to be quite so dismissive about lower income families and of late appears to have become rather more open to understanding some of the barriers those people may have.

I rather like her

Anyone who is paid weekly will have some months of the year where 5 paydays fall within your assessment period and therefore your UC amount will be less. On month where 4 weeks fall in your assessment period you will get more UC. It should be fairly easy to work out by plotting your paydays and assessment period dates on a calender which months will be affected.

Can anyone advise on what happens to self-employed people who have children when UC comes into place? Currently we get tax credits (bit of working tax and child tax) for two kids. I don’t work but DH is self employed and works over 35 hours. I’ve heard self employed people get very penalised. Can anyone advise? Will DH have to attend an interview when UC comes into our area and will we basically get the same amount of UC as we do as it’s only working tax and child tax?

Also what about people with savings? Do UC look at what money people have in the bank to see if they’re liable for UC or does that not matter?

Re savings you have transitional protection if you get moved over to UC so you can have unlimited savings.
After a year you must have less than 16k, for savings between 6k and £16k you lose £1 for every £250 of savings.

babyroobs
What happens in actual practise is huge amounts of claimemts don’t get more UC in the months with 4 weeks they get capped instead.

I guess that depends what earnings and amounts of Uc are surely ?

On the self employed question I might be wrong but I thought I had read that UC would aim to stop those people not making muchy money as self emplioyed who are topped up when their earnings are never going to grow much and everyone would be better off including other tax payers if they went into a full time job (assuming they can find one at all of course) but I think that was more aimed at the hobby kind of job, sort of pretending to do a bit of hair dressing earning very little and claiming a lot of top ups.

Yes Xenia - They are trying to discourage those with self employment that earns very little by applying a minimum income floor for the self employed after the first 12 months.

self employment is one area that Tax credits was badly abused

my ex friend was really only working a few hrs a week but was getting big payments

she is gonna get a shock when she changes

UC deals with this by assuming a minimum amount of hrs

flopsy - Yes I've known people sell clothes on Ebay for a few hours a week to get the wtc. The system needed to change, I can't believe you can be allowed to sell a few glittery wine glasses on a fb selling site and get wtc. The mif on Uc does seem to be problematic though and a lot of hoops to jump through.