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! 😡

www.disabilitynewsservice.com/tory-conference-charitys-silence-on-universal-credit-deaths-hours-after-minister-announces-51m-funding/

Fucking hell! I'm splitting from my h very soon (just getting my ducks in a row) and absolutely dreading claiming UC. It seems like these problems could so easily be resolved and the fact that they are not shows the government's absolute contempt for the working classes

Ok I’m getting hung up on the interview I know but I see no sense in sending an already low paid worker to an interview to prove their identity (especially if they are already receiving tax credits or whatever) which gives them less money at the end of that month due to having had to take time off work. What if it’s really difficult to get time off? What if you are in a decent paid job but you have to claim for help with housing costs because you have the misfortune renting privately in an expensive area. What if you’re a nurse, new teacher, childminder etc etc. Where do they hold these interviews and how long are they? Do you get to choose your day and time? What a farce.

And has it changed because I do t remember hearing you had to go for an interview if you were already in full time work.

I'm shocked and appalled that this is how UC works.

Have you contacted your MP? I would be banging down his/her door.

Can you speak to your employer and see if anything can be done about the date on which you are paid?

These are the UC rules concerning two payments in one month and 4 weekly paid salary and weekly paid when you have 5 pay days in a month - nightmare

Msny people will suffer due to this system

Thanks for so many replies.

I work for the council so can't change my pay date. I'll just have to cancel my claim and start it again so the assessment period isn't right on pay day. Hopefully that will work.

I'm going to write to my MP and TM not that she gives a hoot about us 'low earners'!

I think I'm the person firesuit said was complaining about being paid 4 weekly and not having the money to cover for it.
I did explain about 4 times in that thread that it's not that DH gets paid 4 weekly, we've saved some money for that.
But DHs employer had declared his earnings to HMRC late, which made 2 payments fall into the same assessment period!
We hadn't budgeted for this because there was no way of knowing this was going to happen, and we needed that months money to help budget towards the month where we knew we wouldn't be getting any UC.
I explained this 3 time a on that thread and everyone just kept saying it was because he got paid 4 weekly.
I just want people to understand it's NOT just the month you know your going to get your 2 4 weekly payments.
Employers are fucking it up for the employees too by declaring income late.
Then the month where DH has earned nothing (because his pay hadn't been declared) we was getting harassed about why DHs pay had changed and why we hadn't informed them and that because of that we weren't following through with our commitments and could be sanctioned.
It took a lot of phoned calls and visits to the job centre to prove his earnings with wage slips.

Before you cancel you claim, do check whether this is going to be rectified this month. As a pp pointed out, between 15/09/18 and 14/10/18 your income will be zero - will that not affect your benefit entitlements? It might be that you get twice as much the next month and it's all OK.

The rules are set up for those who will get 2 payments in a month once a year as they are paid every 4 weeks and UC is every calendar month. They get 13 pay days a year and it is quite correct that they should lose a but of UC in the month they get paid twice. The same rule being applied to you makes sense from a logistics of administration point of view and is clearly wrong but if it will be automatically rectified next month under the same principles then all is OK?

UC uses real time information, unlike HB where people take there payslips to district council to show earning - earnings are calculated and then you get benefits, then as your wages fluctuate you end up with overpayments...

UC if your employer is late, early or incorrect in there inputting this will have direct consequences on your UC

What if you are in a decent paid job but you have to claim for help with housing costs because you have the misfortune renting privately in an expensive area

Housing event for a 3 bed house is £146 per week in my area, which is an expensive area.

Your income & household numbers is how you are assessed to claim not the rent charges

Not the rent you pay

So I can rent a 3 bed house for 800 a month or 1100 a month

I’ll still only get a maximum of £146 and no more than that

Incidentally my local hospital has staff travelling 30 miles a day to work because they can’t rent in the area, agents won’t rent to them as they don’t earn enough...

I know but I see no sense in sending an already low paid worker to an interview to prove their identity (especially if they are already receiving tax credits or whatever) which gives them less money at the end of that month due to having had to take time off work. What if it’s really difficult to get time off?

I think the time off is a really good point. They should have late night/weekend opening at job centres when people in work have to attend interviews.

You can tell the whole thing was dreamed up by wealthy white people who have no idea about the reality of lots of people's working lives.

I'll just have to cancel my claim and start it again so the assessment period isn't right on pay day. Hopefully that will work.

Before you do that, I'd check that it will actually work.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were "rapid reclaim" rules that mean your claim is reactivated on the same basis as before if you close it and then claim again within a short period.

I’m on for my interview soon, will report back. See how my new student life fits into their criteria

Lackie, did you really just say that out loud?
Wow.

It seems odd that if you own your own home outright and therefore have no housing costs that if you have kids you can still have the first £409 of your wages disregarded before your wages reduce your UC, as surely they are the group of people least likely to need the help . Some things just don't make sense.
The percentage of people owning their own home outright and needing to claim UC will be very low.
It’s actually refreshing to see claimants with mortgages receiving some support.
You get no help with housing costs for six months then just a loan on interest. If you rent you receive up to maximum housing costs immediately .

Wealthy white people?

White people?

White?

so if im reading right the employer if not on time submitting figures can also mess payments up

This happens to me pretty much every other month. I'm paid on the last Friday of the month (rather than a set date) and my assessment period is 28-29th of each month. I sometimes do then get the full claim the following month as they take it that I've had no income at all, but it's not double and I'm definitely still worse off by it.

I'd be interested to know if cancelling your claim and reapplying with a different assessment period works. I've raised this with UC numerous times and they have said nothing can be done about it. If my assessment was for example, 13th-14th each month, I'd always be fine as my earnings would always be correct.

I'm certain that if it meant people were being overpaid due to this, the system would have been rectified in an instant. Yet underpayments clearly aren't their problem.

So ive just left meeting, very nice chap.

I took evidence of my course- which I wasn’t asked to but glad I did.

I have to attained a work commitments meeting on Monday despite being exempt from job searches as I’m a full time student.

I can’t apply for an advance as I’ve not had student finance through yet. If I’ve not got this by 2nd November my claim will be cancelled.

Luckily I didn’t resign, I’m on a career break but I’m v v close to having to return to work and leave Uni

I'm certain that if it meant people were being overpaid due to this, the system would have been rectified in an instant. Yet underpayments clearly aren't their problem.

The system was changed to make sure overpayments stopped & this is the result...

Shame they don’t stop cooperate business tax loop holes think of the money that would come pouring in for NHS, schools & transport

regarding the interviews - everyone has to go for the ID interview to show Id documents even if you were on benefits previously I believe. They are at the local job centres and when you have made the claim online you ring UC to book your appointment. I'm not sure whether anyone then has to have a work commitments interview - I'm guessing if you are already fulfilling your working hours then you don't have to attend. if they consider you not to ne earning enough they may just ask you to agree to your work commitments on your journal- which might just say something like " I will do all I can to look for better paid work or more hours " ! Uc wont pay you until you agree to those work commitments. If you have no job and are a single person your work commitments will be harder - to job seek for 35 hours a week, attend training courses etc and these are agreed with your work coach at a meeting. If you are ill or cant get to the jobcentre then it can be agreed that it's just a telephone interview, if yu are handing in sick notes hopefully ( if you have a nice work coach) you will be exempt form job searching !! My single friend has to job search for 35 hours a week as her kids have all just left college and working and at Uni. She has to job search 35 hours a week and write silly essays for her work coach .

Some job centres are open at the weekend, or you could ask for it to be done on the phone. Sometimes you can verify your identity online but I think even then you still have to go in for the interview.

This makes me really glad I have a job