Switching from tax credits to universal credit

[Moneyworriesfear]

I’m a widowed mum to two children and have no family support. My daughter is 8 and has cerebral palsy and global development delays. I work mornings while she is in school but there is no suitable childcare available for me to extend my hours. At the moment I get my wages of £450, widowed parents allowance and tax credits. My daughter gets dla which gets spent on private physiotherapy and speech therapy.

My area switches to universal credit after Christmas and I’m so worried about paying my mortgage and bills. I can’t increase my hours because I can’t find childcare before and after school. I genuinely have no idea how universal credit works and everything I read is contradictory. I know there will be a gap of a few months when the uc starts with no money but I don’t know if there is then a back payment or if I miss out on a few months of income. I also don’t know what happens to my widowed parents allowance which should continue until my daughter is 18.

Has anyone experience of the handover period?

Are you sure you’ll even be put on universal credit? As long as nothing changes to your claim it should stay as it is for now (that’s how it works in our area, we have a child on dla as well).

Same in my area too if there is no changes you won't be put on UC until at least July 2019.

You won't go on it immediately unless there is a change of circumstances.

I don't know if you have Facebook but there's a group called UNIVERSAL CREDIT ESSENTIALS that someone recommended to me.
They are amazing and know the answers to almost everything UC related and can answer all your questions and do calculations on what you would be entitled to.

As far as I know when an area switches to UC it is for new claiments only and those who make changes to their benefits. Then there will be a migration of people already on benefits changing to UC. Your group which is classed as complex due to disability/children will be the last to change over and that will take quite a while possibly years.

Have you done a benefits calculator?
Turn2us is a good one as it tells you what cyrrent benefits yiu are entitled to and what UC you will get. This will at least allow you to plan ahead where possible.

UC is the worst benefit change and it is plunging already poor people in to an impossible situation.

Universal credit will take a month and a week to pay you, the day your claim start will be the first day of your month, for example the 11th of jan, they will then look how much you earn between the 11th of jan and 10th of feb, a week later so feb 17th you get paid and so on each month so you will have a period of no payments, BUT once you are set up with UC you can get an advance payment, it's usually up to your allowance amount and paid within a day or two. That's paid back over a year out of your UC payments.

My allowance is £300 odd standard as a single working person and £500 and a bit as a parent of two, I imagine you will get some disability element also? This allowance amount is then tapered off after you earn a certain amount, which depends on wether you claim the housing element too.

Sorry that's a novel but hopefully makes sense

Sorry that's a novel

Thank you. I'm just concerned as my tax credits are bumped up due to my daughters severe disability but I understand disability doesn't increase the universal credit award.

Op - as far as I’m aware there is still a disability element with UC.

There are also two disabled child additions.

Disabled child addition of £126.11 per month for each child or qualifying young person that is in receipt of DLA or PIP; or
Severely disabled child addition of £383.86 per month if your child or qualifying young person gets the highest rate of the care component of DLA, the enhanced rate for daily living of PIP, or is registered blind.
You can still receive a disabled child addition for a third or subsequent child, even if you cannot get the child element for that child.

I also get tax credits and will more then likely change to UC next year.
My son is severely disabled.
From the calculators I won’t really be any worse off on UC as there’s also a carers element.

@Babyroobs is very helpful and a fountain of knowledge.

I also have a child with disabillities who gets DLA si i have been teading about this my understanding is there is a transitional protections becausr of the didabillity element of tax credits so even if you are moved over you cant lose out on money untill at least 2022 when hopefully it will be a lot clearwr and fairer anyway?

Thanks Skater. Op just because your area is switching to Uc you will not have to change over to it unless you have a relevant change of circumstances. This would be something like moving to a Uc area and needing to make a new claim for housing benefit or needing to make a new claim for any of the six means tested benefits that Uc replaces. I can't see that you need to do that so you should just sit tight until managed migration happens. Everyone will eventually be switched over but this keeps being put back because of the chaos that UC has caused. It could literally be a couple of years before you are migrated across and your money should be protected. There are still disability elements on UC for disabled children and you may also be eleigible for a carers element as well. Try not to worry for now, you should be able to stay on the benefits you are on for the foreseeable future .

OP - as PP have said UC will only affect you if your circumstances change. The government are planning to swap everyone on income related benefits over "managed migration".
I volunteer at CAB and we have seen dates come and go for that, as well as delays to the current roll out. The government have said that no-one will be worse off due to the managed migration.

At CAB we are asked to pick up issues for campaigns and payment delays have been a major one. I'm sure CAB and other charities will be arguing that if the government are doing the migration then they shouldn't need a delay in payment, it is generally a bit shorter.