To think Universal Credit are cunts.

[CatCave]

To cut a long story short, I broke up with my partner and moved out of our home to rent on my own. This happened in July.

Last year when I was still with him and did not claim benefits I had two part time jobs and was taxed double on Job 1 and nothing on Job 2.

Job 1 offered me full time so I quit Job 2 but was still being taxed far too much.

I received a refund of this tax in my August wage. Universal Credit have counted it as my earnings and are not paying me anything this month.

I don't think this is fair. I have already paid for the tax once, had it refunded and now I'm effectively paying for it again through losing a payment which I would normally be entitled to?

I have to go to an appointment to appeal to a "decision maker" but have been told its very unlikely that they will change their minds.

When I received the tax rebate I used the money to pay off arrears I had fallen into by being taxed too much in the first place so its not as thought I spunked the money on crap when I should have saved it - I had no idea they would do this!

AIBU to think I should have been paid UC as normal?

What's more is that I have to attend the bloody job centre, I'm a single parent and work full time, its humiliating.

my biggest bug bear is that some of the staff that they employ, don't know what they should about the benefit they are giving advice on

It's not necessarily the staff's fault. The training they have had is woefully indequate, the regulations and DWP's guidance for decision makers are really badly drafted and inadequate so decisions are inconsistent, the IT system doesn't address the massive variety of pay arrangements and circumstances and half the time staff just have to wing it.

My team has regular meetings with senior DWP managers and they often cannot answer our questions. Our housing managers have separate liaison arrangements, also with senior managers, and they really struggle because the system devised does not work properly for people in social housing where rents are charged weekly, rather than calendar monthly.

Until there is a comprehensive body of case law (there are no end of legal challenges in the pipeline), these anomalies and ambiguities will not be ironed out.

The whole thing is a complete shitshow.

No, because they can't comply with the government's own guidance on how to do it!

They're probably wondering why the hell they should change all their payroll systems just to fit in with some stupid inflexible system the DWP are imposing on some of their workforce.

Just like landlords are wondering why the hell they should have to go through a special application process, which can be refused, to get the rent paid directly to them.

Just like childminders are wondering why they have to jump through a whole load of extra hoops to provide sufficient documentation for parents to claim childcare costs.

UC was sold as a highly flexible one-size-fits-all system. TBF in some ways it is more flexible but in other ways it's incredibly rigid and the system expects the rest of society to be flexible around it. And one size most definitely does not fit all.

I think that is very very unfair - as you say you had to use the money to pay off the debts from being charged too much tax in the first place - it didn't give you any extra income, as such.

However I wouldn't hold my breath that they'll be fair about it. UC is an utter joke. I became very unwell 2 years ago and had to claim benefits for the first time. It was made as difficult as possible - I didn't get any money for 5 months - it then took more months to get the child element, another year to get the medical element and 2 years later I'm still not getting the mortgage help I am entilted to and I'm getting into debt. The people that work for UC are as confused about it as the people attempting to claim it.

Well I went to my appointment, after having to go into work for most of the morning and leave at lunchtime to get to the job centre.

The woman I spoke to was sympathetic and tried to be helpful but basically said I received the rebate during my assessment period and UC will say that anything else is irrelevant. She agreed to forward my appeal for mandatory reconsoderation but told me she was 90% that it wouldn't change anything.

The only other help she said I was eligible for was bloody foodbank vouchers which I would actually need to take time off work to collect and use because of the opening times. Plus I can't pay the remainder of my bills which are due this week with foodbank vouchers.

I have phoned citizens advice but they more or less said the same as the woman in the jobcentre. Depending on the outcome of the reconsideration I might go to my MP but he's a Tory so doubt I'll get much support there.

If I hadnt been overtaxed in the first place, there would have been nothing to affect my universal credit so I genuinely am baffled as to how they think its fair to take it into account now.

Unfortunately it is up to the individual to make sure they are on the correct tax rate.
Lots of people leave it wrong then they can claim the lump back, not nowadays especially if claiming an UC.
I am sorry it has happened this way.

If your MR is not successful the next stage is appeal - it gets looked at by someone outside of the DWP. Happy to help with an appeal submission (like a formal letter) if it gets that far.

Emerald I couldn't have changed my tax rate any sooner than I did. The mistake was HMRCs fault not mine. I left one job and notified them as soon as I got the paperwork through, noticed I was still paying too much tax then checked online and they still had me down as being employed by two places.

Pencils I really appreciate that. I'm quite competent/ articulate but I've never had to deal with anything like this before, so an extra pair of eyes would be very welcome, thankyou

I have also tried to join the FB group suggested by a PP upthread but they havent accepted my request yet.

I queried a high tax code years ago and was told in no uncertain language by HMRC that it was right.
Guess who received several hundred pounds tax back a couple of years later .

UC staff taped making derogatory and disabilist remarks.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/universal-credit-staff-taped-making-20468965?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar