Universal credit

[ijustgiveup]

Sorry if non of this makes sense. I'm in work.

I've been paid twice in one month so universal credit are not paying me this month. This leaves me massively short to pay my bills.

I thought they had stopped doing that? So now after paying my rent I have no money for food or electric.

Does anyone know where I go from here? I've left a note on my journal but the offices are closed if a weekend

Hi! I think there's a way of getting an advance from your next month's payment and then you'll just pay it back over the next few months. Ask on your journal how to get an advance.

You received a duplicate payment, spent it and thought no more about it? What did you think had happened that they wouldn’t correct it ASAP?

@BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted

You received a duplicate payment, spent it and thought no more about it? What did you think had happened that they wouldn’t correct it ASAP?

No, she means she’s been paid from work twice (presumably paid on a 4 week cycle and it was a 5 week month). As UC is done on a monthly basis this regularly fucks people over

@BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted

You received a duplicate payment, spent it and thought no more about it? What did you think had happened that they wouldn’t correct it ASAP?

I presume the OP gets paid 4 weekly so therefore received two pay periods from an employer within the UC period.

I thought they'd stopped that too. Batshit that UC worked that way. Your salary still has to cover the same bloody bills!

@BitterAndOnlySlightlyTwisted no I didn't get a duplicate payment. I was off last month with covid so maybe because of that?

I normally get the same every month with UC and wages and this is the first time this has happened to me

Crossed posts

YANBU

Apologies OP. It wasn’t clear to me from your post that “being paid” referred to wages and not UC receipt. I’ve never claimed UC, have no idea how it works and it shows.

This must be dreadful for you. How long do you think it might take until DWP sort their shit out?

Is your employer able to give you an advance if you ask and explain the situation?

Can you explain better why you've been paid twice in one month? Saying you were off with covid last month doesn't give a reason for 2 payments? Or did you not get paid last month?

This has been an ongoing issue for people who aren't aware. Where the date of standard monthly payments happens to fall just within a 4 week period (often literally one days difference ) it screws UC up. It means that people lose a full month of UC support. It is not a double payment just a timing thing.

The equivalent to income would be removing 50%of your palpable because they decided to pay you on the 28th not the 29th.

They should respond to this Monday OP its supposed to be resolved now so they need to manage it with an advance

Isn't it when the universal credit month goes from, for example, 1st April to 1st May and the person gets paid from work on 1st April and then 31st April due to a weekend. Universal credit class it as earning too much in a month even though that second payment was for the month of May.

The OP shouldnt have to ask for an advance from her work. They've paid her properly.

Something needs to be done by UC to correct it. It's wrong this is still happening years down the line. It's been an issue for ages.

Unfortunately it can only be corrected if you are paid monthly as that's what the new legislation was brought in for. If you are paid 4 weekly then they won't change your award this month to only take one wage in to account.

This link has a good template letter to ask UC to reconsider. It also has a good summary of the court case for anyone interested:

cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights/legal-test-cases/universal-credit-assessment-period-inflexibility

As pp have stated it depends if you are paid on a weekly, fortnightly, four weekly or monthly basis.

UC have stopped using 2 months wages where you are paid monthly and for example your employer pays you early due to a BH or other reason.

They have not stopped using 2 wages if you are paid on any kind of weekly basis eg; 1/2/4. However there is a case waiting to go the high court on this so if you are paid weekly put a reconsideration then appeal in.

This wont help you right now but it could if the ruling is in favour of claimants. read more here;

cpag.org.uk/welfare-rights/legal-test-cases/current-test-cases/benefit-cap-and-those-paid-4-weekly

oh cross post with @chesirecat99

Sorry for the late reply. I've only just finished work.
I get paid every 4 weeks.
The cut off for the period for UC was on the 26th, I got paid on the 25th so I was paid by my employer twice in the period of that makes sense

It makes sense, in that is how assessment periods work and always have. Your option is to ask for a reconsideration and wait for the outcome of the legal test case.

Of course you can also request an advance which you would ned to repay or a discretionary housing payment for your rent. It is a fact that a person on UC with the same wage, but paid weekly, receives less UC than those paid monthly over the 12 month period.

It is much worse on UC if the benefit cap is applied.

@ijustgiveup

Sorry for the late reply. I've only just finished work. I get paid every 4 weeks. The cut off for the period for UC was on the 26th, I got paid on the 25th so I was paid by my employer twice in the period of that makes sense

This is inevitable with a 4-week pay period. Anyone paid 4-weekly will get 13 pay days in a calendar year. I can't see any way that UC can reflect that 13th payment in UC entitlement other than to count it as income in the period in which it is paid, tbh.

As most regular payments (council tax, season ticket, utilities etc) are paid monthly, the second lot of wages paid in the calendar month will have more disposable income, which should go some way towards making up for the loss of UC in that month.

The earlier problem, where people were getting 2 pay days in one assessment period when the normal pay day fell on a non-banking day, was effectively resolved when HMRC instructed employers to upload the pay date as the regular pay date, even if the actual pay date was a couple of days earlier. For most people, this should no longer be an issue.

Hi op this happened to me last month. I know it doesn’t help now but this should happen once a year so you can save up ready for next time.

@Saladd0dger I'm new to UC, I started getting it during lockdown so this is completely new and confusing to me. I was on working m/child tax before.

I'm just panicking about how I'm going to live for a month