Universal credit what my husband to go to the job centre, AIBU?!

[ImEasyLikeSundayMorning]

After a string off 'errors' that occurred out of nowhere, we have been kicked off tax credits, and we cannot reapply.

Both DH and I work full time and have not been out of work for many many years.

We can only apply for universal credit. We are entitled to a very small amount towards DC3's childcare but we are absolutely broke and desperate so need to apply.

Despite checking and double checking, during the application they did not ask for DH's income (self employed), but they did require mine.
DH had a phone interview today and has to go to the job centre next week to prove he is self employed and working.

We hare always just used his self tax form for that in the past.

Who can just drop work like that with a weeks notice?! I know I can't.

Is this a normal expectation?!

Wow, that's callous! I'm sorry.

Sounds like the self employment gateway appointment. He will have to attend as your payment doesn't get released if he doesn't.

It's to check his self employment is viable and meets the definition of self employment for UC. This is slightly different to Hmrc.

Don't blame the job centre staff, it's how the UC system is designed

You want the money you need to do as asked.
tax payers money needs to be correctly paid to the correct person.
boohoo…one appointment is hardly the end of the world

So why do they have to see him in person? It would be better if you could upload all the info to them. Saves them an appointment and saves the ops dh having to take tame of and losing money

Bit of common sense

They probably want to check if his S/E is viable. This isn't surprising if you are full time and he works 11.5 hours a day. He must be making less than minimum wage for you to qualify for tax credits. Very very surprising as a builder, but that's beside the point I suppose.

Id normally be really sympathetic to your feelings about this however some of your responses have been really rude. It's a one off appointment. If you are a specialist community nurse, I'm going to assume you're a band 6. Plus a builder working 12 hour days, I'm surprised you qualify for any UC anyway. I'm a lone parent and a nurse. I qualify for naff all.

I’m glad @PaniniHead posted this self employment guide. See if they can change appointment towards end of the day or via upload

You obviously haven't read the thread properly.
😘

Have you got a source for that date, please? We've been trying to find out the managed migration schedule so that we can start preparing our clients for the transition, but haven't been able to get any firm info, despite my manager having good contacts with DWP at regional management level. We certainly haven't seen anything that says by 2025.

No-one seems to have a clue which areas are being migrated when. If they aim to get it all done by 2025, they've only got a little over 2 years to do the whole country, so they must be doing it damn fast.

This area was one of the very last for the initial rollout, so hopefully, it will be one of the last again.

forewarned if it works out he's paying himself at least minimum wage it will be classed as not gainful employment

My son does upload , he still has to go in once every 3 months

@LisbonKid sadly there is an unsaid attitude to make things hard for claimants from the state. I've recently started work in welfare and all my colleagues say that theres an agenda to get more folk on to UC.

It's because of a divisive attitude from some voters who have read the Dail Mail maybe? I don't know.

weird how u jist got kicked off tax credits OP. if you think you're gonna be worse off ask Citizens Advice to help maybe.

I really feel for you, nothing worse than being broke when you're working so hard and thanks for all the work you're doing as a nurse. Good luck.

This! Claim needs verification, face to face works best and is actually quicker.
nothing to hide then nothing to stress over…

*less than.

in this day and age I can’t understand why this can’t be resolved via email! Why must he be physically present! Sorry OP they are notorious for being dicks! Hope you get sorted!

Try your MP if you have any issues. This is exactly what they are for to help with.

@ImEasyLikeSundayMorning I had time off sick because DC had covid and was in hospital and I had to go to a UC meeting just to turn up and the lady I was seeing go ‘oh you are still working then so this meeting is pointless’ yes yes it is I had to arrange childcare and travel it’s a joke but it hopefully won’t take long. Unfortunately I think it’s because the system can be so abused that if something is flagged up it’s a meeting rather than on line.

Sorry wasn’t clear because obviously my time off sick wasn’t paid so my income was down that month they thought I’d just quit work.

I wondered this.

But if it wasn't genuine and he wasn't self-employed/working then we would need more benefits.

I appreciate that for you, it worked out better. But for us, a different family, different area, different situation, it did not work out better.

I posted about it a few months back on here, and many people were worse off on UC.

If he's on CIS, it would be a good idea for him to take his CIS card to the appointment OP, that should satisfy them that his self-employment is genuine.

If he's not on CIS, he will need to register with HMRC as self-employed.

www.gov.uk/government/news/managed-move-of-claimants-to-universal-credit-set-to-restart

It’s very common. They often ask people to come in shortly after starting employment and that could be a days notice and you are expected to go in or you get sanctioned.

Yes, this.
We've claimed recently and although I have a full time job, I'm also self employed. They initially made me an appointment for the self employed part, but managed to complete it all over the phone after telling them I can't come in until the end of the month, but only because I'm mainly employed so I don't need to prove my self employment is 'gainful'.

I've actually found the whole process quite easy and all the staff I've spoken to (and DH has seen face to face) have been nothing but helpful and absolutely lovely.

We may just be lucky, of course.

@LakieLady Work Coach friend has been given a provisional timetable of the migration but he won't share it with me as he's paranoid as hell about me sharing the info online...I'm currently on ESA in the Support Group and he only told me ' no legacy benefits by 2025' as I was discussing when I'm likely to be reassessed (it was due in January but there is a hell of a backlog apparently. But even JC staff aren't being told how long the average wait for reassessment is in their areas).

I think it’s absolutely awful that in a rich country like this a specialist nurse and a builder have to hand their income topped up by the state