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?!

minimum income floor. if has been self-employed for more than 12months and his wages do not equal more than 37 hours pw multiplied by £9.50 (£351.50 pw) they will use the minimum income floor and he will be assessed as having that salary regardless of what his actual pay is.

And not everyone's suited to running a business, especially being a contractor. If everyone was people would be paying a damp sight more for their extensions

@ImEasyLikeSundayMorning Do see this through though especially as their is the 2nd cost of living payment they haven’t yet announced the eligibility dates for yet.

Once on UC you might like to look at this too.
www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/broadband-and-tv/broadband-for-low-income-families/

Lots of working families are better off on UC - Work allowance, disregard, higher childcare percentage paid and it reduces the overpayment risk of tax Credits. However there are some that aren’t. Horse has bolted for you though now.

If you have 3 or more children or someone has a health condition that requires more water look at your water company’s support. Often called watersure.

Autumndays123

by the way, the cost to the tax payer of the Government trying for all it's worth to prove benefit fraud is actually greater than the total sum of genuine benefit fraud.

And the cost to the tax payer of the barely investigated Corporate fraud is astronomical.

Just thought I'd mention it.

I'm neither thick, nor am I wrong. I didn't say 'people who claim benefits don't pay tax' I didn't say anything of the sort. I said that tax credits/UC are effectively 'free money'. Those who claim it are given a top up on their income. That includes those who are earning and those who are not.

No, I do not think it's unfair that those who claim attend meetings to discuss their claim. Not only from a compliance perspective, but for reasons such as the OPs current situation. Her DH is a builder - a sought after trade. He could be earning a very high wage. He could make a fantastic life for his family. There are countless grants and loans for business start ups, some of which are virtually impossible to be declined. However, the OPs DH has decided he can't really be bothered to do any of that, so would prefer to carry on claiming tax credits (despite the family struggling). That's not acceptable. Why should they continue to be subsidised so they don't have try increase their income? I assume meetings aim to catch situations like that, where claimants deliberately earn a low wage and rely on benefits instead.

It may not be the best system but it's there for a reason.

I’m bailing from this thread and going back to the supportive threads. I was in a really good mood until I encountered a massive ignorant arsehole.

You think tax fraud is barely investigated? Such a silly comment that it's best to leave it there.

Try not to let them get to you, I'm one of those awful people who has a disabled child so don't work or pay tax at all . I'm sure I'm right at the top of some of their shit lists !

In calling bullshit in that.

I know plenty of people in DWP both in processing and in the jobcentre who advise people to maximise their entitlement according to the circumstances. The carers are a prime example.

They aren’t all like Angela from the jobcentre.

DWP staff are often on UC themselves. They aren’t incentivised to remove entitlement. They don’t get bonuses.

Your husband really should be making hay while the sun shines, I can't think of a time when trades have had it better than this. But, the tide is turning, he needs to make the most of it! He could sign up to job quote sites and pick up extra jobs at weekends?

Oh yes how dare you look after your disabled child. Don’t worry about these foolish people. I’ve jumped through many hoops to get to where I am now when having an extremely difficult period in my life. Let’s hope nothing upsets their Apple cart. I just get an image of an old head mistress type sitting fuming about how shit her life became.

I'm self employed. Currently on tax credits but about to move to UC very shortly and absolutely bloody dreading it.

Couple of big issues with UC for self employed people.

Firstly, you have to submit your accounts every month. I don't do my accounts every month. I don't need to and I don't find it an efficient use of my time. It's much quicker for me to do them annually due to economies of scale. Having to take time out to piss around with my accounts every single month will be a PITA. And as any self-employed person will know - this time is money lost. It's something I never really thought about too much when I was employed.

Secondly, and this is a really big issue - compared to employed people, self-employed get less under UC. And if you're earning a fairly low sum and subject to the minimum income floor it gets even worse.

Basically UC work out what they think you should be earning for doing your job and set this as the minimum floor. If you earn over this amount, the amount you receive is reduced. Fair enough, right? But here's the catch..... if you earn below this amount, they don't increase the benefit. And because self-employed earnings can wildly fluctuate, it's very possible that people may have low income one month and very high the next. Over the course of the year, it equalises but become UC is calculated monthly it ignores that.

What that means in practice is that an employed person will get more in UC than a self-employed person where the minimum floor applies. Our income is already really insecure, we don't get holiday pay or proper sick pay and now we're being penalised all over again for the way our income peaks and troughs. Calculated annually, our income would be treated completely differently.

I know there's a public perception that we're all conning the system but that's so far from the truth for most of us. And I don't have any option other than to be self-employed as I have two disabled DC, one with high needs. It's all just shit.

The benefits system has cocked up my renewals in the past too OP, so I empathise. You're doubly pissed off about your DH having to lose an afternoon of income because this shouldn't be necessary. If you were still on tax credits you wouldn't have to deal with any of this, payments would be continuous. I get it, and I sympathise.

“don’t start with me lady” 😂😂😂

@Mfsf Did they ay what would happen if you didnt go to these appointments?

I am about to complete the paperwork to be the appointee for my own DS, who is also severely disabled. If I apply for UC for him in the future there is no way I can take time off work like that for 12 weeks.

I'm married to a builder, but I can't understand. I can't fathom how your combined income is so low you need to rely on benefits. What's his day rate?

We had a builder pop in about a job last week, charged Day rate £300. We don’t live in London either.
maybe your husband should look around, the demand is huge at the moment.

@ImEasyLikeSundayMorning we also both work ft, joint income under 60k - and found that tax free childcare actually gives us a better return than the UC they said we’d be entitled to (due to £1200 a month childcare costs)

is it worth looking into that and seeing which you’re best off with?

Bravo!!!

careful though, OP reports those who don't kiss her butt as being trolls.

Bloody hell, you’re a charmer aren’t you!

Fair enough. I only know what my uncle said was true - as I stated, I don't know how accurate the claim about todays staff and targets is.

I think you have to be a really bitter person to behave like that. I didn't once feel the need to look down on anyone when I was working and not claiming myself and with how the energy crisis is going I certainly don't see the need to make peoples life's harder with pointless interviews

Sometimes. Depends if I'm dealing with good people or dickheads.

So you genuinely think that the OPs family should stay on UC forever more because for some bizarre reason her DH can be a sub contractor but doesn't have the self confidence to be self-employed? That's fine. Absolutely. But no way should he get top ups on his income because he's lacking confidence/isn't good with figures

Well I agree with them, I'll take a chair in the charmers corner