To think cost of living payment should take yearly income into account

[MoneyWasJustRestingInMyAccount]

I am on a low income, and claim UC as a top up, most months I get a UC payment which really helps. However, in the qualifying month my UC award was nil, so I don't qualify for the cost of living payment. The reason it was nil that month was that it happened to be a five week wages payment from work that month instead of four. Also I had done an extra day's work (12 hours). I missed out on the earlier cost of living payment for similar reasons.

It's really getting to me as I came off disability benefits about a year ago (off my own bat) but am not yet able to manage full time work, hence the low income. However, as I work more than 16 hours a week the DWP doesn't recognise or financially make allowances for my disability - I'm treated the same as someone who COULD work more hours. So to miss out on the cost of living payment due to a quirk of how it's decided really rankles!

Aibu to think it should be based on yearly income? There must be loads of people who could really do with it missing out because their income fluctuates. Whilst others just happen to qualify if that was the one month their income was low.

However, as I work more than 16 hours a week the DWP doesn't recognise or financially make allowances for my disability -

wrong. 16 hour limit does not apply any more under UC

Did you get neither payment?

That sounds very unfair. Have you spoken to anyone about it?

Could you ask your MP to intervene?

That sounds awful. Surely there should be a system that takes account of things like five week wage months?

What is your yearly salary?

Are you claiming PIP?

There are a few of these cut off points that disadvantage people.

My friend, barely a bean to her name, turned state pension age at the beginning of October. To get winter fuel allowance this year you had to be born 3 weeks earlier. She has the same winter bills as every other pensioner.

I hope you get some sense and a payment, OP.

Really?! Do you know when this changed?

It was never part of UC.

i think you need to have a read about UC

Did you receive the first cost of living payment?

As I understand it, the cost of living payment is for high utility bills. I have a Ukrainian with me on UC (she refuses to get a job but that's a whole other thread). She got both CoL payments, the hosts, who actually pay the bills got nothing.

Anyway, yanbu OP. There is lots of unfairness in the system, in the defence of government though, designing a perfect system would be impossible.

I'm in the same position. Claim UC as a top up to my low wages. I try to do as much overtime as I can get but due to this I missed the qualifying months as my wages at that point just went over the UC limited, meaning I am not entitled to the COL top up.

That does seem really unfair. Would it be worth contacting your local council? I know mine has a discretionary budget for people who are struggling due to COL and your case seems to be exactly the sort of thing I'd hope it goes to -people who should have been entitled to and clearly need extra support and are trying to do the right thing.

I think the COL payments has highlighted a few issues in the system but in order to provide extra payments, in the cheapest way there will always be those that miss out. The system is not perfect as it can not account for every scenario, there always need to be a second pair of eyes. Currently, we have a government that values money over people, so the fact that some people are missing out is no concern to them.

Apologies, I realised I've mixed that up. (I did read all about UC at the time I claimed.) It's once you earn over a certain amount which equates to 16 hours at minimum wage, that they no longer take disability into account when calculating your work allowance.

Again oP - incorrect.

pip is not means tested at all

did you receive the first payment?

And limited capacity to work and work related activities - there is no limits. It is all about capability

I don't get PIP, only UC.
I also missed the first cost of living payment for similar reasons - there's only been two months this past year that I haven't qualified, it just happens to be the vital two!

Well in that case, why is the amount of hours or earnings relevant?

I don't understand why not claiming PIP changes any other information in my post. Or are you referring to the fact that I've missed both payments because of similar income fluctuations?
I'm really don't understand what you're getting at, sorry!

Because you OP refer to your disability in relation to this issue

came off disability benefits about a year ago (off my own bat) but am not yet able to manage full time work, hence the low income. However, as I work more than 16 hours a week the DWP doesn't recognise or financially make allowances for my disability

so a) you don’t work more than 16 hours a week even though there is nothing to stop you in terms of how much you would receive from UC

b) if you went over the threshold for receiving any UC and you only work 16 hours a week, even being paid 5 weeks - that would mean you are on a considerably higher than average hourly rate of pay

I agree it is wrong. It means that two people on the exact same wage but where one gets paid an averaged out monthly salary and one gets paid weekly then the first will get it and the second won't just depending on how many weeks are in that month

a) I DO work more than 16 hours a week. As I understand it, this is the problem I refer to with UC and disability. If I worked under 16 hours (or rather, earned less the equivalent of 16 hours min wage) they'd accept my disability affects working, and I'd get a "work allowance" I was allowed to earn before UC starts getting reduced. As I earn above this amount, I am treated the same as anyone getting UC and lose 55p for every £ I earn. Somehow the system doesn't allow for being unable to work full time unless it's restricted to less than 16 hours a week (or less if hourly rate is higher). (The old tax credit system DID allow for this scenario.)

This was as I understood it when I started work. However I now can't find anything that says the work allowance shouldn't apply to me, so hopefully there's been a mistake and I can sort that out.

b) I usually work about 25 hours a week at a little above minimum wage.
I was only just over the threshold for a UC payment in the qualifying months.

The reason I mentioned this is left out of your quote, I wrote "It's really getting to me as ..." and "to miss out on the cost of living payment due to a quirk of how it's decided really rankles". In other words, it's extra frustrating and seems more unfair as I'm already in a difficult position due to an apparent DWP blind spot.