UC

[Sidebysws9]

Does anybody else miss the old system working tax credit?. There seems to be no incentive to work more on UC and its waiting for the childcare costs to be refunded back if at all depending what you have earnt in that assessment period. I cannot understand why you have to wait longer than 4 weeks sometimes to claim anything back despite uploading a receipt anybody else fed up too?

get paid a week after your assessment period ends. My assessment ends 23rd of month I get paid 30th of month, so a week later, so if your assessment ended 10/2 you should have been paid 17/2.

Hell no. When I was on TC they were always fucking my payments up. Worst was when I did some overtime. Not only did TC decide I'd had a pay rise, so did HB. I actually had less money that month than usual. As they thought it was a pay rise I was in deficit for 3 months.

UC have never done that.

There's also definitely more incentive to work more on UC.

I'm a few quid worse off on UC. The transitional protection bumps it up for the first year. Luckily I have teens so don't have the childcare nightmare on it.
Never had a problem with tax credits, but I never changed my job or hours which probably helped.

No, I much prefer it. Of course there's incentive to work more, the more you earn the more UC you get to keep pound for pound. Personally I am better off on it. And you're unlikely to end up being overpaid as it's done monthly unlike tax credits! I put off switching for ages, wish I'd done it sooner.

Hi op

I'm from NI so not sure how different it is here. My childcare costs are due on the 1st of every month. I was able to apply to a fund for upfront childcare costs which when paid on the 1st I'm allowed to declare as my own payment on UC and submit an invoice, Then at the end of that month I am reimbursed up to 85% which I use for the following month and so on.

Is there nothing like this in the UK

But if your assessment period ends on 10 the feb, you will be paid Uc on 17th feb and that should cover any childcare costs between 11th jan to 10th feb ?

@Babyroobs my child attends childcare from the 13th Feb onwards. My assessment date was the 10th Feb so I've missed out for Feb. It would go onto March I called UC and checked. This is what I'm saying UC can be a little complex unless you are in this position I can see how you don't understand* *

You haven't missed out for February. The childcare isn't happening until February. The February UC is payment for January. The March payment is payment for February. The issue you have is that your provider expects you to pay when you book, and you have to book in advance.

@Lougle I know. I'm aware as I have said o spoke to UC. I'm aware of my payment dates. It's not a childcare provider issue it's a UC issue hence my post. I have missed out for Feb if half term was earlier I would of managed to get paid in Feb however it will now be March. The point is its a long time to wait isn't it? and I personally can't see the incentive to increase my working hours. * *

I much prefer UC to CTC but there's a big caveat here that I don't claim childcare costs. Just from seeing some.big support groups for UC, I can see what a nightmare childcare is. I think if they sorted that out, UC would be the best system they've had.

The incentive to increase your working hours is to simply earn more money.
The taper rate should ensure you’re always better off working.

The point about it being a long time to wait, don’t see how that’s relevant to increasing your working hours.

Quite frankly I don't see how your post is relevant either. What is it you've come to add? I work 2 jobs already. You evidently have missed the point, if someone is already struggling to pay their childcare costs upfront (you know what the post is about) why on earth would they take on more work incuring further childcare costs?