Posting here because I’m really panicking. I’ve had a message from UC saying I need to update my passport photo and provide 4 months of bank statements. I’ve done both and then looked at my bank statements and they are so misleading. Basically, when I get paid, I pay all bills and then move all money into savings. I only ever have £50-£100 in my account at anytime. The rest gets put into savings and then I slowly move it into my current account over the month as I need it. A couple of years ago I really struggled financially and this trick means when I check my balance, I have no money so I don’t spend, when actually it’s in savings and then spreads for the full month. But because of this, the bank statements show that I have literally thousands of pounds coming into my accounts every month. It also shows equal for outgoings, but it’s £5k some months. I don’t have anywhere near this much money, but because I move it in and out of savings (sometimes several times a month, if I get paid work expenses or when my child’s DLA comes in). Even worse, one of the months, I cancelled a holiday, so got money back from the deposit, put it in savings, then used the money to pay off other bills. That month has £6,000 going through my account.
Im not completely broke, I work part time, I’m a carer for one of my kids (who has complex additional needs and can’t attend before/after school care, thus the part time), I receive DLA for the child as well as UC and child benefit. I don’t receive any child maintenance and I’m a single parent so paying all bills etc.
will they remove my payments for this? Do they actually look at the information in the statements, or just the income/outgoing? I’ve written a note in the journal asking but no one’s answering and I’m really worried. We rely on this money, I’m just about managing with it, but my rent and council tax are covered by my wage, everything else is paid for through UC. I’m so embarrassed that I’m so reliant on it, but we are and I can’t change that right now. What can I do?