Universal credit over Christmas

[chelsh94]

So, I’m a single parent receiving statutory maternity pay (145 pw) and I receive a benefit top up with universal credit every month. Money is severally tight and has been during my whole maternity.
My universal credit assement period runs from the 23rd to the 23rd, work usually pays me the 30th. I have recently found out that I will be paid by my employer early, on the 19th of December. This means I will have received two months worth of statutory maternity pay during one assement period. Therefore my claim to UC will be stopped and I will need to reapply. I have spoken to UC about this to try and sort something out in advance, only to be spoken to like an absolute dog and told that it is absolutely out of their control and there is nothing they can do for me. Called citizens advice and they couldn’t offer me a remedy either.
Has anyone else suffered this and did they manage to sort it out?

This sounds atrocious! Can you ask work to pay you late instead?

Also, it may be worth talking to your MP. Probably won't help in the immediate term, but its MPs who are ultimately responsible for universal credit being so shit, and it's them who will have to solve it.

Ask work not to pay you? Explain it will leave you without money over Xmas and to leave you off the payroll

My understanding is that it doesn't stop your claim but that the amount you get is reduced or you don't get anything if it takes you over your allowance. The only saving grace is that you won't receive any pay in your next assessment period so your universal credit payment will be higher. I'm not sure you will actually be worse off.

I have this problem every year in december/january uc calculations. Wage reported late in Dec by local council (who employ me part time) to uc which means they class me as having no income in Dec and double in Jan. Uc payment goes off your monthly earnings that are reported for your assessment period not when you earnt them etc. Your claim wont be cancelled but your uc payment will go down in the month you receive two wages. Unfortunately it does make a difference as you lose the monthly allowance where you can earn up to a certain amount with no deductions to uc in the period where your classed as earning nothing (up to 200.00?) I went to mandatory reconsideration over this issue previously but the uc regulations allow this. Hope this makes sense

Hi didn’t want to read and run, I’d suggest keep calling, write a letter of complaint a lot of people will be paid early so are they stopping it for everyone? Hope it gets sorted feel
Very angry for you

It won't stop your claim, it will just reduce the UC amount that you get this month, or may cancel out any UC entitlement. next month if no pay is reported in your assessment period you will get full UC as there will be no reported earnings to reduce it. being paid early for Christmas will affect a lot of people on UC , many wont realise it and will be expecting a payment. There really is nothing that can be done unless they change the system. Its just a matter of plotting pay days and planning for when it will happen. It will balance out.

I have no idea but this sounds utterly mad. How absolutely ridiculous.

Babyroobs it doesn’t balance out at all; the extra in Jan is not in any way equal to the missing from Dec.

Yes DCAreMarvel is right, you lose your work allowance so doesn't 'right' itself, the following month, your UC will be more, but not as much as it would have been in over the two months.

This is an outrageous and recognised issue which is currently in court:-
www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=undefined&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwivt9DQ3MjfAhVSQRoKHVzjBdAQzPwBCAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fsociety%2F2018%2Fnov%2F27%2Fwomen-launch-legal-challenge-irrational-discriminatory-universal-credit-system&psig=AOvVaw2o0ObZxYNjgOXRKwmb9ubE&ust=1546299491836917 (the article gets to the point around paragraph 9)