Please explain UC to me, terrible stress

[Tiptoptum]

I have been on Tax credits for 15 years (working) and although a pain with overpayments it seems a lot less tricky than bloody UC.

Ive got a migration letter which ties in with me wanting to drop a few hours at work (personal reasons) but im getting in a real mess with AET and CET because on one hand they say it’s all about earnings, but on the other hand it’s also about hours!

Im a single mum to 3, (9/12/16) and I work 30 hours a week. I earn just over 18k gross.
I want to drop 3 hours a week to 27 hours which will be earnings of just over 16k gross. This will be just over the minimum wage.

I know I am fine for the earnings threshold as I get £1300 pm and will only lose £100 pm if I change hours, but I am not clear on how they work out how many hours I should be working as it’s a vague “up to” 30 hours.

So how do they decide? I have to work around school hours, we are out in the sticks and the buses are unreliable, the youngest is in a breakfast club to allow me to start at 8 anyway.

I am literally worrying myself stupid. The 3 hours will improve things a lot for me, especially my mental health, but I’m now nervous to agree to it, if UC are hoping to announce I should be working 30 hours.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

In brief, you'll be fine.

Your youngest is 9 and whatever's expected work wise will need fit around their needs, school run etc. Seen loads of cases where single parents work at your current level without being leaned on to more.

Been a lot of hoo hah over this becuase the Tories would like to up the thresholds and do various other things to press gang people into doing more work.

Thankyou. I’m so worried that I think I’m being a bit irrational.
I have no issues working (as I already do) but I’m finding the demands of everything is becoming too much and for my own sanity I need a few hours less work.
I just have visions of regular meetings with a coach half my age being forced to update my CV and apply for jobs that are more hours.
I hate claiming benefits but I especially hate how it feels like I can potentially lose control of where I work on UC
I would love to earn more, I’m currently over NMW but not much, but there isn’t much that fits in with the rest of life either!

Will it be flagged up if I reduce hours before I move over??

Short version is don't believe the hype about UC. It's a far better system than anything that has gone before it, as is PIP. You'll be fine.

For individual claimants, the AET is £677 per assessment period. As long as you earn more than that, you won't be expected to increase your work hours.

It's 30 hours x NMW the actual hours worked are irrelevant. Currently the AET is relevant however it's changing soon and some work coaches are wrongly implementing it already. But as you earn 30 hours x NMW it's fine either way for you.

It is a much easier system for most and much less chance of overpayments. The AET's are still ridiculously low so I wouldn't worry until all your kids are secondary school age.

I earn 30 hours now, but it will be going down to 27 shortly. I’m still over the AET by quite a considerable amount, and still over it if it goes up, so I hope it will be straightforward as I’m finding the horror stories stressful to say the least!

I went from 40hrs down to 28 and nobody questioned it.

As PPs have said, the number of hours are irrelevant, and the hours are only used to calculate the minimum expected earnings. So most people (without illness/disability, very young children, or other caring responsibilities) would be expected to earn the equivalent of 30h a week paid at NMW, which is currently £1354.60/month (gross). If you'll earn that even after reducing your hours, you'll be fine. But even if your earnings are slightly less, it's very unlikely that it will be an issue. You work coach is supposed to make allowances for your circumstances including the fact that you have 3 children in school (the youngest at primary):
"While your child is under 13 your work coach has to make sure your work activity fits around school or nursery hours. This includes the time it takes you to travel there and back."
Check you’re in the right Universal Credit work-related activity group - If you’re in the all work-related activity group

Honestly you will be fine.
UC is calculated each month so the chances for overpayment are very slim.

You’ll be able to claim more back for childcare. Tax credits is 70% and UC is 85% and up till age 16 so covers summer camps( as long as they are Ofsted registered)

As a single parent they will take your circumstances into account.

I think it’s actually really unfair on single parents. I don’t have a wingman, there is no one who can cover for me whilst I get a second job, and it’s not as simple as just increasing your hours, most people do the maximum hours they can manage.

I do hit the new AET, but all there are now all manner of people who work, who are now being pressured to work even more. Now.
It is a huge jump, I’m on some FB pages for UC and there are people on their knees, being sanctioned, trying to make someone listen to them, unable to just magic extra hours up.

I am just moving over and I’m trying to claim some childcare costs, some were covered by WTC and some aren’t, only it seems the general ethos is that they need to be difficult over paperwork, I’ve submitted and submitted it, but I’m only claiming for £100 instead of the £156 I’ve paid, and I have explained this to them over and over, but they keep chucking it back because I’m not showing £156 paid in the period.

I find the whole thing really cruel and demeaning if I am honest. If the Government didn’t allow employers to use UC as a top up for shit wages we would all be better off

18 hours a week is not exactly a lot to work. It's less than half of what most people work. if you are a carer or have young kids you are exempt form even working 18 hours, so those people are fortunately protected.

How much was paid in the period? Why aren't you claiming for that amount?

Call the Citizens Advice help to claim line on the number in your migration letter. They will explain everything for you and help you make your claim if you need some guidance

@Tiptoptum It's designed to be cruel and demeaning. That's the Tory way. The hope is that people will just stop claiming due to how awful it makes them feel and the stress caused. Then we will see the results of destitution as more people can't afford even basics. Except the GE was announced so let's hope not now.

I do hit the AET, I work 39 hours, with 3 children with no help. I also don’t get any help from my ex husband.

I actually find tackling all that plus single parenthood bloody difficult. I cannot imagine what it’s like to be trotting along working, managing all the crap and then suddenly you need to be earning 33% more and on top of that you are pulled in every five minutes to be interrogated over what you are doing to earn more.

Im not of the mindset that anyone on benefits should have their lives made miserable, but I'm especially of the mindset that those who actually work should not keep having the rug pulled out and told their best isn’t good enough.

I meant 30 hours. Slip of the finger there!

I’m no fan of the current govt but this is just meaningless invective. The application for UC can be done at home in your own time online. Or you can utilise the free help given by CAB help to claim service which DWP specifically signposts you to on the migration letter. The way UC works takes away cliff edge restrictions on work that were a feature of legacy benefits and many find they are better off under UC as they are able to work more and still claim.

Its perhaps because of these benefits that Labour have no plans to change the system, but that doesn’t suit your argument does it

What is it about the design that you find cruel and demeaning?

Most people I speak to on UC are happy enough with the system and many find it better than the legacy benefits.

Does anyone know the answer to this?
When I applied for UC at the beginning of the month I included everything, wages, CSA, CB and savings which took me to over 6k

I am due to get my notification next week of what I will get, but am I meant to update what I have? I believe that I’m meant to update what I have across my accounts taking off CSA and child benefit, plus I’ve spent some savings this month?

If I am meant to do this, how do I do it? Is it a change of circumstances or do I write something on my Journal?

Thanks!

You could write exactly that in your journal and ask them - they will probably tell you what you need to do. I don't think they include your wages together with your savings.

It is really stressful and does feel demeaning. I know as I've been there as a single mum too. But it has worked out okay in the end for me. It's when your youngest reaches 13 that you'll need to up your hours to 30 a week I believe, but they should take your individual circumstances into consideration, so hopefully you'll get a supportive work coach. Good luck, and try not to worry (easier said than done, I know!).

I had to change to UC after a change in circumstances, not migration, so not quite sure how things are with this, but the worst thing for me was the 5 week wait for it to come through, my assessment period (ended up changing all my direct debits) and being self employed with non-regular income. Much better now I'm paye again.

You can report it as a change of circumstances, selecting the 'money, savings and investments' option. Money that you receive in an assessment period isn't counted as savings until the next assessment period.

I think my issue is that I have some savings (not much over 6k) so anything I include by mistake increases that.

Ive written in my journal, because I think I’m meant to re add everything up, then take off my Child Benefit and my CMS as they don’t count?

However, it all seems shrouded in mystery, and they don’t tell you that, I’ve no idea how to do that and Google doesn’t seem to understand what I am asking!