A million WORKING adults face benefits cuts next year.

[Darkesteyeswithflecksofgold]

If they cant find additional hours or higher wages they will have to do direct mandatory activity.

www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/oct/04/million-working-adults-benefits-cuts?CMP=twt_fd

Well apparently we need not worry then????Mixed messages???

Universal credit transitional protection should be of some comfort to those of you already working part time.

does anybody have a link that says in plain english what groups have to work to recieve universal credit

eg,single parent has to work min 30 hrs a week etc
working couple has to work min 40 hrs a week

also will child maintanance count towards income

many thanks

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As I understand it from UC briefing note 9, child maintenance will continue to be completely disregarded. Spousal maintenance (ie maintenance for a former spouse or civil partner) will be taken into account in full. This will affect some people currently on tax credits, within which spousal maintenance is ignored. I?ve no idea how big this group of people might be - if anyone has seen any stats on this, I?d be grateful.

I?m assuming that, like other losers in UC, these people will be transitionally protected. However, in the long term (and for new claimants), this looks like a work disincentive. Someone currently on WTC and CTC, not claiming HB or CTB, would benefit entirely from any maintenance they received. So it is particularly worth working rather than being on an out-of-work means-tested benefit which takes into account spousal maintenance. Not so under UC.

For people who do claim HB and CTB, it?s more complicated. Currently spousal maintenance is all taken into account for HB and CTB unless you have a family premium included in the calculation. If you do have a family premium, there?s a £15 disregard. That will be lost under UC, although again there will be transitional protection (I assume).

This also looks like a disincentive to pay spousal maintenance, especially given that the existing disregards apply generally to income from a former or current spouse/civil partner, not ony to payments made under a court order.

Meanwhile, does anyone know whether the liable relative rules are going to continue within Universal Credit? These are provisions under which the DWP could technically pursue a liable relative (spouse/civil partner, parent etc) of a person who claims IS/irESA/ibJSA. I?m about to start on the task of finding someone in DWP who might know this, but don?t want to reinvent the wheel if anyone out there already knows?.?

So basically it would seem that they will leave child maintenance alone but spousal maintenance will be means tested ditto savings over £6,000. If you have savings over £16,000 you will not be eligible at all. This is not the case with current tax credits. As a lone parent you will be expected to 'keep in touch' with the job market.

ike1.

Do you know how many hours each a couple will have to work?

It would probably be hugely popular with benefit bashers Till they end up in this type of twenty first century workhouse system - then they will change their tune

Exactly Ivy, the thing is everyone at one point needs financial assistance unless of course extremley well to do.
Once the shoe is on the other foot and all that....

Not sure more than...Im kinda panicking and looking at the lone parent scenario. However, your current status will be protected-just dont go making any changes-gulp!

intresting thread

such a pity more people dont realise whats ahead in the next few years

My DH is SE and earned only £10k last year. This year isnt looking good either :(.

i thoight i read if ur child is under 13yrs you only have to work 20hrs and school time,but ive tried looking again and cant find it

my two eldest are 13 and i have a 5yrs old and currently am changing over to JSA next month,am getting a little worried,the advisors at jobcentre have admitted they dont know whats going on

and also alot of people dont realise UC will be paid monthly thats going to cause problems with some that are used to a weekly budget etc

I do wonder what the coalition expects us all to do with not enough money for bills, food & rent.
Lets hope homelessness isn't going to be on the rise especially with the rent top-ups that have also been put in place.
Once the maintence changes come into force, there is a £100 surcharge to claim from unwilling non-resident parent

All this government seem to be doing is fucking us all over, except the ones that suck gold spoons!

Omg thekidsrule -MONTHLY? How on earth is that going to work with weekly budgeting!
I buy my food weekly, and i also need to budget for our bills.
Worrying times ahead for all of us

With unemployment rising where do they expect the jobs or extra hours to come from

The system will be trailed in the North West in 2013 and then rolled out to new claiments in October 2013 - then rolled out to more people in 2014 and then the shift starts between 2014-2017 for old claiments of tc etc

So this system what is the likely hood of it crashing in 2013 and being unusable?

DC wanted to move IDS to another post so he could brush this under the carpet and forget about it - but IDS kicked up and didn't want to move, will this system bring this government to its knees? lets hope so, they have another 3 years at most taking us to 2015

yes the adviser told me and ive since seen it somewhere else

at the moment my payments are ctc weekly,is every 2 weeks and cb monthly

most on ctc get it weekly so is gonna effect alot of people

Oh dear thats not good at all!
Not only that but universal credit is a complete credit that entales everything except from child benefit.
So if all the benefits are included what totals are they going to expect us to live off? As all rent and childcare needs are different?

And what if you simply cannot get a job?
I live in a deprived area, the job market here is awful.

Pumpkin nothing will change for you at the change over ..it is if your circs hange afterwards that the problems occur.

pumpkinsweetiefor you of their own site

Additional support for Universal Credit claimants announced ? 20 September 2012
Frequently asked questions ? Universal Credit (55KB) ? published 9 July 2012
Policy briefing note ? Transitional Protection (25KB) ? published 4 July 2012
Universal Credit draft regulations published ? 15 June 2012
What?s different about Universal Credit?

The main differences between Universal Credit and the current welfare system are:

Universal Credit will be available to people who are in work and on a low income, as well as to those who are out of work
most people will apply online and manage their claim through an online account
Universal Credit will be responsive, as people on low incomes move in and out of work, they?ll get ongoing support ? giving people more incentive to work for any period of time that is available
most claimants on low incomes will still be paid Universal Credit when they first start a new job or increase their part-time hours
claimants will receive just one monthly payment, paid into a bank account in the same way as a monthly salary
support with housing costs will go direct to the claimant as part of their monthly payment.
What's happening to other benefits?

The following benefits are changing:

Disability Living Allowance will be replaced by Personal Independence Payment from 2013
Council Tax Benefit will be abolished in April 2013 and replaced by a system of localised support
Pension Credit will be amended from October 2014 to include help with eligible rent and dependent children
Social Fund is also being reformed to introduce new local assistance.
Personal Independence Payment
Social Fund reform
Other benefits will continue.

When does Universal Credit start?

April 2013 ? launch of Universal Credit pathfinder

Starting in April 2013, DWP, with our delivery partners in HMRC and local authorities, will introduce Universal Credit to claimants within certain areas of the North-West of England. This ?pathfinder? stage will help us ensure that Universal Credit is ready to go live across the rest of the country later in 2013.

Universal Credit Pathfinder ? Press Release 24 May 2012
October 2013 ? national launch of Universal Credit

New claimants: They will be able to make claims for Universal Credit from October 2013, while claims for existing benefits and credits will be gradually phased out. From April 2014, all new claims will be for Universal Credit.

Existing claimants: They will move onto Universal Credit in line with a phased approach that we expect to have completed by the end of 2017

This phased process will be completed in 2017 and we will continue to provide information on this, as it becomes available.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions ? Universal Credit (55KB) ? published 9 July 2012
More information

Draft regulations and policy briefing notes for Universal Credit
Impact assessment for Universal Credit (277KB)
Equality impact assessment for Universal Credit (275KB)
Universal Credit: welfare that works (November 2010) ? the Government?s plans to introduce legislation to reform the welfare system by creating Universal Credit
Information for local authority staff on Universal Credit

what do you mean if your circ change after ike1? Do you mean if a teen moves out and so then they will look at your whole claim?

will we keep getting ctc forms each april to fill in if we are already on the system?

ignore all the other text just the normal blurb

I am making assumptions from the info at hand that unless you have to make a new claim because your circs change you will remain under the old tax credit regulations.

does it,well if it changes only for new claimants than thats something,dosent help them though ajusting if before they were weekly in their payments

and i was under the impression that any change in circumstances will trigger the cease of trans relief,that would not be hard considering there are many changes that can happen

but this is half the problem there is no clear info about this,its all white paper this that and the other,there should be a more clear and informative one drop sit,mind i guess they dont really know what they are doing themselves

I am sure the pathfinder won't get further than the NW before its abolished. In Tameside, Wigan, Warrington etc there is high unemployment, part time workers and most receive benefit of some kind. Maybe why they have chosen these areas.
I am not going to worry anymore as have read articles tonight suggesting it may never happen.

So it may be called universal tax credits by 2017 but you will still be protected by the transition regulations as long as you have not had any changes in circs