Universal Credit

[Catmatrat]

I’m currently receiving universal credit as I am now a single parent. Prior to this I hadn’t received anything like this for a few years as OH earned over the threshold and it was tax credits back then.

It has somehow worked out that one month I’ll get a big payment ... the next nothing. This is due to some sort of assessment period and in the four week months I am paid twice in this window.

Thinking about it I should obviously just half the payment and keep one half till next month but life isn't that simple and there is always something that needs paid.

Does anyone know if if I spoke to them and explained they might change my window so I’m only being paid once in it? For reference I’m paid on the last Thursday of every month.

The bit in the box is what I was trying to say but I can’t work out if it would affect me ...

It usually only happens once a year for people on 4 weekly, but quite frequently in happens two or three times.

For people paid 2 weekly or weekly, it's an absolute mess!!

I am paid 4 weekly and hit with this, but if I were to lose my job and looking for another, I actually worked out I actually COULD NOT EVEN TAKE UP A JOB that was paid 2 weekly or weekly, as it would be financial chaos and leave me in serious trouble. As this problem of assessment periods happens a LOT if paid 2 weekly or weekly. It would actually be more straightforward and make more financial sense to refuse a 2 weekly / weekly paid job and be sanctioned (which would also lose me money and save them some money albeit not as much as if I was working and paid weekly so win win for them)- I'd actually be 'better off' fully sanctioned than taking up work in some cases!! - fact. 'Making work pay' and 'we want to help those just managing' indeed!!

Personally, I would rather have a tax credits overpayment to be paid back in instalments (notified them every time a change occurred and only got 1 overpayment in 13 years) , than this nonsense. But that's just me.

Catmatrat - yeah the loss of the work allowance is what causes those paid anything other than monthly or those paid early to be worse off.

yes and if you don't have rent element the work allowance is higher ( £409 ) so that is a even more to lose two or three times a year.

I see CPAG are challenging this exact issue by way of judicial review:
www.cpag.org.uk/content/universal-credit-assessment-period-inflexibility

Uc also seem to to 'finding' a lot of apparent tax credit 'overpayments' , from as far back as 2008 in some cases (why were they not found before if tc is recalculated yearly??). And taking between £47 - £127 a month from people's UC awards with no notice or agreement, to pay these back. When you ask or even write to them asking for breakdowns of these so called overpayments or how they occurred, you are told the system doesn't go that far back so sorry we can't tell you (it went far back enough to find them though!!), but you still have to pay it back!!

UC to me seems like a deliberately complicated system, basically designed to save money. Whichever way it's calculated, the vast vast majority of people receive much less on UC than they did on tax credits. It doesn't 'help' people or 'make work pay', it's just a complicated system designed to orchestrate yet more cuts to already struggling people, under a veneer of soundbites and cosy slogans like making work pay, a fully online system for the future (never mind if you can't pay your internet bill to get online because you're working but in the wrong pay cycle this month!!)

Mrs Squiggler That's brilliant, thanks for posting that link. I was hoping that legal challenge would be brought for this, as it's so desperately unfair and not fit for purpose. Will be watching with interest and baited breath in Nov!!

Hi hope nobody minds me asking this on this thread.

I'm hoping somebody may be able to shed some light on this for me as I can't find anything definitive online.

I've recently received my first Universal Credit payment.

I'm a single parent but 50/50 shared care wit h my ex for 1 DD. I have no other DC and no partner of any kind

Looking at the UC statement it lists a household entitlement for a child. Which is fine as I have a child, however that child only lives with me half of the time although of course I have my own household I had to set up when ex and I parted ( as did he )

I know that UC is means tested and what I receive is based on my income, the rent I pay and my childcare costs. But throughout the whole process nothing has been asked as to whether DD lives with me full time or not.

I just want to make sure I am receiving the correct amount, does anyone have any experience of this?

@IndieTara, my understanding is that if you have 50:50 care then you are your ex can decide between yourselves who claims the child benefit and child elements of UC, etc. But you can't both claim for the same child.

Thanks @MrsSquiggler I just can't find any info about it. I will probably just ask them outright

Unfortunately Universal Credit won’t budge on this. I usually get paid at the end of the month but over Christmas my employer pays everyone early just before Christmas. My assessment period is the 22nd to the 21st. My employer paid my December wage on the 21st. After the first £200 or so of your earnings, from every £1 after that you earn, they deduct something like 65p.

This meant that at the end on December I was paid nothing. Yet my wage had to cover me extra weeks because I was paid early.

It seems silly that your assessment period all depends on when you start your claim etc. And that it is rigid and cannot be changed.

Even with being paid at the end of the month my entitlement changes each month dependant on how many days are in the month. It is so hard to budget when this changes every month.

I hate being on Universal Credit, yet cannot survive without it.