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Original poster

Are you better off on universal credit

106 replies

123Helpus · 10/05/2019 07:22

Sorry another universal credit post but wondering has anyone had a positive experience with universal credit? After tax credit renewal we are now barely keeping our head above water and apparently will be better off on universal credit but wary?

OP posts:
DuckWillow · 10/05/2019 07:25

We are, hubby works but I don’t as DS is autistic. We do get the severe disability premium though.

We don’t get rent or council tax paid as we cover that ourselves but it does help us to cope with the water, the gas, the electric etc etc.

My experience of it has been positive but I wonder how much of that is down to area. The staff in our local jobcentre plus seem very on the ball with things and any queries I have get answered within 24 hrs.

Original poster
123Helpus · 10/05/2019 07:46

Thank you x

OP posts:
fairgame84 · 10/05/2019 07:50

I switched over in March and so far it's about the same. I have a DC with a disability. My ex stopped paying child support last month which is what has messed up my budget.
I start a new job in 2 weeks so it will be interesting to see how the taper affects me. I've been on entitledto.co.uk and they seem to think I'll be better off than on legacy benefits.

Original poster
123Helpus · 10/05/2019 07:55

Thank you did they help you with an advanced payment ?

OP posts:
fairgame84 · 10/05/2019 07:58

No because I knew well in advance that I was finishing work in March to do a return to nursing course so I had savings to rely on until my first payment.
They still offered the advance payment and said that you can only have it at a certain point in the process but I cant remember the details.

Babyroobs · 10/05/2019 08:31

I don't understand it when people say they pay their rent themselves? You still get a rent element built into your Uc amount which is then reduced by wages so you're still getting some help with rent it's just that UC works in a different way.

Babyroobs · 10/05/2019 08:35

Since the work allowance (the amount that people can earn without wages affecting your Uc amount) has gone up, I think it is fairly generous. People who rent can earn £287 a month before wages affect their Uc amount at all and then they lose 67p per pound of UC for each pound they earn. if you don't pay rent( ie have a mortgage or a house that is paid off or live with family) then it's £503 that is disregarded which is really quite good.

Livedandlearned · 10/05/2019 08:35

I haven't changed across myself but my friend kept telling me to as she he had such a positive experience. She too was offered the advance payment which is possibly the difference from those who have had to wait ages without being offered anything in the wait time.

Babyroobs · 10/05/2019 08:37

Sorry I should have made it clear that these work allowances only apply to people with kids or limited capability for work ( granted after a long process to determine long term sickness), so it is a lot less generous for single people or childless couples who seem to suffer the most .

DuckWillow · 10/05/2019 08:37

Babyroobs my DH works full time, we pay the rent every month when his pay goes in.

Our basic UC wouldn't cover the rent.

It pays for food and I use it for petrol to get DS to and from school.

It certainly doesn't pay the rent here.

DuckWillow · 10/05/2019 08:37

A friend who is single had to claim it for a while. Its appalling for single people.

Babyroobs · 10/05/2019 08:38

Duck - but within your UC you are still getting a rent element so I don't understand why you say you aren't getting help with your rent because it's built into the UC amount you get in the first place. You wont be getting the whole rent covered but you are still getting help towards it ?

Original poster
123Helpus · 10/05/2019 08:39

Thanks everyone I feel we have no choice, after our renewal we are so much down we’ll be choosing between paying bills or feeding the kids bloody annoying as my husband works 12 hour days and weekends ☹️ Apparently on universal credit we will be better but very nervous about switching

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 10/05/2019 08:44

It is bad for single people. I had a single friend who claimed and had a horrible work coach who made her write a 5oo word essay on a day in the life or a receptionist. Totally patronising and actually quite disgusting for a 52 year old woman to be treated like this.

Babyroobs · 10/05/2019 08:49

123Helpus - Who told you that you would be better off on UC? I would not trust the online calculators entirely. If a calculation was done by CAB or similar then that may be more accurate. Lots of people go by what online calculators say and are then disappointed. if you have tax credits overpayments then they still need to be paid back on UC and are taken from your UC amount. Also the advance payment is paid back a little each month.

Original poster
123Helpus · 10/05/2019 08:57

Yes online but it was correct for the amount we currently get? No over payment to tax credits just an increase in earnings but we seem to be a lot worse off I can’t work it out!! We were actually better off when he earnt under £16000!!! Bloody stupid, who’s the best person to ask for advice ? as by the looks of it I can only speak to universal credit if I have an account 😐😐 thanks

OP posts:
DuckWillow · 10/05/2019 09:46

Yes the UC contains a housing element but prior to UC we were not entitled to any HB and they take off a massive deduction for DH's income... we get less than our social housing rent as a basic. We do get a severe disability premium on top of this for DS. So there may be a housing element but it's wiped out by our income.
Certainly we can't use the PDSA as they say we are not eligible because we don't get the housing element.

dirtystinkyrats · 10/05/2019 13:56

If you get an appointment at Citizens Advice for a benefits check, they can do an accurate comparison for you. The online benefit checkers are accurate in most circumstances, but not all.

UnPocoLoco2 · 10/05/2019 14:36

Hi 👋 I was going to name change but screw it here goes.....
We are on UC and it's too early to tell yet whether we are better off yet. Certainly the transition to uc has cost us about £600. We were on tax credits but stuff happened and we had to transition to uc ( it's complicated). We did take advantage of the loan and of course we are paying that back now. It took a while to sort out because it took them ages to verify our kids and he fact that dd1 has a disability and is in receipt of dla.

Dp is on carers allowance did ds1 and that is deducted from our uc payment.
The whole online journal is quite good and they mostly reply quickly. But for us it is too early to say if we are better off on us or not. Thankfully so far our landlord has been quite understanding because we are not trashing the house and have regular inspections and are caring for the house too

NGC2017 · 10/05/2019 14:39

@UnPocoLoco2 you say stuff happened. So you had to end your TC claim and start a UC claim, or was you moved over by them giving you transitional protection?

UnPocoLoco2 · 10/05/2019 14:42

@NGC2017 personal stuff that forced a transfer to uc .

UnPocoLoco2 · 10/05/2019 14:44

@NGC2017 we had to end the tc claim and transfer to uc. They don't transition you , they cut you off and you have to apply for uc immediately.

UnPocoLoco2 · 10/05/2019 14:45

UC is also good in that our dcs qualify for pupil premium plus free 2 year nursery placement.

NGC2017 · 10/05/2019 14:45

@UnPocoLoco2 sorry to hear that. I didn't mean it in a bad way, I have just been wondering how well/smoothly the transitional protection of those migrating over has been going

UnPocoLoco2 · 10/05/2019 14:49

@NGC2017 that's okay. It has been a bit tough. We have had to pawn our musical instruments to buy food and petrol plus borrow off my mum once or twice. But the dcs at school have benefited with free school meals ( a god send really)
I don't work as we could not afford the childcare costs plus I don't have an qualifications that could life is out of the poverty cycle.