Universal credit worse off

[damppatchnot]

I’ve been on tax credits and following my marriage break up moved into rented and been out on universal credit
I get housing allowance in my UC but am still worse off than tax credits
Under tax credits I’m entitled to £667 a month but I only get £827 UC including £535 housing

Can I just claim housing and go back on tax credits ?

Are you sure you’d have got the full £535 housing? Had you been paid it before?

No.

All new claims/bug change in circumstances are now put on UC.

Tax credits are only for existing claims or very small changes. Eventually everyone will be moved onto UC.

Unfortunately once you are on universal credit you can’t go back. Does your maximum universal credit cover all your rent? It might not due to bedroom tax (council/housing association) or local housing allowance (private landlord). If not you could try applying for discretionary housing payments

england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/benefits/discretionary_housing_payments_dhp

I get the full housing allowance as I have a son and daughter but then only £335 for the children

What a pain! I wished I would have stated on tax credits now

For 2 children you should get around £503 per month if one of them was born before April 2017 ? You cannot go back to tax credits. So on your award you should be getting a standard element for yourself, 2 x child elements ( first one higher amount than second) and your rent element. The whole award is reduced by wages if you have them and if you took an advance then you will be repaying some of that each month.

You haven't given enough information for anyone to check and explain the calculations.

If you have a significant change in circumstances (such as changing from living with a partner to being single or vice versa, or moving house between different local authority areas) you have no choice but to stop claiming tax credits (and other "legacy benefits") and start claiming Universal Credit. Once you claim UC you can't go back to the old system.

While you and your husband were still living together it would have been a joint claim and his income (plus any savings) would have been counted. Now it's a single claim so they are not. You also have different housing costs - it sounds as if you weren't renting before?

Tax credit calculations are complicated because they're based on actual income for the previous tax year and predicted income for the current tax year. Even small changes in circumstances can result in a significant overpayment or underpayment over the year. So your tax credit award/calculation might not have been correct anyway.

If you want to check that your Universal Credit calculation is correct and you are getting everything you're entitled to, I suggest you visit or contact your local Citizens Advice.

£508.75 is the amount you should receive for the dc.

You could not have stayed on tax credits after a change to single claim.

Are you working? As that will affect your amounts. If you are not working, then you are not getting the full amount of UC you are entitled to.

If you give specifics, we can probably work out if your award is correct. I'm sorry you're worse off.

Are you sure it’s down to the change from tax credits to UC, rather than your change in circumstances? And are you working? (Not in a judgy, rhetorical way, but to figure out the reasoning behind the entitlement)

Are you having anything deducted you're not aware of? If you've previously claimed TC, you may have been overpaid and any overpayment will be deducted.

Check your online statement for deductions and if it still doesn't make sense, ring the Helpline for an explanation.

You won't be able to go back onto legacy benefits unless your circumstances are exceptional (and yours don't sound exceptional).

Im a single parent and moved to rented as my ex husband is an alcoholic who lost his job and stopped paying mortgage (we lost house)
My children are 11 and 15
I get
Standard allowance 317.82
House 595.04
Children 508.75
Deducted 466.00 as my take home pay 1027
Then I pay 118 for the advance I got when I moved to UC as 6 week delay

Thanks for all the responses I do appreciate it
It’s been an incredibly difficult time

I’d say with your wages and tax credits you wouldn’t have got that much housing benefit anyway, so at a glance there’s probably little difference between both systems. Sorry that’s probably not the answer you’d prefer.

So you actually get £838 UC which will increase to £956 once the Advance is fully paid + wages of £1027 = £1865 + Child Benefit + maintenance per month. It's definitely do-able. Very unlikely you would have got a full HB award even if you could have claimed it so the total monthly figures are probably not too far apart.

You're no worse off under UC, in fact you might actually be better off.

I suspect your tax credits award might have been too high. Either that or your earnings have increased?

Sadly I don’t get any maintenance and my rent is 850 a month
Thanks for responses I appreciate the advice

Why don't you get maintenance? Have you contacted CMS?

What about marital assets - property, savings, pensions? Have you spoken to a solicitor? Some do a free initial consultation.

Is it privately rented? Housing support only covers the lowest 3rd of rents in an area. The LHA website shows how much maximum support is for your area.

He has massive pensions but not working now as a raging alcoholic

I’m not divorced yet so might get advice