Universal credit seem to have got my claim wrong (eyeroll)

[Anon778833]

I’ve just read my statement which says that they are taking £600 a month off my award because I get maternity allowance. My maternity allowance ended in July... surely this can’t be right? The amount they are giving me won’t cover rent and bills, let alone food.

Are you still on maternity leave? If so, I don't think you can claim any extra due to not being paid as its your choice to not return to work. If you arnt and are now job seeking (assuming as you rec mat allowance rather than mat pay) have you informed them of the change? Leave a note on your journal and they will explain the calculations

I don’t have a job to go back to... I received maternity allowance only because I met the conditions for the test period. For maternity allowance they take into account how much you earned in the year before you got pregnant.

No, not on maternity allowance any more and I’m a single parent so how can I be working when I have a baby under 1 to look after?

This is what it says on entities to about UC’s expectations of whether you should be working or seeking work.

What dates does your UC award cover and what date did your maternity allowance stop?
For example UC award goes from 20/7 to 19/8 your maternity allowance stoped 27/7. This would mean that the UC payment received for that period still includes your maternity allowance.

Yes my maternity allowance stopped on 17th July and my award for this period runs from 27th July to 28th August.

Basically it’s a new claim so this will be my first payment.

If you made the claim (ie completed the application) before your maternity allowance had ended then that could be why it has been incorrectly included in your UC. The other thing is did you list your maternity allowance as an income on your form as this could also account for it.

UC process isn’t great but the only thing you can do is put on your journal that maternity has ended and the date and it may well get adjusted. I would do this sooner rather than later as if your also in receipt of council tax support they will be using your UC award details to calculate that and could mean your ctax payments for up

Yes I’ve written in my journal that the maternity allowance finished on 17th July. The maternity allowance is listed as a deduction from my overall award so they must somehow incorrectly assume that I’m still receiving it. On the breakdown it says ‘deductions due to benefits you’re still claiming’ and then it says ‘maternity allowance’ and the deduction is for the exact amount I used to get.

@SugarbabyMilly

No, not on maternity allowance any more and I’m a single parent so how can I be working when I have a baby under 1 to look after?

The same way the rest of us do it, childcare arrangements. You can claim for childcare through uc too but that's another story. They often mess up the first payment. Leave a message on your journal and someone will explain it

Call Maternity Allowance and ask them to stop the interest on the benefit. This is usually why it still comes through to UC- it’s an issue the MA end. If MA haven’t stopped the interest then the system will pick up that it is still being paid

At the moment I’m going to find it very difficult to get a job because the industry I work in has been hit the hardest by covid. I probably will do something else. The government expects you to be planning a return to work by the time your child is 2. At the moment it’s complicated. Nurseries send children who have a runny nose home and the whole family has to get tested for covid. This is what I heard from someone who’s child is in nursery so they can work.

Originally I was hoping to go back to working even if part time when baby was about 6 months. But the place I worked now can’t give me a job. The world has really changed.

Anyway, @Pearsapiece is it complicated claiming for help with childcare?

Thanks for replies.

You need to ring UC to get it rectified.

@sugarbabymilly your information is incorrect. If the child is showing covid symptoms, They are sent home to isolate until tested and results are received. They can return once the result has been confirmed as negative. If they just have a runny nose, they can still attend nursery (depending on specific policies).
In answer to your question, no it isn't. You receive up to 85% of their childcare costs up to £650 a month. All you have to do it provide proof of the childcare costs and they they have been paid. It's then included in your calculations

Well that’s reassuring. 85% is good. And if you’re working at least 16 hours you can get it if the child is under 2?

It’s 85% up to £646 per month. Yes, you can get it working 16 hours at any age of the child. You may also qualify for the 15 funded hours from the age of 2

Thank you @CatToddlerUprising

Update; maternity allowance had been late in informing UC that my MA has ended so it’s a mistake luckily. They’ve sorted it out very quickly. I quite like the new system in as much that you don’t have to phone people (I’m autistic). And you can have a dialogue through text. I’m thinking that it will also be more difficult for overpayments to occur if/when I go back to work.

Thanks again for replies.

@SugarbabyMillie. Hi. I've personally been on Universal Credit for almost 2 years, claiming as a single man, but I can give you some helpful tips here on how to take the stress out of some future problems. Here are just a few, that should help you out. Firstly, always ask a question in your UC journal as a message for your Work Coach, if you ever need to find out anything about your clam, as their computer sends an alert to any available UC staff to respond, not just your Work Coach. Also, the notes in your journal are kept as a permanent record of info, so you can always refer back to them if you need to. Leaving a written message in your journal to read is better than a phone call reply, as the information is more likely to be accurate. Secondly, if you ever ring UC from the phone number they have on file for you, you'll get straight through to the same call centre each time, without having to queue, ( provided your number isn't withheld ). This call centre will also be where your claim is actually held, and is also where your Universal Credit Team Leader works, who is responsible for your claim. This feature is only known about by a few hundred UC claimants in the UK, and is the best improvement of the UC software so far, in my personal experience. Thirdly, if you ever have any 3rd party deductions made directly from your benefit, ( such as fuel arrears or rent arrears ) you may need to remind UC in your journal each month to calculate your benefit entitlement manually, as the software is designed to take deductions at a set 30% of your original award, instead of the actual amount that is meant to be taken, which is often significantly less. For example - Total award = £700, 3rd party @30% deduction taken at £210. Even if they calculate it wrong, it can be adjusted to the correct amount, if you notify them either up to 7 days before the payment date, or up to 3 days after the payment has been made. I've been in this situation myself 4 times in the last year, so I know how stressful it can be.