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Original poster

Uc and backdated carers allowance

45 replies

Poorenough · 16/12/2021 18:04

I've been on uc for a year. Two weeks ago I received a carers allowance payment, backdated to June 2021. Universal credit now say because of this they've been over paying me since june 2021 and I have to payback that money. Surely not as I didn't receive CA in June and needed the UC to live on? Is this correct, does anyone know?

OP posts:
WoodenReindeer · 16/12/2021 18:07

Has universal credit included an element for disability/carers. You can only claim one at once so for a while I was receiving ca from carers and having it taken off uc!

Original poster
Poorenough · 16/12/2021 18:09

No they haven't included carers element. I'm just concerned about having to pay back everything they've paid me since June.

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 16/12/2021 18:11

This is correct. carers allowance is an overlapping benefit with UC so if your carers allowance payments have been backdated to June this will be classed as an overpayment. they will take it back gradually. As above though you should have been getting the Uc carers element and you can ask for this to be backdated to June but it will need to go to a decision maker. So the overpayment for carers allowance will be offset against what they owe you for the backdated carers element. carers element is around £163 per month.

Babyroobs · 16/12/2021 18:12

@Poorenough

No they haven't included carers element. I'm just concerned about having to pay back everything they've paid me since June.
They will take it back gradually as an overpayment.
CactusFlowers · 16/12/2021 18:12

It’s right as carers is deducted from UC. However you are also eligible for a carers element which is an extra £163.73. www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Universal-Credit/Additional-Elements-of-Universal-Credit

CorrBlimeyGG · 16/12/2021 18:14

They need to add on the carers element to your entitlement, then deduct the carers allowance. Your overpayment will be around £25 a week.

Babyroobs · 16/12/2021 18:14

Going forward, carers allowance will be deducted pound for pound each month for your Uc at an averaged rate.

LakieLady · 16/12/2021 18:20

Carer's allowance is treated as income for UC (and other means-tested benefits), and will be deducted from your UC, so the backdated payment means that your UC has been overpaid.

However, the carer's element, £163.73 a month, should now be added to your UC and backdated to the date that the carer's allowance started. This should offset a good chunk of the overpayment.

UC may not do this automatically. It would be a good idea to put a note on your journal, explaining that you are now caring for someone for 35 hours pw and asking for the carer's element to be added to your UC, backdated to the date that the carer's allowance started to be paid.

Hope that helps.

Original poster
Poorenough · 16/12/2021 18:25

Thank you everyone, I understand it better now.

OP posts:
Babyroobs · 16/12/2021 18:28

If you have not already done so you also need to go to the Home page of your journal and report a change that yo are a carer and the date the DLA was awarded from.

Original poster
Poorenough · 16/12/2021 18:29

I have done that thank you @Babyroobs

OP posts:
DawnJ1968 · 07/02/2022 15:07

HI
Can any one help I claim carers allowance and universal credit, I work part time. last year I worked over my normal hours with covering for sickness and holiday's. got a letter telling me I had worked over the carers allowance and now have to pay back £1300.00. universal credit have already been taking this money off me every month.
can I claim this back from universal credit

bagheera92 · 30/03/2022 15:12

@Poorenough

Hi op, when you got your backdated payment did they take that figure off your next Uc payment ?
I ask because I'm sue a back payment of carers allowance tomrorow .
And wondering will that be deducted from my Uc on the 12th.

Babyroobs · 30/03/2022 17:41

[quote bagheera92]@Poorenough

Hi op, when you got your backdated payment did they take that figure off your next Uc payment ?
I ask because I'm sue a back payment of carers allowance tomrorow .
And wondering will that be deducted from my Uc on the 12th.

[/quote]
They won't take it all in one go and if you have reported on your Uc journal that you are now a carer and have requested a backdate of carers elment of Uc they should offset the carers allowance overpayment against the owed carers element backdate so you won't owe the full amount of carers allowance back.

bagheera92 · 30/03/2022 20:53

@Babyroobs
Oh okay I think I'm with you now .
So I'm getting a backdated payment from carers allowance of £800, my usual Uc payment is £875.
I thought they would take that £800 off my next payment and leave me with £75 if that makes sense ?
So ile pay that back in smaller bits ?

Yes I called about the carers element this afternoon SmileDaffodil

Babyroobs · 30/03/2022 21:04

[quote bagheera92]@Babyroobs
Oh okay I think I'm with you now .
So I'm getting a backdated payment from carers allowance of £800, my usual Uc payment is £875.
I thought they would take that £800 off my next payment and leave me with £75 if that makes sense ?
So ile pay that back in smaller bits ?

Yes I called about the carers element this afternoon SmileDaffodil[/quote]
I think they will just take the £800 back gradually.
You need to request ( if you haven't already) that the carers element be backdated to when the ( presumably ) DLA was awarded. So if the decision maker agrees to back date the carers element you will be owed some backdated carers element which will reduce the overpayment you have from the lump sum of carers allowance being received. Sorry it's complex but hopefully you won't owe all the £800 back. Carers element is around £163 a month so if for example it is backdated 3 months they would owe you around £490 for that.

Rugrats4 · 10/05/2022 11:32

Hi I'm waiting on carers allowance but I'm getting carers element in my universal credit I work part time but only do around 20 hours a month if I get awarded carers allowance do they take backdate it and do they take into account I was getting carers element and reduce any of them thanks.

Cmsm86 · 13/06/2022 09:35

I received a message from UC to say I was now receiving carers allowance. I checked my bank and I think this has been backdated. My next UC payment is due 19th and they have deducted the basic CA but because it was backdated will this mean I receive no UC on my next payment or will they only take a certain amount off each time to recover the overpayment?

Canyouanswermyquestion · 16/06/2022 20:06

Cmsm86 · 13/06/2022 09:35

I received a message from UC to say I was now receiving carers allowance. I checked my bank and I think this has been backdated. My next UC payment is due 19th and they have deducted the basic CA but because it was backdated will this mean I receive no UC on my next payment or will they only take a certain amount off each time to recover the overpayment?

They will only take a certain amount off your uc payment each month until the overpayment is paid back, they are doing this with me at the moment

One2many · 17/09/2022 23:23

Hello, please can anyone help me figure this out? I have started to get UC from July and applied for carers allowance from August. I just wanted to know that when carers allowance gets back dated, how will UC deduct it, bearing in mind that for some of those months I did not get any UC payments (due to earnings) and some I got around £50. Will Carers allowance tell UC which months I was eligible? Or will UC just deduct carers payments even though they did not pay me UC for those months? sorry if I sound confusing.

Babyroobs · 18/09/2022 00:05

One2many · 17/09/2022 23:23

Hello, please can anyone help me figure this out? I have started to get UC from July and applied for carers allowance from August. I just wanted to know that when carers allowance gets back dated, how will UC deduct it, bearing in mind that for some of those months I did not get any UC payments (due to earnings) and some I got around £50. Will Carers allowance tell UC which months I was eligible? Or will UC just deduct carers payments even though they did not pay me UC for those months? sorry if I sound confusing.

They will take the carers allowance off so it will be an overpayment. The months where you only got £50 Uc, obviously they can only take a maximum of £50 overpayment back. On the months where you didn't get any UC due to earnings, were those earnings form a partners earnings?

One2many · 18/09/2022 17:57

Thanks so much for your response. The earnings were mine, they fluctuate every month. One month it's a good pay and another its peanuts. Does it matter who's earnings they are, I thought because it's a joint UC claim it doesn't matter?
I'm hoping UC will work it out properly and not over deduct etc that's what I was afraid of. Have they ever been known to mess up?

Babyroobs · 18/09/2022 21:27

One2many · 18/09/2022 17:57

Thanks so much for your response. The earnings were mine, they fluctuate every month. One month it's a good pay and another its peanuts. Does it matter who's earnings they are, I thought because it's a joint UC claim it doesn't matter?
I'm hoping UC will work it out properly and not over deduct etc that's what I was afraid of. Have they ever been known to mess up?

Were there any weeks when your earnings were over £132 a week ?

Beckim88 · 01/10/2022 08:49

Hi I am very annoyed I was Mis advised by my case manager a month ago to say I needed carers allowance so I put in a claim only to realise I didn’t need it so three days later beginning of September I rang up to cancel the claim and said I did not want to claim it . The lady said it had been cancelled and u now won’t get any payments .. I checked my bank and they have put backdated payment of 1200 in from may . I have the carer element in my uc . But now I will owe them 1200 plus they will take the 300 for me for carers allowance i rand ca and was very upset she said she has cancelled the Claim and shouldn’t get a payment next month .: how does this work now how much will uc take off me for over payment ?? Is anyone getting deductions for a over payment due to carers allowance back date please help

Babyroobs · 01/10/2022 15:04

Beckim88 · 01/10/2022 08:49

Hi I am very annoyed I was Mis advised by my case manager a month ago to say I needed carers allowance so I put in a claim only to realise I didn’t need it so three days later beginning of September I rang up to cancel the claim and said I did not want to claim it . The lady said it had been cancelled and u now won’t get any payments .. I checked my bank and they have put backdated payment of 1200 in from may . I have the carer element in my uc . But now I will owe them 1200 plus they will take the 300 for me for carers allowance i rand ca and was very upset she said she has cancelled the Claim and shouldn’t get a payment next month .: how does this work now how much will uc take off me for over payment ?? Is anyone getting deductions for a over payment due to carers allowance back date please help

They will just take it back gradually , not all at once.