Universal credit so many questions

[StayAGhost]

Hi
My husband and I have recently separated. He is living elsewhere and not paying me anything
I work 26 hours and using the calculator will be able to claim universal credit
Will I literally be able to submit a claim and definitely get what the calculator states? Is there any show stoppers I need to know about?
I have 3 DC, and quickly running out of money
Ta

@StayAGhost it takes 5 weeks from the day you apply to your first payment so make sure you get it done asap, as PP said don't listen to what others get as everyone is totally different. My DM got told a figure by citizens advice and it ended up being £400 less, she has 3 DGC to raise and a mortgage to pay also.

What do you mean by "not meeting the commitment to work"? This is exactly the thing I'm shitting myself about
I have literally no idea how "the system works"

What days do you have to see a job coach?

Also if they do assign you a work coach and they try to push you to do more, just tell them your kids need you around more at the moment due to the split. They are not bothered about the people who are already working a significant amount,
I have a work coach at the moment as I'm claiming Contributions based JSA whilst between jobs, I have a quick call every 2 weeks, she never asks me to send any evidence of what jobs I've applied for and doesn't push me to do more.

@StayAGhost

What do you mean by "not meeting the commitment to work"? This is exactly the thing I'm shitting myself about I have literally no idea how "the system works"

Everyone on UC has to agree to their work commitments in order to receive payment. But as I say if you are already working 26 hours a week at more then nmw, I very much doubt they will hassle you to look for any more. They may not ask anything more of you.

Generally if you earn above the earnings threshold each month ( I think it's something like £350 a month for a single parent), you will be fine. I'm sure someone who knows more about it will be along soon but I really don't think you should be worrying that they are going to push you into full time work.

Regarding sanctions do you always have the chance to talk to someone. I've read where claims just don't get paid.

When I first started claiming UC my 'work commitments' were that I would look for a job at 24 (possibly 20, can't remember exactly) hours per week (single parent, dc was 6/7 at the time and dp wasn't living with us) but as I was working 16 hours, above minimum wage and it was a stable job that I'd been in for a few years they waived that and just left me alone, didn't even have to check in. Ever. The biggest perk of UC is that the work coaches have a bit more sway and can make decisions like that. On the old system it was very much 'computer says no' and nothing you can do about it. It's more person driven now.

As for sanctions, they're not actually handed out for the tiniest thing. If you miss a couple of appointments with no communication they might slightly reduce your payments but you'll get notice. If you point blank refuse to look for work when they say you should then, yep, they'll reduce payments.

With school aged children (even secondary age) they won't ask you to work full time. Because that's just asking you to submit a childcare claim anyway

Would you get plenty of notice for the appointments? I do struggle to get time off work. I definitely won't be able to take time off to attend the job centre regularly.
Are the appointments locally? I carnt really take work coach calls at work. Do they let you know when this will be?
I'm really worried about the money and UC situation tbh

You may have to do a first commitment appointment but you can ask to do that over the telephone or on a day you are not working. As you are working but not FT you commitments could be something ask my boss if there is any possibility that I can increase my hours or something equally un-onerous. Then you might get a phone call every 6 months.

If you are earning 35 x NMW then you should be put in working enough and they should leave you alone.

The good thing about UC is the journal system so if the service centre or a work coach need to confirm something with you then they send you a message and then you just message back online instead of waiting for a letter or traipsing into the job centre

It’s only claimants who are not working who need to attend the job centre regularly

If they send a message to you asking you to attend an appointment at 2pm on a Tuesday. Then you message them back saying you can’t attend as you are working then but you are available on X or Y.

The biggest perk of UC is that the work coaches have a bit more sway and can make decisions like that. On the old system it was very much 'computer says no' and nothing you can do about it. It's more person driven now

That is both its strength and its weakness. The degree of discretion work coaches have is huge and consequently there is little consistency. I work in welfare rights, and it makes it very difficult to advise clients on discretionary matters as 10 work coaches could make 10 different decisions.

More concerning is that there doesn't seem to be any effective monitoring. If a work coach was treating any group of people less favourably than another, no-one would know. I'm considering supporting 3 clients to make a complaint about a work coach because they all have ASDs and MH issues, and seem to be treated particularly harshly by one particular work coach. Other work coaches at the same JCP seem to be fine, so it's not a local office issue.

OP, if your earnings are equivalent to FT hours x NMW or more, they're unlikely to hassle you to work more hours. UC seems to be much more about the money than the hours imo.

Universal credit essentials have a website and forum where you can ask questions about stuff like this. They are a charity and have really knowledgeable advisors who can answer your questions. They also have pages explaining how to work out your entitlement yourself (not all online calculators are accurate). I would deffinatley check them out, then can also help if UC f*ck up with their calculations too (which happens more often than yoi think.. )

@LakieLady

The biggest perk of UC is that the work coaches have a bit more sway and can make decisions like that. On the old system it was very much 'computer says no' and nothing you can do about it. It's more person driven now

That is both its strength and its weakness. The degree of discretion work coaches have is huge and consequently there is little consistency. I work in welfare rights, and it makes it very difficult to advise clients on discretionary matters as 10 work coaches could make 10 different decisions.

More concerning is that there doesn't seem to be any effective monitoring. If a work coach was treating any group of people less favourably than another, no-one would know. I'm considering supporting 3 clients to make a complaint about a work coach because they all have ASDs and MH issues, and seem to be treated particularly harshly by one particular work coach. Other work coaches at the same JCP seem to be fine, so it's not a local office issue.

OP, if your earnings are equivalent to FT hours x NMW or more, they're unlikely to hassle you to work more hours. UC seems to be much more about the money than the hours imo.

I can absolutely see how this can be detrimental to some (even many) people. I think I've been in a fortunately position that their decisions have always worked in my favour and on the odd occasion that I have had an issue it's been sorted quickly. I forgot to submit childcare expenses one month and only realised when I had my statement (your statement is on your journal 1 week before your payment date so you can see any problems) but I submitted it and they made an extra payment within 3 days when they would have been well within their rights to not do it until the following month.

I have had issues with some work coaches not answering questions and ignoring journal messages but I'm annoyingly persistent and one of those irritating people who is 'polite rude', they know I'm being a pain but I'm so polite they can't do anything about it.

They do seem to avoid seeing you or speaking to you as much as possible, it's mostly done through the journal which is good for me and sounds like it would be for you OP?

Definitely get a claim in asap because it's calculated from the first day you claim not the day it's assessed/approved or anything like that. So the longer you wait the longer it'll take

If it helps, I applied at the end of 2019 and have had one face-to-face meeting since then. And I’ve dropped my hours since making the initial claim. Plus, my children are older teens. You’ll be fine :)

@Nat6999 the warm front discounts are dependent upon your earnings. Not blanket Availability to everyone on UC. I miss out by a matter of £££

I think you have to have less than £16k taxable income, I know they are increasing that amount next winter & the payment is going up to £150

Thanks so very much everyone. How long do you need to spend doing the journal and statement. Do they tell you what you need to put? Is that where the work contract is? Will they let you know if you do something wrong?? Is the journal easy to do?

@StayAGhost

Thanks so very much everyone. How long do you need to spend doing the journal and statement. Do they tell you what you need to put? Is that where the work contract is? Will they let you know if you do something wrong?? Is the journal easy to do?

If you're already working 26 hours I don't think they'll ask you to look for any more. In which case you only need to log in if you get an email saying you've got a message or if you have childcare costs that you're claiming back (you need to upload invoices and proof of payment).

I do recommend logging in when you get your statement (a week before your payment date) just to check there's no mistakes.

I think it's a really simple, user friendly system but I'm aware I've got 'inside info' at home

Just keep an eye on your 'to do' list on your journal in case they need you to send anything or action anything. As above it is a really easy system to manage online.

I've had no issues with the system. Although my son is disabled so There are no expectations of me to find more work. I was working 24 hours at more than minimum wage. Now do 30.

You will get e mails to do any updates. And it's just a system of leaving notes for your work coach.

It's isn't arduous

I had the initial interview in the job centre 4 years ago and haven't heard from them since.

The work coaches are human they understand life has it challenges. I think sanctions are more for the work shy. Try not to worry and trust the system.

First of all I second joining up to universal credit essentials. There are hugely helpful and know more than most of the UC or job centre advisors (not hard they often are incredibly poorly trained). They will go through a step by step personal calculation with you as the online calculators aren't always accurate. For sure you are definitely eligible though, just the amounts much t be slightly different. Don't forget to apply for council tax reduction separately though (although you may not be eligible as I work less hours and don't get it). Your hours whilst under what uc expect, will likely put you in to light touch category which means that while they still expect you to find extra work they won't actively hassle you or ask you for proof and regular appointments. I'm not even sure if they've re started face to face appointments for initial applications yet. My friend applied a couple of months ago and it was all done online lather are in Scotland and covid rules are stricter here anyway apply right away as the sooner you do the sooner you will start getting paid. The lady at UCE that helped me said between the 2nd and 17th of the month is best as it covers most pay patterns and won't leave you with double pays in one assessment period which can be problematic. Make sure you have all your documents ready to upload eg child's birth certificate, rent agreement etc as they'l come back and ask for them later if not and just delays things including delaying getting an advance if you need it

Apologies for all these questions. Do you need to be properly divorced before you can claim? Or "officially separated " some how?? Trying to become financially independent is proving trickier than I imagined. Struggling to make proper arrangements for my direct debits (we have a joint account 🤦‍♀️). I've set up my own current account, but apparently need DH permission to move some finances across.

no need to be divorced. Just be able to prove that he doesn't live with you. or if he is in the house you are separated.
Apply now as there is an assessment period of 4 weeks so money doesn't usually get paid until 5 weeks later(unless you take the advance)