Universal Credit Query - take-home pay

[Bermondseyorbust]

Hello!

Hope someone might be able to shed some light please.

I’ve recently started claiming UC after having a baby and have today logged in to view my first statement only to find that they have listed my take-home pay as being higher than it actually is. It seems that they’ve used my salary prior to my student loan deduction (e.g. they’ve said I take home £1800, when in fact it’s £1720 after £80 taken off at source for student loan). Does anyone know if this is correct? I realise that UC get my earning info from HMRC however the amount isn’t what I actually take home, and so I believe am worse off and my UC award should be about £40 higher.

I’ve sent a journal message but would appreciate some input from those that may be more familiar with it all than me!

Thank you in advance. I hope what I’m saying makes sense! X

It’s correct, student loan repayments aren’t taken in to account. Only tax, NI and pension contributions are deducted from your gross income.

Student loan deductions aren't factored into your take home pay so you should always add this amount to get your take home pay for UC calculation purposes. It's very frustrating as essentially student loan is an education tax.

Thank you both! Clearly, I should’ve done a bit more research as this is news to me. I totally understand that it’s a loan that I, theoretically, enjoyed the fruits of many (MANY) moons ago and so shouldn’t expect any rewards for. It’s just not how I thought it worked.

Cheers for taking the time to respond and explain. Really appreciate it ☺️