Has anyone been better off switching to UC ?

[trappedinsuburbia]

I’m currently receiving tax credits and some housing benefit, I’m a single working parent. I’ve done entitledto and it says I’d be £57 a week better off on UC. This would make a huge difference to me. Has anyone changed and been better off or is this too good to be true.

So many people are better off switching. Uc gets a bad press and some of it is justified, but generally a lot of people are better off and in my opinion it is a much simpler system.

I'm a single parent who works full time and UC is fine for me. I wasn't eligible to apply for tax credits due to when I started claiming but looking at the criteria UC is so much simpler. It's done month by month rather than based on the last tax year.
UC puts HB in with your amount too so it's 1 payment a month rather than juggling with weekly/4 weekly etc.

I give benefits advice and yes lots if people on legacy benefits are pleasantly surprised when we do a check. Why not use a different calculator (eg Turn2Us) to double check? Also remember UC gives you access to help with childcare costs and is far more flexible when you go back to work

Yes we were. Hundreds better off a month. Universal credit essentials website has a accurate calculator and shows you how to work your award out.

If you work, you're 99% more likely to be better off on UC. But don't rely on the calculators, they're notoriously wrong.
Join Universal Credit and Legacy Benefit Advice on Facebook. They will help you do a manual calculation which is accurate.

We are switching as will be approx £700 pm better off

I switched voluntarily about 18 months ago and it's so much easier. I like the fact it's a 'live' system so if you get paid a little more or less each month, the figure you get paid adjusts accordingly - no shocks at the end of the tax year saying you owe money. I find the journal system works well and I've always got a response from someone.

Get paid more or less from your job, I meant. I currently do 25 hours and will increase as my DS gets older.

I'm a single parent working 40 hours a week. I switched in March this year and I'm £60.00 a week better off. I was paid weekly with tax credits. I was dubious about switching due to the bad press but the extra £60.00 does come in handy! Plus I'm entitled to extra help now due to being on UC unlike Tax Credits

I moved over due to losing my job in 2020. I'm £29 a week worse off on UC . It seems to depend.

Also remember to factor in the 5 weeks wait where you get nothing. You can get a loan off them for that period but your payments will be reduced for a year to pay it back.

Oh and I'm back to work now and still £29 a week worse off on UC than I was on TC.

Do self employed people have to submit a monthly tax return on UC?

We were when dh was working, he's now off sick as am i while I wait diagnosis and treatment, absolute shit show of a year for us pair health wise. Hundreds of pounds down as dh receives esa which they deduct from UC but it also counts towards the benefit cap, so receive 900 odd a month for a family of 6.

How can anyone be £8.5k 'better off' on any kind of benefit.

To put that into context it's the net difference between earning £18k and £31k

Because we will get all of our rent paid, some of our council tax and it’s works out slightly more than we get on ctc

The childcare costs are a major drawback to UC. Paying CC upfront for big summer holidays is a joke and I have no idea how people would manage with 1 or more DC in nursery.

Even once you have uploaded the recipt UC faff around... I've paid August yet I won't get the money back till mid September.

Thanks guys, I’ll check the different calculators mentioned then I’ll decide. The 5 week wait isn’t great so I would need the advance.

You report your earnings to them every month. Earnings and expenses which you have to itemise. You then get a calculation for the month. You'd be doing accounts for a tax return so it's not actually any additional work.

You get a “run on” payment when transitioning so that you won’t be out of income for the 5 week wait

if you want to speak to someone about huw it works call the Citizens Advice Help to Claim service - you will find the number in the website

@VanCleefArpels there's no run on when you move over to UC at all. There's a 5 week wait or you may apply for an advance which you pay back unlike a run on, on the old system.

“If your old benefits haven't ended, you can keep getting them for 2 weeks after you apply for Universal Credit. You won't need to pay back the extra payments and they won't affect how much Universal Credit you'll get. This applies to:

income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

income-related Employment and Support Allowance

Income Support

Housing Benefit”

this from CAB website

Yes op will get a two week run on of housing benefit. tax credits will stop as soon as she makes the Uc claim.

Thanks guys

If you wait until our made to switch over you won’t have to have the 5 week wait
UC is better for us