Switching from tax credits to UC

[YouWonJayne]

I’ve moved boroughs and I think I will be better off on UC than tax credits. I’ve done the Better Off calculator and I get a few hundred more a month mainly because I am now entitled to housing benefit.

But how much of a pain is it switching?? Is it right that there’s a 5 week wait between a claim and a payout?

Yes there's a 5 week wait and claims can't be backdated, so claim ASAP. You can request an advance payment if you need it.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/before-you-apply/how-universal-credit-is-paid/

It's quite painless. DH had to have extra security checks because he's been a victim of identity theft in the past, but they sorted it very quickly and paid our advance straight away once they were done.

I really like the journal. I noticed that this month they had put an incorrect figure in my deductions. I just added a message to say that they hadn't taken enough money off, and they replied to say that they had withdrawn our payment statement and replaced it.

Just a note OP. If you change to UC voluntarily you will not receive transitional protection.

Why is it a 5 week wait??

It's deliberate, to simulate the wait that people who start a new job would have before getting their wages.

But you can get an advance that is roughly equal to the amount you would normally get, which can be paid off over two years.

Would it be very naughty of me to wait until I receive my next tax credit payment before claiming? Which lands in a week otherwise it’s 9 weeks without a payment!

I get full tax credits, and 0 on UC so am going to wait until it ends.
Check correctly because they are sneaky!

I think it’s higher on UC because I can claim the housing element on UC but I can’t on tax credit (no longer own my own home)

Absolutely wait for the TC payment! In fact, this is what they told me to do when I swapped recently. Very painless swap over.

It wouldn't be "naughty", it would be a bit silly though because if you're better off on UC, you'd lose money by waiting.

As I and others have said, you can request an advance payment, so you won't have to wait 5 weeks.

If you no longer own your own home have you got savings from the sale of it?

@AnxiousShep no

If you are now renting, why are you not claiming housing benefit from the council?

Because it hasn't been possible for working age people to make a new claim for HB for several years now. To get help with rent costs, people have to claim UC, including the housing element. (If you don't know anything about benefits, why post?!)

Because it’s been donkey’s years since people could do that - UC took it all over