UC total nightmare - can anyone advise?

[Temm]

I used to get about £600 a month tax credits, but then was managed onto UC in April. I thought that if you were forced off legacy benefits and onto UC that you would get transitional protection so as not to be substantially worse off? Since March I have only earnt approx £1,300 due to an extended period of illness (which has coincided with being moved to UC) and to date, I have received a grand total of £129 from UC, £0 for April, £24 for May and £125 for June. I am a single parent with 2 teenagers...it cannot possibly be the correct award, how do we survive on that?? I have just had my monthly interview at the job centre/benefit office and my coach is adamant that it is correct. What on earth do I do??

You might need to provide evidence that your eldest is still in education so I’d get on with that now before they all close for the summer.

@ArcticSkewer Well there's a whole other thread there! It's been one big cock up from day 1. I was wrongly put onto UC not managed to UC and initially told I wouldnt get anything. They then admitted I might get something and attempted to put me on the right sort of UC. But they appear to still have basic details about me and my circumstances completely wrong. They don't seem to understand the system very well, it's seriously unimpressive, and I worry for those who don't have the gumption to challenge dubious decisions.

You say your work coach looked at your claim and said it was correct. they really aren't the best people to ask as knowledge is often not great ! best to go through your case manager ask questions on the journal and always put journal questions under payments as I believe they then go straight to the case manager. If any complex questions speak to CAB.

you have savings over the threshold. Then you are expected to live off that 🙃

@Babyroobs Ah, interesting about putting journal questions under payments, didnt know that, thanks! Yes, I have documented everything via the journal. And screen shot that too! Once the award is finally sorted, I am going to lodge an official complaint since I reckon I have been mis-advised by 6 different members of staff now, including the case manager.

@tanyaturneristhegoat Well yes and no, there is a capital disregard for amounts over the threshold for managed migration...and trust me, even with the UC I am indeed living off my savings. The savings that I saved via the Help To Save tax credits scheme.

You get a lot less on UC. That's why they want everyone off tax credits.

The savings limit is £16k, the help to save maximum savings is £3k so that’s £13k you need to account for. What does the online calculators say you’re entitled too?

@ladyvivienne Well yes I think you are right. However, there are meant to be short term transitional protection payment so that people forced off legacy benefits aren't substantially worse off. But the people working on my claim didnt know that either.

@tanyaturneristhegoat I got £4,500 from the help to save, maybe its changed more recently? The rest is from divorce settlement. On line calculator says similar to @Bromptotoo

You have more than £16k in savings, that is much more than the average person on UC. So your award will be deducted to include that amount from your divorce 😊 no rent to pay either so that’s a bonus and not coming out of your expenses

How much savings altogether?

@AlwaysFrazzled88 About £50 over £16k.

Technically then you aren't entitled to any UC above £16k. Maybe in a few months you will get more.

Spend the £50!!

Yep.

Put a message on your journal saying you need the child element added and you need it backdated too, that's an extra £539.16 a month

buy a second hand car if you need one, there are things you can spend on to bring you under 16k that don't count as deprivation of assets

I think it's the sickness. I don't think UC covers that. It covers long term sickness meaning you can't work, what used to be ESA.

Ordinary short term sickness is covered by SSP and that's only £80/wk maximum (or whatever it is now) regardless of what your wages would be, it comes through in your wages, shown on your payslip. SSP doesn't pay out for the 1st 3 days of illness. The employer claims it. You don't do anything to claim it, all you do is provide a sicknote from the doctor for your employer if illness is more than 7 days.

I don't know the procedure for claiming SSP when you're on a zero hours contract, perhaps SSP isn't for those types of jobs.

UC tops up earnings. If earnings are reduced, eg being on SSP, then UC should increase. SSP is treated as earnings so falls within the Work Allowance.

SSP and zero hours is a whole different puzzle....

So that's probably where it all started to go wrong.

Did you follow the link and set up your claim via the managed migration link? If so, it's their fault.
If not, the system just treats you like anyone else on UC. Bummer! It's good if they've agreed to change it to managed migration rules but are you sure they have?

You should, under managed migration, get a manual change to your amount due. And although they deduct for the first £16k they disregard anything over £16k. You may as well spend your £16k though if you have anything you need to buy and can justify.