Applying for universal credit

[superstar84]

Please can anyone offer some advice?

we’ve had a mitigation notice and have to apply for universal credit by 17th Jan. we currently receive child tax credits & I get the contribution based esa due to a disability

my husband is salaried and gets paid on the last working day every month

is there a date that it best to apply on based on his pay dates? Our tax credits are paid 18th Jan so presume won’t get that payment

I applied on 11th November (not this year). My assessment ended on 10th December.

I get paid the Universal Credit on 17th of the month.

If the 17th falls on a weeked, the money goes into my account on the Friday.

I know the payment amount on the 13th of the month.

You usually have to wait for 5 weeks from when you make the claim. I didn't migrate to UC from tax credits. If you want to be really sure, try the Citizens advice chat and see what they say.

Avoid a situation where your monthly Assessment Period (AP) ends during the period when the last working/banking day might fall. If you get two lots of salary in the same AP it can (now) be untangled but it's a pain.

Early January would be OK I think.

Contributory/New Style ESA continues and is converted to a monthly equivalent. The actual payment days don't matter.

So would I be better to apply once I’ve had our December tax credit payment which would be the 21st Dec or should I wait until something like 4th Jan?

there’s a chance dh might get a £150 Xmas payment in his pay at the end Jan so I was hoping to avoid that being in the assessment period

dh would be paid 29th Dec and then 31st Jan

No way to avoid the bonus falling in the first assessment period if you are planning on applying in January. If you applied say 4th Jan then first assessment period will be 4th jan to 3rd feb with UC payment on 10th feb. You would need to apply by 29th/ 30th dec for that payment to fall outside of the assessment period.

Thanks, if I apply on 21st Dec then the assessment period should end before his pay on 31st Jan shouldn’t it?

I’ve got until 16th Jan to do it but it’s making me really anxious so i think it might be an idea just to get it out the way once I get that tax credit payment

If you apply on 21 December then you first Assessment Period (AP) will end on 20 January. His December net salary, as reported to HMRC by his employer, will be what counts in that AP.

AP#2 will be 21/01/24 to 20/02/24 and at that stage, if he gets a bonus, then it will affect the taper deduction from any UC that's payable.

Thanks that’s really helpful, I’ll do that as I don’t think a bonus in the assessment phase would be very helpful!

It will get caught in the second assessment period. UC is calculated each month and linked to HMRC.

The first assessment period is no different to any other. If it falls in the second assessment period it is exactly the same deduction. For each additional pound the bonus above what he normally gets paid you'll lose 55p of UC.

Universal Credit paid at the end of each AP will change if pay changes. If your AP is 21st to 20th and the £150 is paid on 31-01-24 then it will reduce your UC in AP#2.

If you're struggling at the end of January 'cos Xmas then there's a rationale for kicking the can down the road but it'll catch up at some point.