Universal Credit Managed Migration - thread 2

[JanFebAndOnwards]

Not claiming any special knowledge myself (apart from am about to migrate in next couple of months!), but wanted to keep this going - will post link to the original thread next -) as it seemed to be helping and calming so many people.
Thanks for all valuable contributions everyone.

What sort of things do they ask?

Just things like, have you got savings? how many accounts? how much is in them? then they want the last 4 digits of the accounts, how much money do you have in your current account? your ethnicity, your religion. It was like doing a mortgage application all over again 🤦‍♀️

We submitted our forms on Monday this week. So now we are trying to manage with no treats until our payment goes in. When I say treats I'm talking Lidl own brand chocolate and the occasional bag of Haribo rather than hotel chocolat stuff and lobster. Got to upload our rental agreement next and then dh and I have interviews next week, me on the phone and dh at the job centre.

Why would they be dropping hours ? If anything they would have to look for more hours on UC ?

@Soccermumamir don't say that,
nothing can be as bad as a mortgage application!!!
Presumably you can opt not to answer on religion and ethnicity, just for diversity monitoring I guess.

I had a message to log into my journal today. So I've wrote to my work coach (whoever that is), that I work full time and I am well over the AET, so was under the impression I didn't have to look for further work. All this for a bit of child tax. I honestly wish I never bothered.

Because they're single and even by dropping a few hours here and there they're still over the AET.

Lol probably a bit of stretch. They don't go into how much you spend on clothes, TV, Mobile Phones or anything lol It's the way it's all worded like you're a bad person who doesn't work. Yet I work full time. I don't know. I've never liked these people when my dad died and my mum was his main carer, full time. After he died she gad this horrible woman who had no customer service skills and didn't care. Mum came out crying so I took her back in and demanded to speak to a manager. We got it sorted but it was awful.

I have to say, I have managed to lose a couple of pounds this month during my tax credit to UC break. The drop in my bank account has focused my snacking a bit.

Sorry that happened to your mum @Soccermumamir .

Thank you I appreciate that. I know they're not all like that, but when you get a bad person it sticks in your memory. My mum had depression after losing my dad so quickly and this nearly tipped her over the edge. Luckily she was assigned to a new adviser who was lovely.

Surely you would need to up your hours, not drop them to receive UC?

May be of interest if you like reading stuff from the HoL criticising the DWP!

publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5803/ldselect/ldsecleg/143/14307.htm#:~:text=This%20instrument%20increases%20the%20Administrative,Work%20Search%20(IWS)%20regime.

I'll be honest, I don't understand it. One of them is term time, and their contract is 22 hours. She then works overtime between 26 and 28 hours a week but said she was worse off as UC goes on per month, not annually? So she doesn't know what she's going to get per month.

I work 37 hours a week term time, so my salary is evened out over 52 weeks. I then work in the school holidays for a Youth Club on our HAF schemes when we do get the funding. So obviously when on child tax I would over calculate for the whole year factoring it in. But is obviously going to be different with UC 🤷‍♀️

I had my first commitment appointment yesterday it lasted 40 minutes.
The process was explained fully from the fit notes to receiving a form after 12 weeks and then having an assessment and what happens next depending on what group I am placed in and also what would happen if I am found fit for work, He asked me about my last job my home life (who lives with me ) and my medical condition and how it effects my ability to work it felt more like an informal chat than a full scale probe.

When it came to payments he could not tell me how the migration works for people with savings over 16000 as he had no idea but he did say a large chunk would be deducted from my Universal Credit as they deduct 4 pound odds for every 250 over 6000

My commitments are straightforward attend appointments once a month and keep getting fit notes he showed me how to accept the commitments via my online portal and to do this when I get home.

Was not as bad as I expected but I am happy it is over for the time being my only issue is that between now and receiving my first payment my savings will dip under the 16000 which means I will lose my transitional protection does anyone know when and how I should advise them of this as I forgot to ask at my appointment/.

I am a single mum of a 10 year old and had to migrate over in September. We have no additional claims for any illness/carers etc, and I work 20 hours a week. It was easy to fill out the form and you can come back to it if you need to. The questions asked are to ensure you get the right entitlement.

I haven’t had to go into the job center or have any calls so I presume those requirements are based on hours/earnings etc.

The hardest thing for me was the change from weekly to monthly but I actually get more money on universal credit. For those saying they wish they never bothered when they are getting money to help them live, baffles me. Please don’t be put off!

My dh is self employed and usually has a big project in the summer when the majority of his yearly income comes in. With child/working tax credits we give his yearly income so it doesn't matter whether he gets a regular income each month or 80% of it in one go. But with universal credit it's going to be different and I think we will be worse off. Is there a way round this or do we have to suck it up?

Also is it worth dh applying for carers allowance? We have 3 dc eligible for a carer and currently only I claim it but we are both claiming the carers element in universal credit. However I've heard that carers allowance is taken off the UC claim so you aren't any better off and carers allowance has always been classed as income so 2 lots of carers allowance plus the bit of money dh sometimes earns will tip us over the threshold for getting free school meals. We didn't get free school meals before because we were on working tax credits but it will be a massive saving if we can get it and it would lead to savings in other areas too.

Hmm so with tax credits and a termtime-only job they considered that you "normally" worked however many hours you did in termtime and took that as the figure. This was clearly stated as a policy, I kept doubting it!

Does UC do the same or average out over the 52 (or 48 allowing for the normal 4 wks holiday for any job) weeks? Or is it irrelevant as long as you meet the AET?

No point him claiming carers allowance unless he is not paying NI contributions during his months where he doesn't earn much. If he earns over £139 a week during his good months he will not qualify for carers allowance and would have to keep stopping and starting the claim. As it comes off UC in full anyway I don't see the point. The benefit to you of putting him down as a carer and claiming the carers element is that they will not ask him to look for more work in the months when he doesn't earn much because as a carer you have no work commitments.

Found answer to my own question re termtime hours - it doesn't matter for UC, which only goes on earnings not hours.

Hi, does anyone know when I would be best to make my application? I received my last tax credit payment today and I have to apply for universal credit by the 10th of Feb. I had planned to apply today but I think if I do that they will view me as being paid twice in the assessment period as I will get my wages on the 31st on January and then the 29th of February.

Should I wait till nearer the 10th to apply? But then I’m worried about going 6 weeks or longer without a payment as I have childcare to pay for. Thanks

messy I'd do it on the 5th / 6th. I made sure my application missed common pay dates like the end of the month and the 15th.

I made the migration application on 14th January and had my commitment meeting on the 26th January today I have received the UC50 Capability for work questionnaire is it normal to receive this so quick ?

@messyanddepressy make your claim on the 1st if you're always paid at the end of the month, you won't have the worry of 2 wages in the same Assessment period then.

were you in the support group esa and now on migration to uc
i funnily was reading today about the migration as im on esa support group and tc and should swap over july/sept and they were saying hardly anyone is being assessed