Universal credit counted last months wage again

[Googoodoll87]

Hey, hope I’ve put this in the correct place. Hope someone can help me.

I have just logged on to view my universal credit account to see I am being awarded £0 for this month. It looks like they have counted my last months wage together with this month.

My assessment period last month which was the first time I’ve applied for UC, was from 29th of January until 27th of February. I was paid on the 28th of February. And I received a payment based on this.

This month my assessment period was the 28th of February until the 28th of March and I was paid on the 28th of March. I’m always paid on the last Wednesday of the month apart from in December when paid early.

I don’t understand why they would count my first wage again when I’ve already received a payment calculated from it. I think that’s what they’ve done anyway.

Can anyone help? Will they put this right? I’ve left a message on my journal but of course it’s closed bank holidays so I can’t call until Tuesday.

Thank you

the February assessment period will have taken into account your January pay but not February as that was after the assessment period.

It sounds like you have fallen into the unlucky position of getting two pay days (feb and march) during the assessment period.

I was paid before I started my claim in January though as paid early that month too.

I’ve had 2 wages since starting the claim and they have counted the February wage again this month for some reason?

The statement for this month is saying I earned double what I actually earned.

If your first assessment period was 29th January-27th Feb and you’re paid the last Wednesday of each month, the wage used to calculate February’s payment was your 31st January wage.

If March’s payment assessment period was the dates you said, it will include your wages from 28th February and 27th March.

Was Jan and Feb wage different.

I think they’ve use Jan in your first payment.

Are your sure your assessment period has changed this month. It shouldn’t.

Sorry, forgot I was also paid early in January, on the 24th. I work for the NHS, they pay us early in December then again in January so it’s not too long between those wages. Back to normal, last Wednesday of the month in February.

They definitely can’t have counted my January wage as I was paid it on the 24th and I didn’t apply for UC until the 29th.

Yes my wage varies every month as I work shifts

Why would they count the February wage twice? Will I be able to get them to reassess this as I think it must be a computer error?

I had this when I first started on UC, was paid early because of a May BH and it messed up the payments.

In the end I had to appeal and it went to court. The judge ruled in my favour because they were a human being who used logic. I could tell they were annoyed at the waste of time (was online during Covid, thankfully as not as stressful/ time wasting but still..)

UC assume you have been paid twice in the assessment period, because you have.
If you write in your journal and explain, they may or may not have a look at it

This happened to me as I got paid early in December, I had to be very insistent and it took a few phone calls but they did rectify it in the end (took 21 days)

Download the HMRC app to see what date your employer has reported the pay dates.

Then notify UC of whatever the early payment was and request this to be manually allocated to the next assessment period.

Impossible to say what’s happened then.

If paid on 24th, as you already know shouldn’t have been included in Febs UC payment.

Maybe speak to employer/payroll if possible and ask them to check.

If you’re working, you probably won’t have a work coach assigned to your claim so make sure you leave your journal message as ‘a payment’ so it goes to your case manager.
The call centre agents won’t be able to tell you anything more, if you don’t get a reply in your journal, you can call them to escalate to your case manager for you.

Your case manager should raise an RTI dispute because if your assessment period and pay dates you’ve given are correct, you shouldn’t have had any deductions in Febs UC. Can take them a little while to get back to you if RTI disputes needed

Can I also ask, is everyone’s assessment period always the same dates? As mine have been 29/01-27/02 then 28/02-28/03.

I thought they were the same every month.

Yes I’ve been paid twice in the March assessment period but the February AP I got nothing as was paid the day after it ended but I still got a payment that month.

when I try to work out my assessment periods going forward it looks like I will have no wage some AP’s and 2 on others.

I am so stressed out with this, am I going to have to fight with them every few months to try to get it fixed?

Your assessment periods every month would not be the dates you say. If you originally applied on 28th of the month, then it will always run from 28th - 27th of each month with pay date 7 days later. So if paid on 28th March this should not have fallen within that assessment period. If you were paid earlier than normal for some reason then or your employer reported incorrectly then you can raise a dispute and they can reassign it to the correct assessment period. This can take some time to sort though.
This is absolutely the reason why it is best to keep dates of applying well away from pay day dates.

Assessment dates never change. Always the same. So if you originally applied on 28th jan your assessment dates will always be 28-27 th.

If it is your employer that is reporting earnings late or whatever then you need to speak to them. UC will only use whatever wages are reported in your assessment period to calculate your Uc amount which is paid seven days later.

I’ve looked on HMRC app and for January it says paid by the 31st but I got the wage on the 24th. Also Decembers wage says paid by the 27th but I got it on the 22nd.

I thought UC only seen the wage when it got paid into my bank account?

So I should be able to ask them to move my March wage onto the next assessment period?

Thanks for all the replies. Really appreciate the help

It sounds like your employer may have reported januarys wage as paid on the correct date rather than early. On your universal credit account have a look at your award and it will show the wage taken into account. The reason your assessment was slightly different is because you claimed 29/1, most years don't have a 29/2 so they've assessed to the 27/2 , and adjusted your claim period, going forward you're period will permanently be the same each month. The payment is correct for March as you have been paid twice by your employer in that period, and the payments were on the correct dates. It sounds like it was your first payment that was incorrect.

I first applied for UC 29th of Jan and my first assessment period was 29th Jan til 27th Feb, this is what’s stated on my UC account. Then the next period is 28th Feb til 28th March again as stated in my UC account. Why would mine be different and what would the assessment period be this month now?

The day you receive your money isn't necessarily the day the payment is reported to hmrc. We have had this issue with an employee on uc. You are likely to have been paid twice by their calculations

It seems your jan wage was used for your first payment and feb and March for the latest

If my AP going forward will be 29th to 28th each month I’m going to have months with no wage and months with 2 wages. So May I will have no wage but June I will have 2.

what can I do about this? Can I change my assessment period? This is a nightmare…

Nope. You can do nothing, it's the shit way UC work
It does mean you don't end up owing them money though

There's only 28 days in Feb so that's why the date difference

I’m paid the last Wednesday of every month so every other month I’m going to have 2 wages in one AP and the months in between no wage. I’m not going to be able to live. I’m only going to have UC payment every other month but I need it to survive. I would have started my claim middle of the month if I knew this was going to be a thing but didn’t know partner was going to leave.