Worried about UC Claim Review - BF helping with bills

[Jemjar56]

Hi,

So I’ve recently been asked to provide 4 months of bank statements for a claim review which I have done, but there’s a couple of things I have came to worry about after googling some information.

I am neurodivergent and massively struggle with money management. I am bad for impulse spending and have got myself into lots of debt over the years, I’m so lucky to have had family who are supportive and have helped me out of it. I have been debt free since being on UC, however unfortunately I did have a really bad patch earlier this year where I was literally blowing through my money and unable to pay my bills in full whilst unmedicated (thankfully I am now medicated again).

I was too embarrassed to tell my parents, so my boyfriend offered to help me pay towards my bills for a little while so that it took off some of the strain. He has a good job that pays well and he wanted to help, I have done the same for him in the past and gave him a substantial amount of money when I have been in a better place financially so I accepted. He hasn’t gave me any money for maybe 6 months now, besides the odd £10 transfer if we go halfs on something, I’m in a much more stable place now, and we were planning on moving in together and me paying him back by taking on a higher share of the bills after Christmas or some point next year.

I didnt really take into account that this may look bad in a claims review until googling just now. Is this allowed as we don’t live together?

All of my bills and my house are in solely my name, he still lives with his mum and all of his bills etc is registered at his own address.

On top of all of this my accounts in general are just all over the place due to my adhd and spending habits. Although I am far less reckless with money being medicated, I am constantly transferring money in and out my savings accounts to try manage it, so it looks like there’s more money coming in than there actually has been due to the back and forth.

I feel so guilty that I’ve done something I shouldn’t have, it didn’t even cross my mind that it might be an issue as we don’t live together. I don’t know whether to mention this during my phone call even though those transactions aren’t showing on the 4 months I’ve sent over.

Any advice?

You’re probably overthinking this. Why would it make a difference if it’s your BF or your parents helping out?

How much money?

If it’s not showing on the statements you’ve provided because it was before that then I don’t think honestly it will come up in this review

I’m not sure on the guidance around UC and gifts/family help so it might be good to check that so you can be informed if the situation comes up again

If its not on any of the 4 month's statements then there is no need to mention it. I also transfer money from my savings account to and from my current account to stop becoming overdrawn. You'll have to provide 4 months copies of your savings accounts too so it'll show where you got the money from and that you "borrowed" it from yourself, so don't worry about that. I had to do this recently and they were really nice to deal with. Also, before I sent the statements off I went through them and made my own reminder notes about what payments in and out of my account were for, just in case they asked (which they didn't).

I had thought the same but I have seen online people who have been in a similar situation being told they need a joint claim as UC think they live together and they’ve had to prove otherwise so it’s got me stressed 😭 I would have proof in terms of my bills being in my name and address and his in his name and address but just don’t want them to think the worst and stop my claim.

It entirely depends month by month, one month maybe 200 but another he gave me 600, which I paid half back once I was paid, but lots of back and forth between us during that time.

How much did you lend him, surely you can just say he was paying you back for money you lent (which you'll be able to show) which is true even if it wasn't the true arrangement of the payment.

-What you do need to do to get your bills in order though is have two accounts + a savings account.
-One which all your income goes in to and regular bills go out of and another one which is used for general spends.

• Calculate how much money a month has to cover those bills and leave that amount and a little float in the first account, set up regular Direct Debits so you never miss a bill.
• Transfer everything else into the second account.
• Anything left at the end of the month in either account gets transferred to the savings account.

Quite a lot, definitely in the thousands at one point but I think he has probably mostly paid it all back. There was also some big problems at the beginning of our relationship when he was struggling with addiction, he took some belongings of mine and pawned them without my knowledge and all of that amounted to a fair amount of money which I suppose this could be seen as him paying me back for, but obviously I don’t really want to have to delve into all of my relationship drama with UC, and there’s not really any proof of that due to the nature of it. I would just have to try and explain if they ask. Being ND I find talking about it difficult as it is but especially on the phone with someone I have never met 😩

Sounds like you have more problems than your UC claim.
Just be honest with the UC people and if you have done nothing wrong it will be ok
Also, consider if you want to live with an addict who stole from you

Tbh it sounds and might look like you've been sharing living costs. I think the pawn shop story is going to look like you're finding an excuse for your boyfriend transfering you thousands of pounds. If this is really true I'm not sure why your with him. Especially if he might jeopardise your benefits. Are there children in the mix? They deal with couples all the time who share living costs but say they are living elsewhere and I think they may ask you to put in a joint claim. But no one can really know how they will view it. Can't you make a face to face appointment and go through it all ?

Just re read op. If the amounts don't show on last 4 months of statements just don't mention it..I can't see why that would be a problem. They've only asked for 4 months worth.

@Jemjar56 As above poster says, if none of its on the 4 months bank statements then you don't need to mention it.

Please don't worry OP, although I know that's easier said than done.
I had this and was so worried I was physically sick the day before the call (I am not ND but Doctor claims I have anxiety so perhaps I do)
Anyway, to the point.

My DM puts money in each fortnight for Shopping. It says in reference SHOPPING
Sometimes I loan my son or his friend the odd tenner or so and they will then pay it back in for Me. No reference.
My Sons put rent in for Me citing RENT.

To cut a long story short, they asked about the payments from DM, Sons and DS3s friend but I explained what that was about and all was fine.
Not heard anything since but she did say on the phone call that it is satisfactory and "Thank you for your time".

It's fine OP. UC works on the basis that unearned income is only included if it is explicitly brought into account by the legislation. Voluntary payments from family and friends are not mentioned in the legislation so they are not taken into account, no matter how much they are.

"Where a claimant receives an income which is not defined as such for the purposes of UC then it
cannot be taken into account as income."

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66867c21899a6f92e5d9ccf5/admh5.pdf#page=17

I would not mention them as they are not on recent bank staments.

If the amount he's giving you brings you own total amount to more than 6k, then you're meant to declare it. If you go above 16k you must stop your claim. Unless this is the case then friends or family popping a couple of hundred in every few months is totally fine. It's not a crime to receive a gift. But you don't need to say anything or worry unless you've 6k plus at any given time.
If anything happened before the four months they asked for then again, you don't need to speak of it.

It should be ok as it was only for a short time but they may ask if you were living together then and what the money was for so just explain. You got behind with your bills, he leant you some money.

Are you claiming as a single person because if you have a partner financially supporting you, even if you live separately, they will see you as a couple and you’ll be in trouble for not reporting a change.
I’m sure it won’t be flagged up during this review but it’s something to consider.

If you’re planning on moving in together after Christmas you’ll need to amend your claim then anyway.

If you are not living together at the same address then you would not meet the UC definition of a couple, no matter what financial support you get from a partner. Older benefit systems had different definitions, but the rules for UC are clear:

"To claim Universal Credit as a couple, both you and your partner must:

• be living in England, Scotland or Wales
• live at the same address

www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-couples-an-introduction/universal-credit-further-information-for-couples

Thanks for the info.
When I received a letter earlier this summer about moving from tax credits to UC they sent a letter about what counts as a couple and it was way more detailed than those points.

Thank you, what would I need to provide to prove this if they ask? I feel as though they wouldn’t just take my word.

Im able to provide all my bills, payslips for us both in either of our addresses etc but would that be enough? He still lives with his mum so I suppose she could vouch for that in writing if needs be.

Yes I would be hesitant to explain this to UC if they ask in case they think I’m trying to pull the wool over their eyes but sadly it is true.

This was also a huge reason why we don’t live together to be honest. But he has managed to turn things around after intense therapy and things are much better now touch wood.

I would be more than happy to set up a joint claim and him move in with me the way things are at the moment but I don’t want to feel forced into such a big decision 😩 I think it would be best off just ending my claim as I don’t think we would be entitled to anything with his wage anyway, or would it still be a joint claim despite that we don’t live together?

@Jemjar56 You could use where you are both registered on the electoral roll.

Do you work?
You live apart now so don’t overthink and think too far ahead.

I do yes I work 45 hours a week, the UC I get is just a top up of my wages x