Universal Credit Review

[ConfusedandMoreConfusedd]

Hi everyone!

I’ve had the message about having a UC review and just wanted to know what was everyone’s experience like?

I’ve submitted everything and nothing to hide but this is making me feel so anxious for some reason!

Yes.

Would you be able to share some insight around how you would calculate someone’s savings.

my balance at the end of the AP was 6.5k but I was paid 3.5k from work in the AP

Can't access information at the moment but I think income becomes capital one clear AP after it's paid .

So if a bonus puts you over £6k at the end of AP#1 it'll be treated as capital if you're still over £6k at the end of AP#3 without having dipped below.

DWP staff are not as well informed or consistent as they should be on this stuff so look carefully at any adverse decision and if you need help ask CA or any other advice agency.

If you think you might go over a limit don't forget that paying down debt is never deprivation.

Okay so if my AP is 2nd - 1st, I was paid on the 22nd from work they wouldn’t count my earnings from work as part of my capital right?

on the 1st our balance was 7.5k but I was paid 3.5k (combined earnings with my partner)

my overall capital is 4K?

This is from the DWP website.

www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-money-savings-and-investments#income

If you receive income in an AP - we'll call that AP#1 anything unspent at the end of AP#2 counts as capital in AP #3.

At the end of the day you claim UC.
What are you and your partner doing to make sure this won't be for much longer.
Looking for more work, better paid work or nothing because you're protected by the ridiculously low AET.
If you're doing nothing then you're using the benefits system as a lifestyle choice not a safety net as it was intended.
People not given that perk are entitled to question it and will be judgey from time to time.

Not remotely helpful.

I had the exact same questions haha ! It must be a script they read . Well obviously I don’t pay that amount of money to some randomer , the exact same money that my rent is 🙄

I have a savings account that is connected to my current account she would’ve been able to see it was connected and she still asked me what was the reason I had £1000 go into my current account . It confused me and I was so worried thinking hang on when did I have £1000 then I realised I was transferring from my savings … but she could see that !!! So bloody annoying how they try and catch you out when actually I’m not doing anything illegitimately at all !

But true.

Yes.. If you’re asking a government dept to give you money, via the taxpayer, you have to answer what are intrusive questions. 🤷‍♀️

Shitty comment. What people spend their money on should be private and what you should be more concerned with is companies not paying a decent living wage.
You don’t get them ringing pensioners demanding to know what they spend their money on, or people claiming child benefit. It’s all government money so why single out one group?

You’re absolutely right! I didn’t even give the people trolling this a response because obviously scrolling through sites attempting to make people feel shitty makes these people feel better about themselves. What a sad life

You might be surprised how many people working for the DWP especially on the contracts like review agents are on UC themselves due to the pay rates.

I'm sure that's true and the same applies to them.
The thresholds for earnings are to low and the earnings level at which you can apply is far to high.

I’m not sure why you are scared. In my experience a review is often triggered when either they suspect you have capital you haven’t declared or your income has changed (work bonuses) can do this. As long as you are open and have reported any changes you don’t have anything to worry about.

I think feeling anxious is something a lot of people go through during a review. As someone with anxiety, it’s not something I can turn off when I want to.

I’ve given everything they need and there’s nothing to hide. Just anxious to get this over and done with

They're not triggered by anything anymore. Everyone who has claimed UC for longer than 6 months will at some point be reviewed.

Someone I know was in tears and terrified when she had the message in her journal about having a review. She thought she had somehow done something wrong and was going to have her benefits stopped.

These reviews are to check capital and incomings, and people are selected at random to have them.

I wish the message people get about them is that people are selected at random and they are nothing to worry about.

I read about someone who was asked what Tesco was.

BTW, I love your username. That thread was ridiculous.

Pensioners on pension credit are subject to reviews in exactly the same way as the OP is.

Pensioners on pension credit are subject to the same reviews.
Giving a view is not trolling.
You benefit from a system that's paid for by other workers some who have much less than you do. Certainly less than a £4000 raining day fund and they get no help. Anyone claiming any benefit apart from state pension should be constantly looking for ways to be self sufficient - if not its a lifestyle choice and it's why the countries in such a mess.
Tax credits and UC are supposed to be a temporary top up whilst you better yourself not claimed indefinitely because its an easy option.
Hubby and I raised our kids without tax credits working opposite shifts for years.
You think the questions are intrusive now - when hubby got made redundant the job centre lady even asked what we had that we could sell before they had to give us anything.

If you get money from Universal Credit while on what seem high earnings then unless you've seriously disabled kids it's because you're paying massive sums in rent to a private landlord.

How would you deal with that?

We still need essential services in places like London or Cambridge where rents are ridiculous.

I can sort of see what you mean about the AET and it's been significantly increased in recent years. It's essentially there for resource reasons as DWP focus on those with lowest incomes. Also, it it's set higher, you get into ever more complex scenarios where people have good reasons why they cannot earn more.

The AET for a couple is £1437 a month.
28 hours a week at minimum wage would exempt them both from needing to earn any more. Far to low in my view. Once kids are at school it should be atleast £2500 a month. That's still only 48 hours a week between 2 adults.

The rest of your points are very valid.
Labour's tax credits did a lot to skew the rental market.
I remember people telling me they got paid more housing benefit than their rent cost and were allowed to pocket the difference. No wonder it's all such a mess.

With UC, it is the opposite now. LHA is less than the rents in the area so they have to make up the shortfall.
Where I live, a single person claiming housing element on UC will have to find another £150 - £200pm to make up the difference. If you are in the work search group, that is half of the UC you are given for bills etc. You simply can not afford to live on that.

And in most places you have to contribute to Council Tax too.