Universal Credit

[Columbo]

I don’t know much about UC as I’ve never had to use it but really how do these privileged people know anything about what it’s like for normal working people to survive let alone people who have to rely on benefits? They are far too removed from reality. What was it Boris said when asked about the price of a pint of milk? “I can tell you the price of a bottle of champagne”.
The gap between the rich and the poor will keep getting wider and it seems to me that’s just the way they like it.

 

[lerual]

It was only ever temporary and that was made clear from the off. It's already had one extension and the end of that was clearly told in plenty of time. People have been calling it a cut when it's just a return to how things were. I have more sympathy for those on benefits like JSA who have missed out on around 1500 quid from it not being extended to them.

But yet the cost of living continues to rise? My gas bill is going up by 21% from next month. My eyes nearly popped out when I got the letter. I get a letter every few months telling me the rates are increasing (where I am they are included in the weekly rent amount). With the £80 cut and the NI increase they are blatantly making the working class poorer.

 

[Penguin86]

It was only ever temporary and that was made clear from the off. It's already had one extension and the end of that was clearly told in plenty of time. People have been calling it a cut when it's just a return to how things were. I have more sympathy for those on benefits like JSA who have missed out on around 1500 quid from it not being extended to them.

Oh I'm so sorry I didn't get the memo that because I can't work due to illness that that means I don't need the extra £86 a month.

 

[Princesspinky]

I claim universal credit as a single parent. When my ex left I was sick with worry about what this was going to entail (not having had to claim anything before) and also I felt a little ashamed that I had to. I work 18 hours per week and my income is topped up by universal credit.
Thank goodness I have not had any problems , my only slight criticism is how it runs a month behind. So on a month where the last week of the month is split and my working weekly hours differ slightly , one month I'm up in my wages the following I'm down ..... The universal credit for the "down" month doesn't luck in till the following month - if that makes sense . But I just have to budget for that and get on with it .

 

[SarahGard83]

I applied for UC not long ago. Went to the interview with all my documents etc and was told my first payment would be 10th September. Just got my first statement and we're entitled to zero

 

[Cantstandspanj]

I’m on maternity and recently broken up with my boyfriend and currently looking for another job closer to me as my current job is too much money in taxi’s to go back to now I have a baby having to claim UC. Does anyone know how much I’ll get once my maternity has ended as a single mum to 1 baby. Also how many hours do you have to work to claim working tax credits. Sorry I’m all new to this I’m so stressed

Tax credits would be part of your universal credit claim now. It’s called the child elemen. So how much you get would be determined by your other income, if that’s only going to be universal credit. You’ll receive the full child element.
You’ll also receive an element for yourself as well as help towards the cost of your rent (unless you own your property) it’ll all be paid as one payment.
As your child is just a baby you won’t be required to look for work yet so if you can afford to live on your payment you can have a bit more time off with the baby if that helps.
The child element is £277 per month. Your element depends on your age. Have a look here:-

Benefits Calculator - entitledto - independent | accurate | reliable | www.entitledto.co.uk

Check what benefit entitlement you are entitled to. The entitledto benefits calculator will check which means-tested benefits you may be entitled to e.g. tax credits, universal credit, housing benefit …

www.entitledto.co.uk

Try not to stress, it is a horrible benefit. If you’re struggling go to your local CAB or Welfare Rights Team at your local authority, they might be able to help.

 

[Nebbymoo]

A benefit system shake up has been long overdue it has always been far too cushty to be on the dole long term in the uk. However they've gone from easy hand outs to extreme jumping through hoops over night with one huge change. It's made it far too difficult for those genuinely in need to recieve the help they need. I do think we need a simpler and fairer system for all but more importantly work should pay and benefits should not provide a lifestyle of luxury that's unachievable for those in work. Again its swings and round abouts because I know plenty who live far better than I do who claim uc then theres others who survive because they claim uc. Baffling.

 

[Bitofthebubbly]

But yet the cost of living continues to rise? My gas bill is going up by 21% from next month. My eyes nearly popped out when I got the letter. I get a letter every few months telling me the rates are increasing (where I am they are included in the weekly rent amount). With the £80 cut and the NI increase they are blatantly making the working class poorer.

I’ve had 2 emails in the past 6 months from my energy supplier announcing an increase in prices. It’s getting hard to keep up.

 

[Emzykins]

The odd person getting £1000 a month is literally nothing compared with how politicians and the 1% bleed the economy dry. Completely wrong place for the focus to be. Anyone that thinks a grand a month is going to provide a lavish lifestyle needs their head checked.

It baffles me that UC is used to top up low wages. Companies pay out billions to shareholders but can't pay a living wage. It's a farce.

Meanwhile statutory maternity pay is £150 a week despite being a benefit only applicable to those paying into the system. It's all topsy-turvy.

My basic take home pay is £1,450. I work 34 hours a week. I've been there 6 years and became a single parent before my daughter was born. I get around £850 UC per month, which in reality looks like I get this huge award and must live a cushty life... what people don't realise is that most of my award goes towards my daughters nursery bill which is over £800 per month. I am still left with next to nothing after all my bills are paid. I honestly have no idea how people are expected to live in this country anymore. I physically cannot work a full 40 hour week as I can't afford another days childcare, and if I work less I can't afford to live. My daughter is 3 next month and I went back to work just after she turned 8 months as stat mat pay didn't even touch the sides. It's so hard.

 

[midnightrose]

Not so much UC but the introduction of PIP I think is awful, based on the below news story:

'My friend was found fit for work then he died - this has to stop'

Pictures of Stephen Smith shocked the nation - now his friend is warning that a change in government is desperately needed

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

So sad and completely preventable

That is so very upsetting. How can that happen in a developed country?

 

[Melian]

I'm glad the UC stories are exposing that it's only people with children that can work 2 hours to earn an extra £20 and that childless claimants need to work 6 hours to get £20 extra

Whilst ignoring carers and disabled people who can't work.

 

[Yel]

Yep, does seem so bizarre to treat so many different cases and needs the one way. There's a world of difference between someone on it for a short time in-between jobs and someone that is going to need it long term.

 

[sassylash]

I’m on it to top up, I am better off not working. But for my sanity I have to. How does that work, it’s an awful system! I see people abuse it everyday!

 

[Moth]

Entitledto is pretty accurate, at least I found it to be

I believe 'Entitledto' and 'Turn2Us' are pretty good but 'PolicyInPractice' while fine for most people apparently has a few glitches that they are struggling to fix.

Yep, does seem so bizarre to treat so many different cases and needs the one way. There's a world of difference between someone on it for a short time in-between jobs and someone that is going to need it long term.

One of the points of UC was that it meant that people no longer had to make and manage separate claims for different benefits with different organisations. Tax Credits were paid by HMRC, JSA / ESA / IS etc paid by DWP and Housing Benefit paid by the local council. A change in ESA might affect the entitlement to HB but because so many people had HB paid direct to their landlord, the first time they found out about it was when they were in arrears.

Another benefit of UC is that it is calculated monthly in arrears whereas Tax Credits were calculated on your last year's income and relied on the claimant notifying HMRC of material changes as the year progressed. There was a review at the end of each year to see how the claimant's actual income compared to the income estimated at the beginning of the year and the tax credit payment was recalculated. It could mean that claimants had been overpaid thousands. At best that might mean deducting it from the next years payments but in situations where the claim had ended because for example the claimant had got a much better paying job, that debt of thousands of pounds had to be recovered. The economic and funding crisis caused by the pandemic has prompted the government to dig out all those old debts and people are currently receiving letters saying that they owe thousands from tax credit overpayments that happened years ago. The longest I've dealt with is 12 years ago but I've heard that there are some from even longer ago. HMRC have turned the debts over to DWP who have greater powers to recover debts e.g. attachment of current earnings or benefits. That level of overpayment can't happen with UC because the income in one month is used to calculate the payment in the following month. That's why there is the 5 week wait at the start of the claim.

The main problems with the UC system is the 5 week initial wait for wholly new claimants i.e. people who are not already receiving legacy benefits and the sanctions system. There is a separate argument that UC should be more generous.

 

[Warpaint]

The client group I work with are mostly on UC. There was a period I was putting in a lot of claims for them - it was that time when they'd leave them a month without payment whilst it was 'processing'. So almost everyone got the advance payments which leaves them in debt even before they've got their first full UC payment. UC don't seem to do much to explain what it will mean either and merely put it as 'taking a little bit off each month' which sounds fine but is no good when the monthly payment is shit anyway. When you're trying to explain the temptation of the advance payment is too much and they just take the full amount offered. Which I imagine is common amongst most who claim it as otherwise they'd be left with nothing.

The only merciful thing they've done in the last few months is make the number free. As a simple call can take hours. Then even with the login there different passwords, PSN numbers and codes sent to phones which all adds to the jumping through hoops.

 

[Thedutchess]

I agree with you wholeheartedly, it should not be your cross to bear... but on the other hand... should it be the government responsibility?

I’m insured to the hilt for every eventuality because my lifestyle is no-one else’s responsibility but my own.

Considering insurance is essentially paying out like taxes do it seems almost comparable, you paid into a “pot” to take it out when you need it. That’s essentially what benefits etc work like.

 

[Insomiaflamingo]

I’m on it and I think it’s awful.

Signed up initially after finishing university so they could aid me in finding a job. Laughable effort. I have cerebral palsy which means I struggle to walk, stay on my feet, and carry things (I receive full PIP and told them all of this) - no word of a lie EVERY job they sent me for was inappropriate - I was told to apply for the Amazon warehouse (you know the one where you’re on your feet working for your Entire shift and you’re penalised if you’re too slow?) turned that down they told me to try waitressing (again on my feet and having to carry heavy plates - impossible) they then implied i was trying it on and being purposely difficult because I was turning the jobs down.

Gave up, decided to go back to university to complete my masters, told them this so they could adjust my payments (this was in october 2020). Guess when they paid me my first payment of UC? Go on?

July this year. Yes really. This was after months of arguing back and forth with them as they based my payment off of how much student loan I am entitled to and they refused to believe how much I was getting and again implied I was lying. In July I finally sorted it, and they pay me the princely sum of £30 a week

The thing is, i still live at home with my mother - so I really appreciate the privileged position I’m in, I really appreciate that I don’t rely on UC to get by and I’m just using it as ‘pocket money’ on top of PIP. But the way they run the system is AWFUL, they really see you as just a number, there’s no considering those who really do rely on that money.

I bet if you applied for one of those jobs they would then say well clearly you lied on your PIP as you said you have CP but we saw you applying to work full time in a warehouse and you can carry heavy trays loaded with plates!

 

[Droosie123]

The changes coming up are likely to include removing entitlement to UC for students in education. This has been picked by by disability charities as it will affect those individuals not yet ready for the world of work but who will get there with the right support (I’m talking 18/19+).

Students like my son for example who will fall foul of this next year ….just as all the child element comes off of my UC claim. It’s a top up as my husband works but it’s still something I really rely upon.

if my son cannot claim UC then as a family we will really struggle as he has a lot of care needs which keep me at home.

 

[Louisej3]

When i started on uc in nov last year after living in a woman's refuge after fleeing DV and moving council's and county's but same area moved from ESA they messed my payments up completely for a few months and could only pay less than half my rent was only managing to pay like £150/£200 my rent is £352 and I ended up in rent arrears like £500 finally managed to catch up and pay the arrears off each month by £50/£60 some months I've been paying £400+ on rent because of their mistake started a new job recently so hoping I don't have to rely on uc for much longer

 

[sassylash]

the £86 or however much it is deduction is going to be so crazy in october. it will be all over the papers really awful, especially to be stopping it in the colder months. people will struggle!