Tax Credits/Universal Credit (Welfare Reform) in Northern Ireland

dirtydingismagee

Hi, have worked myself up into an awful kink about the Welfare Reform here in Northern Ireland (have settled a bit over the whole capital/assets thing).

I know we're way behind the rest of the UK in terms of roll-out of UC, but from what I've read, it all seems to be moving very fast now, with end of May being bandied about, but maybe that's just for JSA?

What I need a bit of help/advice with is this - I'm on a zero-hours contract which hasn't yielded any work for the past 23 months, husband works full-time with a decent enough wage, the only benefits we claim/receive are CB and CTC (no WTC understandably). I'm a bit of an ebay nerd/hobbyist and with a little bit of hard work reckon I can make it into a business, but not with earth-shattering profits (which leads to more problems with hours x minimum wage floors etc). Obviously I would need to declare self-employment in that case, with HMRC and with the tax credits people.

Say the UC isn't due to be rolled out for our CTC category until this time next year (pure guess, no knowledge) - would my informing them - now or very soon - of a change in circumstance, ie self-employment, trigger an immediate move to UC, wiping out any eligibility for the transitional protection that's been talked about for those likely to be getting less on UC? (More or less came to terms with the likelihood that we'll get very little or nothing under the terms of UC...)

Thanks in advance

Floxxie

I wouldn't bother going self-employed! Changes to Tax Credits means they are looking more at self-employed people and expect them to make a profit, working on the basis that s-e people are earning the NMW at 35 hours a week (ready for UC).

I'm guessing the rollout will be similar to England so they will do it on an area by area basis and change over new JSA applicants first.

P.S. On your last question, I decided to go s-e last year to avoid any changes to circumstances triggering a move to UC. I think it is a bit early to expect systems to be in place for this year but having lived in England and seen the consequences of welfare changes, I wasn't going to risk it if I could avoid it for as long as possible.

Mersey_2

There's transitional protection for those migrated/moved to UC from JSA, WTC etc.


Plus in your first year as a self-employed UC claimant they cannot impose that NMW x 35 hrs/week. Indeed even now HMRC are not meant to be using that, but often do a calculation to then request a compliance check.


I wouldn't expect changes to reach Northern Ireland before 2019, as welfare reform there is years behind England.