Universal Credit and holidays

edfdave

Hi. My son is currently unemployed, living in the parental home rent free and receiving UC. I am planning on taking him on holiday abroad with his mum and sister for 6 days. Can someone confirm whether or not he is allowed to do this and, if it is allowed, then what does he have to do/declare? What I've read on the internet is confusing.

pmlindyloo

edfdave wrote: »

Hi. My son is currently unemployed, living in the parental home rent free and receiving UC. I am planning on taking him on holiday abroad with his mum and sister for 6 days. Can someone confirm whether or not he is allowed to do this and, if it is allowed, then what does he have to do/declare? What I've read on the internet is confusing.

This answers your question

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/298762/response/727736/attach/2/FOI%204569%20reply.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1

Basically if you are on holiday you still have to do your claimant commitments, attend any interviews etc etc and be prepared to return for any job interviews.

konark

Not much of a holiday!

edfdave

So effectively you cannot do it then as you might miss your sign on day and cannot immediately return for an interview ? Can you ask to change your sign on day ?

poppy12345

edfdave wrote: »

So effectively you cannot do it then as you might miss your sign on day and cannot immediately return for an interview ? Can you ask to change your sign on day ?

Probably not without good reason. It's also not just the sign on day, it's the commitments inbetween those.

FBaby

Looking for work should be considered a priority. At this point, going on a holiday is a luxury. That's how they see it.

edfdave

Well with WiFi/mobile phones he will certainly keep on job hunting whilst abroad and arranging interviews, and he wouldn't go if he had an interview or actually found a job. It seems like an unnecessary punishment on already disadvantaged people. Surely taking reasonable periods of holiday, comparable to most working people, should be a basic human right for health and well being. Thanks all for the help.

sheramber

edfdave wrote: »

Well with WiFi/mobile phones he will certainly keep on job hunting whilst abroad and arranging interviews, and he wouldn't go if he had an interview or actually found a job. It seems like an unnecessary punishment on already disadvantaged people. Surely taking reasonable periods of holiday, comparable to most working people, should be a basic human right for health and well being. Thanks all for the help.

If you are not working why should you expect comparable holiday to someone who is?

pmlindyloo

edfdave wrote: »

Well with WiFi/mobile phones he will certainly keep on job hunting whilst abroad and arranging interviews, and he wouldn't go if he had an interview or actually found a job. It seems like an unnecessary punishment on already disadvantaged people. Surely taking reasonable periods of holiday, comparable to most working people, should be a basic human right for health and well being. Thanks all for the help.

I tend to agree with you.

The sticking point may be signing on as not doing this may result in a sanction.

Perhaps your son could speak to his work coach. He may be sympathetic. If not he may have to sign off UC and then reclaim. (Better this then face a sanction). I am not sure whether there is such a thing as a rapid reclaim for UC or whether you have to restart the process again. Something to ask his work coach.

It is imperative that he avoids a sanction as this would be loss of more than just the one week's UC.

annandale

You don't have a sign on day with uc. It changes every time you see your work coach. Your work coach can make the decision. I had a holiday booked and paid for before I went on uc. I was allowed to go provided that I kept up my jobsearch while I was away which I did.

It has nothing to do with holidays being considered a luxury. It's to do with the legislation which states that you have to be available to see your work coach at short notice and be available to take up a Job or go to interview at short notice.

There are people on universal credit who are self employed and have been sanctioned for taking their family on holiday in the UK. If you have WiFi access abroad then there is no reason why you can't jobsearch.

The work coach is the person to speak to. I have no commitments in between seeing my work coach apart from doing my jobsearch and updating my universal jobmatch account. You don't sign on when you are on uc.

annandale

It's actually better to take the sanction if you are on uc. There is no rapid reclaim. If the answer is no and you have to close your claim you wait five weeks for another payment. You don't wait the seven day wait period that you did at the beginning but it's five weeks before you are paid again.

If you take the sanction your claim won't close down. It's better to take the sanction.

Take the sanction and you'll lose 30 days money. Close your claim down and you'll lose five weeks money. Possibly more depending on your assessment period and the date you close the claim down because depending on the date you close it you might not get any money before you go either, depending on where you are in the assessment period.

For example if you were due to go on holiday the day you were getting paid that would be OK.

If you shut your claim down during your assessment period you won't get that four weeks money and you will wait another five weeks for another payment. Effectively losing two months money for a 7 day holiday.

Take the sanction and you lose 30 days money and your claim stays open.