Universal Credit and holidays

Mersey_2

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 ?

Most still sign fortnightly, so yes it's possible. Although as others have pointed out, some are required to attend weekly and these days may change for the long-term claimant.


With online updates to evidence your 35 hour job search activity, it's probably easier in a way than in the past.


But under UC, the crucial difference is that there's no automatic annual allowance for eg holidays and sickness as appeared in the DWP DMG for JSA.


Although from memory a claimant did win an appeal - in that a sanction was deemed inappropriate - as they had presumably paid and booked the holiday in advance of losing their job and their entitlement to benefits essentially therefore derived from their NICs.


As has always been the case the holiday should be within the UK and not abroad.

Mersey_2

annadale - whilst I agree with some of that, I'm not sure why you're not signing. There is still a requirement to do so (whether under JSA or UC) as evidence that you attended the JCP office on that date.


Also I agree that UC is better than JSA for some claimants because it allows short periods of fluctuating earnings; but, the only way what you say would be true later re consequences is if a claimant is mistakenly withdrawing their UC claim (then having to claim again afresh).


As you may know, UC claims don't close in the way JSA claims did (indeed the good thing is that JCPs can't accidently close them). As I mentioned on a longer UC thread on here a while back, under no circumstances should a claimant agree to 'withdraw' their claim due to a change of circs.


A lot of UC claims were unfortunately (wrongly) closed due to this incorrect word usage by some staff at the UC national contact centres. If eg a claimant's ill, or their earnings nil out any UC award the following month, or goes self-employed and so on, they should not withdraw their UC claim. It will remain open to account for these change of circs. [A claimant should however 'withdraw' their UC claim if they win the Lottery as that'd mean they no longer satisfy the criteria to claim a means-tested benefit]

annandale

I don't have a set day that I see my work coach. I'm supposed to see him every two weeks but that changes according to his workload. My point was above that people were referring to it as signing on. You don't sign on on uc. I go for an appointment with my work coach. We discuss my job search and any other matters that need discussing. I don't actually sign anything. I also don't have a set day that I see him.

My appointment to see him next is given out at every appointment. It is not a set signing on day like it was with jsa. At least not with my job centre.

My next appointment is in three weeks time. I also had three weekly appointments with him in the summer because he was covering other staff who were on holidays caseloads. Didn't have space in his diary to see me and didn't want to pass me to another coach.

There are some work coaches that will allow for a holiday abroad. I help admin a uc group on Facebook and have seen people be given permission by their work coach to go to Australia.

These people worked and were claiming uc but still had to get permission to go.
My work coach was fine with me going abroad but he knew I had booked it before I had claimed uc. Other work coaches are fine with people having holidays as long as they keep up the job search. And some work coaches think the uc legislation is very unfair compared to people being on jsa. In that you won't just lose two weeks money if you go a two week holiday.

annandale

If someone goes on holiday their two options are relinquish the claim or go on holiday and take the sanction. There is no other way to do it apart from get permission to go from your work coach.

That was made clear to me by job centre staff. Although the claim stays open for six months and that's why you don't need to wait the seven day wait period again when you reclaim those are your choices. Relinquish the claim losing up to two months money or go and take the sanction which would probably be 30 days x 10.40 a day.

konark

sheramber wrote: »

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

UC is supposed to 'mimic' work and everyone who works has a holiday provision, so UC would seem to fail in this respect.

Even people who are looking for work need some sort of break, if just for their mental health.

Also remember that when this train-wreck is fully rolled-out the vast majority of those on UC will actually be working, even if only part-time. As part-time or low-paid workers they will have a statutory right to holidays under employment law but under UC are now being told they have to spend that holiday period job-seeking. This certainly breaches their right to a family life under the HRA..

annandale

Not just Job seeking. Going to appointments with a work coach in some instances.

It is ludicrous that someone who is working 30 hours a week could have two weeks off work and still have to jobseek and, see a work coach.

It's very rigid. Little flexibility

FBaby

Surely taking reasonable periods of holiday, comparable to most working people, should be a basic human right for health and well being.

Most working people? What a great idea, will you also pay for all those who are contributing towards your son's essential expenses to go on holiday too since many of them can't afford to?

Which world do you live in that leads to believe that all working people paying tax can afford a holiday abroad? If you can and do so for your son, maybe you can pay for his living expenses too?

A holiday abroad is a luxury not a human right. You are much more likely to get a balance health and well being by getting a stable job asap than by going on holiday abroad for a week.

edfdave

Blimey, cheers for your compassion mate.

annandale

He's paying for his sons holiday. Who else is being asked to contribute exactly? His son can do his jobsearch while hes away. And it's irrelevant if other working people can or can't afford a holiday. This family can. Is no one ever supposed to pay for a holiday for a family member because someone else out there in the world can't afford to have one?

You've no idea what this young man does or doesn't give in way of board to his family. There will be people on jsa and universal credit who contribute to the family home. Comments like this are in my view unnecessary.

annandale

The OP didn't say at any point in anything he's said above that he thought that people who are on benefits should have holidays abroad. He said comparable periods of holiday. It's not the same thing.

People who are on universal credit have to jobsearch 35 hours a week 52 weeks of the year if they are in the all work group. Fortunately there are some work coaches who will let people go on a family holiday if they keep up their jobsearch.

If you or anyone else had someone living in the family home and wanted to leave them at home to jobseek then that's your choice. Given that he's not had permission to go yet it's all moot

This board shouldn't be about judgement. It makes that quite clear at the top of the page but people come on here for advice and end up being bashed because they want to take their son on holiday.