Universal Credit Advice

autumn2012_2

I am looking for advice regarding UC. I currently claim CTC & CB - Once I eventually move over to UC is it worth claiming? Im self employed& employed and my husband is self employed & employed. Our current claim we get £75.80 per week for two children. Iv look online and it says we wont be eligible for UC once it moves over? I understand about the minimum income floor for self employment and I think its going to be an absolute nightmare to claim so should I bother?

nannytone_2

its your choice.

if it isn't 'worth it' then don't claim

WillowCat

If you are both self employed and employed, which is your 'main' job? Minimum income floor will kick in if you are considered'gainfully self employed' and one of the criteria is that the self employment be your main job (normally classed as 18 hours or more per week).

autumn2012_2

I consider any employment as gainful - roughly 12 hrs per week but brings in decent money and does fluctuate. I not really ideal reporting monthly and payments changing month on month depending on income etc. I just think that we would be jumping through hoops continually to get minimal in a payment if at all anything. Self employment isnt our main jobs though - its more of a second job thats flexible around family life and additional income.

Alice_Holt

Natural migration onto UC is some years away yet.
By which time your income / circumstances may have changed.

Ames

Alice_Holt wrote: »

Natural migration onto UC is some years away yet.
By which time your income / circumstances may have changed.

I think you mean managed migration is years away. I do get them muddled up though.

autumn2012_2

It gets rolled out in my area next year - as soon as I make a change to my claim it classes as a new claim and therefore Ill get moved over. I change my claim 3/4 times per year due to fluctuating income.

Ames

autumn2012 wrote: »

It gets rolled out in my area next year - as soon as I make a change to my claim it classes as a new claim and therefore Ill get moved over. I change my claim 3/4 times per year due to fluctuating income.

Unless your claim stops and starts I don't think that's a change that will trigger a move to UC. it's things like moving to a new area, having more children, becoming unable (or able) to work. Something that changes a key part of the claim, not just a slight variation in how much is paid.

I'm not an expert though, hopefully someone who knows more will be along soon.

WillowCat

autumn2012 wrote: »

I consider any employment as gainful - roughly 12 hrs per week but brings in decent money and does fluctuate. I not really ideal reporting monthly and payments changing month on month depending on income etc. I just think that we would be jumping through hoops continually to get minimal in a payment if at all anything. Self employment isnt our main jobs though - its more of a second job thats flexible around family life and additional income.

You may consider it gainful, but in UC terms that is a very precise definition that they make. It sounds like you would not be gainfully self employed on their definition, but you would need to report your monthly earnings in order to claim UC. You would not be subject to the MIF.

However as another poster mentioned you would not be migrated to UC just because your earnings are variable, so you will not be forced to move across until managed migration hits your area (and the detailed timetable for that has yet to be published).

Alice_Holt

autumn2012 wrote: »

It gets rolled out in my area next year - as soon as I make a change to my claim it classes as a new claim and therefore Ill get moved over. I change my claim 3/4 times per year due to fluctuating income.

Depends on the change - see
https://www.welfare-benefits-unit.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/What-triggers-a-claim-for-Universal-Credit-in-a-full-service-area.pdf