Benefits Help

dlpfan2019

Hi all,

I am in a position where I am leaving my current employment next week

I have another job lined up with a start date of the beginning of Feb 2019

We have never claimed Universal Credit before and not entirely sure of the system so have a couple of questions

- Are we able to claim for a short period of time- ie 6-7 weeks?
- Can I apply for it now or do I have to wait until next week when I have officially left - ie can I put next week down as my leave date now

Thanks in advance, all I hear is horror stories about UC so I am not expecting this to be a smooth ride!

poppy12345

dlpfan2019 wrote: »

Hi all,

I am in a position where I am leaving my current employment next week

I have another job lined up with a start date of the beginning of Feb 2019

We have never claimed Universal Credit before and not entirely sure of the system so have a couple of questions

- Are we able to claim for a short period of time- ie 6-7 weeks?
- Can I apply for it now or do I have to wait until next week when I have officially left - ie can I put next week down as my leave date now

Thanks in advance, all I hear is horror stories about UC so I am not expecting this to be a smooth ride!

What's the reason you're leaving your job? It's likely you'll be sanctioned and won't be able to claim anything unless you have good reason for leaving.

dlpfan2019

Hi Poppy,

It is a negotiated exit which probably will penalise me

MY OH is currently out of work and we have 2 children, currently we only recieve Child Benefit

tacpot12

Citizens Advice suggest waiting until you have received your last payment from your employer, as if you apply before then, the payment will reduce the amount of UC you receive. See the link below:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/apply-for-universal-credit/#h-applying-at-the-right-time

As far as I know there is no issue with applying for a short period, apart from the fact that you will then be in the UC system and have to comply with all the rules and requests. If your claim goes wrong, you could have to spend a bit of time sorting it out - not necessarily what you want when starting a new job.

My advice would be to look carefully about how much you will get and whether you really need the money. If you do, you should apply, but be prepared for your reason for leaving result in you not receiving any payment.

poppy12345

Also for UC savings/capital over £6,000 will affect any money you could claim. Over £16,000 and you won't be able to claim anything.