UC info wrong

platypuskn

I'd really appreciate some help as I am getting nowhere with the UC via journal or helpline.

I claimed universal credit on 23/03/19. They messed up and closed my claim incorrectly. I was advised to do a mandatory reconsideration and meanwhile open a new claim which I did from 04/04/19 just in case my appeal was rejected.

I got letter on the journal a couple of weeks ago to say my appeal was successful and I am eligible for UC from 23/03/19 and that my claim would go to a specialist team to be 'realigned'.

In the meantime my assessment period for the new claim ended and I was told my payment would be £0 this month. The reason for this is that my employer was apparently late uploading info to the Real Time System to HMRC so that although I was only paid once in the assessment period (which UC even admit), they are taking the payment from the date it was entered into the RTI system not the date it was actually paid and should have been entered. My advisor claims there's nothing that can be done about it because the system is automated and its just tough. He also said that I won't be backpaid anything from 23/03/19 because the amount of backpay would be based upon my assessment period too.

Surely this can't be right? I was clearly only paid once in the assessment period. I've lost around £600 and as a single parent I'm not able to pay bills. What, if anything, can I do?

tomtom256

Ring the service centre and raise an RTI dispute and provide a copy of your bank statement showing when it was recevied and they should do a manual override and recalculate it for you.

platypuskn

Thanks, I'll give that a go. I was told there was 'nothing that could be done'... Is it just the usual UC number I need to call?

huckster

Yes it would be normal UC number.

When you reclaimed, did you log into the previous claim and on the home page, click that you wanted to start the claim again ?

Or did you go to Gov.uk and start a brand new Universal Credit claim ?

The problem with RTI earnings is that legally UC can take into account all earnings reported via HMRC, during the period your UC claim is live. So it does not matter when you actually worked. It is when the employers say they paid you. And employers have to report the earnings no more than a day after they have paid wages, so UC believes you were paid all the reported wages during the UC claim,

calcotti

huckster wrote: »

And employers have to report the earnings no more than a day after they have paid wages,

Employers may be supposed to do this but it appears that some get this wrong which has serious consequences for employees who are in receipt of UC.

platypuskn

I started a new claim via the same login details. I called again this morning and they were less than useless. They tried to again say that there's nothing that can be done but eventually agreed to investigate.

My employers (equally useless apparently although a large company) have a new finance system that they seem to be struggling with. So according to UC they reported my earnings to HMRC 8 days after I was paid. But I wasn't paid twice in the month and UC are happy to admit that but don't seen to care. I was in tears on the phone this morning as after all the delays I am really struggling and stressed. They didn't even acknowledge the issues were a problem or give any timescale for looking at the decision again.

platypuskn

To add - UC say they know the date that the wages were paid, and the date it was reported. But the system automatically uses the date its reported. So even though they know I wasn't paid twice in my assessment period they don't seem to care.

huckster

The only thing you could do is ask your Case Manager to make a referral to a Decision Maker, as a mandatory reconsiderstion. This may be escalated for a quicker decision, if you face not being able to pay rent, buy food etc.

It is whether a Decision Maker is able to apply the earnings to the assessment period you were paid in, rather than when your employers reported.

tomtom256

huckster wrote: »

The only thing you could do is ask your Case Manager to make a referral to a Decision Maker, as a mandatory reconsiderstion. This may be escalated for a quicker decision, if you face not being able to pay rent, buy food etc.

It is whether a Decision Maker is able to apply the earnings to the assessment period you were paid in, rather than when your employers reported.

This is what the RTI dispute should do, hence why they would need bank statements showing actual date payment received.

huckster

RTI will state earnings used when reported, unless the claimant did a self report, as they were aware of a problem. If this is what they have said, it can be appealed as a mandatory reconsideration.