Minimum income floor

Bohomofo79

Hello

My partner runs a business and we are temporarily in receipt of UC until fully self sufficient.

Recently the minimum income floor is being applied (our ACTUAL income is lower) for our UC payment calculation.

Unfortunately the minimum income floor is also being applied by NHS help with medical costs, also the local council has also applied the EXPECTED income not the ACTUAL income. Is this correct? I thought the minimum income floor was only used by UC, not by other schemes for people on low income.

Thank you

KatrinaWaves

We use it for our CTR, as its all up to the different councils to create their own schemes I imagine they can do what they want...

calcotti

Bohomofo79 wrote: »

Hello

My partner runs a business and we are temporarily in receipt of UC until fully self sufficient.

Recently the minimum income floor is being applied (our ACTUAL income is lower) for our UC payment calculation.

Unfortunately the minimum income floor is also being applied by NHS help with medical costs, also the local council has also applied the EXPECTED income not the ACTUAL income. Is this correct? I thought the minimum income floor was only used by UC, not by other schemes for people on low income.

Thank you

I think most councils will use information supplied by UC to assess CTR entitlement for claimants in receipt of Uc. This has the unfortunate consequence of meaning the MIF is applied to CTR. Whether this was intended or is an unanticipated consequence I have no idea.

Spoonie_Turtle

For the NHS, you could apply via the low income scheme where they take into account your actual circumstances. https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-scheme
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/help-with-health-costs/nhs-low-income-scheme-lis/

[It says you don't have to apply if you're in receipt of UC and [URL="https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/help-with-health-costs/help-with-health-costs-for-people-getting-universal-credit/#criteria"]meet the criteria[/URL], but if they're applying the MIF it will not look like you meet the criteria even if you might in reality.]

Bohomofo79

Thank you for your response.

However if the application of the MIF is unintended, surely that can be challenged as the local council must have a policy on it?

I've asked them the question repeatedly but they don't seem to understand me (it's not exactly rocket science).

I have worked solidly for 15 years paying my taxes and would really like to get the money I'm entitled to on the one occasion I'm relying on it.

Would it make sense to raise a complaint as the council workers don't seem to understand my question.

calcotti

When I said it might be unintended consequence I meant that I don’t know whether the legislators actually thought about this when thinking up the MIF, I am not saying the local authority are wrong.

You will be able to find the full rules for your local authority CTR scheme on their website.

huckster

Raises an interesting question as to what information Councils receive from Universal Credit. It appears that they must receive details of employment earnings, as well as the amount of award on UC statements.

Bohomofo79

Oh ok but surely the local authority must have a policy on it?

calcotti

huckster wrote: »

Raises an interesting question as to what information Councils receive from Universal Credit. It appears that they must receive details of employment earnings, as well as the amount of award on UC statements.

I was under the impression they got a breakdown of the UC award which includes the earnings information.

huckster

Bohomofo79 wrote: »

Oh ok but surely the local authority must have a policy on it?

They way that Government view this, is that you have been self employed for over 12 months and you agreed that you were gainfully employed, The Job Centre will have told you when the MIF was going to apply. Of course they would not have known about Council also applying this.

From what I have seen many self employed people seem to earn below national minimum wage and hope this might change, as they build their business. But they are unwilling to give up on their level of independence preferring to work for themselves, rather than be an employee. They are therefore unwilling to go down the route of telling the Job Centre that they want to be considered not gainfully self employed and will also look for paid employment.

Have you considered getting a part time job, to supplement your self employment ?

Icequeen99

calcotti wrote: »

I think most councils will use information supplied by UC to assess CTR entitlement for claimants in receipt of Uc. This has the unfortunate consequence of meaning the MIF is applied to CTR. Whether this was intended or is an unanticipated consequence I have no idea.

Some council schemes have duplicated the MIF rules, so it isn't necessarily just a by-product of using UC information.

IQ