MSE News: Budget 2021: Universal credit £20/week uplift to continue for a further six months

MSE_Helen_K

Millions of universal credit claimants will continue to get a £20/week uplift to their payments for a further six months, it was announced today, after Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a series of benefits adjustments in his 2021 Budget...

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'Budget 2021: Universal credit £20/week uplift to continue for a further six months'

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fairyclairethehare

If your tax credit notice has WTC £0.00 but you get child tax credit would you still get the £500?
I only ask as I didn't think I'd be able to open a help to save account but because WTC was included in my notice I could?? 

Dandytf

Is 20 per week WTC top up ending and being replaced with one off 500 payment.
t.i.a.

poppy12345

Dandytf said:

Is 20 per week WTC top up ending and being replaced with one off 500 payment.
t.i.a.

Yes........

strawb_shortcake

fairyclairethehare said:

If your tax credit notice has WTC £0.00 but you get child tax credit would you still get the £500?
I only ask as I didn't think I'd be able to open a help to save account but because WTC was included in my notice I could?? 

If you’re part of a working household that receives tax credits, you may be eligible for a new one-off payment of £500. The new payment is being introduced to provide extra support when the temporary increase in Working Tax Credit ends as planned on 5 April 2021.

You do not need to apply for the new payment. HMRC will contact you by text message or letter in April to confirm you are eligible. You do not need to contact HMRC.

This includes those who, on 2 March 2021, receive:

• Working Tax Credit payments
• both Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit payments
• Child Tax Credit payments and are eligible for Working Tax Credit but do not get a payment because their income is too high

If you are eligible, you should receive your payment by 23 April 2021.

58tigger

As usual disabled claiments on legacy benefits ignored. I am disabled and also carer to my disabled wife & she is my carer. I get ESA, PIP & underlying entitlement to carers  while my wife gets DLA & carers, she is also clinically extremely vulnerable so had to shield, it was also neccessary for me to shield being her carer & also our bungalow is too small to maintain a safe distance from her if I did go out. We have barely left our home except for medical appointments for almost a year now, I haven't calculated how much extra we have spent on delivery charges this year (I don't want to know) but we have received no financial help from the government to allow for this despite it being their advice to shield just because we're on legacy benefits, not their flawed one size fits all universal credit! 

poppy12345

58tigger said:

As usual disabled claiments on legacy benefits ignored. I am disabled and also carer to my disabled wife & she is my carer. I get ESA, PIP & underlying entitlement to carers  while my wife gets DLA & carers, she is also clinically extremely vulnerable so had to shield, it was also neccessary for me to shield being her carer & also our bungalow is too small to maintain a safe distance from her if I did go out. We have barely left our home except for medical appointments for almost a year now, I haven't calculated how much extra we have spent on delivery charges this year (I don't want to know) but we have received no financial help from the government to allow for this despite it being their advice to shield just because we're on legacy benefits, not their flawed one size fits all universal credit! 

I claim legacy benefits too so i missed out also but i don't miss what i didn't have. I actually saved money when all shops were closed so i'm not sure how you managed to spend more money. I've hardly been out myself but still managed to save money.

There were also a lot of people that lived with extremely vulnerable people and still went out shopping and some even worked all through the pandemic but kept to strict hygiene rules when returning home.

Spoonie_Turtle

58tigger said:

As usual disabled claiments on legacy benefits ignored. I am disabled and also carer to my disabled wife & she is my carer. I get ESA, PIP & underlying entitlement to carers  while my wife gets DLA & carers, she is also clinically extremely vulnerable so had to shield, it was also neccessary for me to shield being her carer & also our bungalow is too small to maintain a safe distance from her if I did go out. We have barely left our home except for medical appointments for almost a year now, I haven't calculated how much extra we have spent on delivery charges this year (I don't want to know) but we have received no financial help from the government to allow for this despite it being their advice to shield just because we're on legacy benefits, not their flawed one size fits all universal credit! 

You are welcome to apply for UC if you would be better off, however all through the pandemic claimants on legacy benefits with the SDP were still better off than if they'd claimed UC even with the £20 extra per week*.  Now there are arrangements for transitional amounts if people decide they'd rather claim UC (brought in this year).  But if you do a benefits calculation, do take into consideration the UC dropping back down in October.

*Edit to add, I have literally just realised this doesn't apply to you if your wife is claiming Carer's Allowance for caring for you, so all the more reason to check if you would be better off on UC.

[Deleted User]

My mum is on legacy benefits, as well as myself, we didn’t get the uplift either but we have saved a considerable amount of money lately. Locked indoors the majority of the time meant no opportunities to spend. 

Pok3mon

All these people saving money while on benefits proves it is too generous!

poppy12345

Pok3mon said:

All these people saving money while on benefits proves it is too generous!

Just because a person saves a little money it doesn’t mean they are not entitled to that benefit. Savings of less than £6,000 are ignored for means tested benefits anyway.