Best way to contact ESA/UC?

calcotti

Clouds88 said:

However, the woman on our journal has stated the wrong amount is due to be paid today! Argh! they have updated our payment sections correctly, I've gone through each one, dating back to jan 2020, the total amount is £5789.76 but she's put £4450 ish is being sent. How have they calculated this wrong when it's there in black and white under our payment sections?! I've gone through each statement, written down the LWRCA amount and added it up myself. Now I just pray someone will respond to my journal entry and we may finally get this sorted.

You cannot just add up the LCWRA amounts - although it may give the correct answer.
You need to look at each statement and note the amount of UC that is shown as payable for each month.
You then need to compare this with the amount of UC previously paid for each month.
The difference between these two numbers is the arrears figure for that month.
You then need to add these figures together.
In most cases the answer will be the same as adding the LCWRA amounts together but in some cases the amount due will be more, in some cases less.

Clouds88

Hey yes I've done that. It gives me the same figures as I screen shot the payment amounts last month as I knew they would amend them.

poppy12345

Have you also took the 3 full assessment period waiting time into consideration? The extra money is then paid on the 4th payment.

Clouds88

The 3 month period doesnt apply because the UC claim was started after the LWRCA was awarded on ESA (albeit retrospectively) and the assessment periods on the UC account have been modified to reflect this, it's just whoever added them up made it over 1K short for some reason! Hopefully someone will respond on my journal over the next week, not holding out hope I usually get ignored. 

calcotti

So I would expect the recalculated statements to show the addition of the LCWRA element but also an increased deduction to reflect ESA being paid at Support Group rate rather than assessment rate.
This means that for each month (at 2020-21 rates) there would an extra maximum entitlement of £341.92 but the ESA deduction will have increased by £169.87 so the underpayment of UC is only £172.05/month in which case neither £5789.76 nor £4450 looks right.

Clouds88

No the ESA underpayment hasnt been calculated yet or reflected in the UC statement., the UC manager is happy that once the ESA has been calculated (as it hasnt yet) this will trigger the UC overpayment so as soon as the ESA money hits the bank it will be put to one side and then paid in full to UC as they are not working together to offset it against each other so this payment made today is purely for the LWRCA element for the past 17 assessment periods.

Spoonie_Turtle

Clouds88 said:

The 3 month period doesnt apply because the UC claim was started after the LWRCA was awarded on ESA (albeit retrospectively) and the assessment periods on the UC account have been modified to reflect this, it's just whoever added them up made it over 1K short for some reason! Hopefully someone will respond on my journal over the next week, not holding out hope I usually get ignored. 

I'm trying to straighten your conundrum out in my brain (and failing) - when exactly did you start the UC claim?

I've just thought - you have children, IIRC.  Could this be (rightly or wrongly) a result of the benefit cap? 
[Edit:  I thought children → child benefit → included in the cap → wondered if that was it.  Also the cap would be wrongly applied if you were consistently earning over the threshold before anyway, but with the LCWRA decision covering the whole of your claim the cap should not be applied to any UC periods at all now regardless of earnings.]

poppy12345

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Clouds88 said:

The 3 month period doesnt apply because the UC claim was started after the LWRCA was awarded on ESA (albeit retrospectively) and the assessment periods on the UC account have been modified to reflect this, it's just whoever added them up made it over 1K short for some reason! Hopefully someone will respond on my journal over the next week, not holding out hope I usually get ignored. 

I'm trying to straighten your conundrum out in my brain (and failing)

I can't work it out either...

Clouds88

The UC claim started October 23rd 2020. 
ESA claim started July 20th 2019. 92 days on the esa claim when the support group kicks in now is October 21st 2019. So technically he has been awarded support group prior to UC claim (but obviously retrospectively).

I earn just under 2K myself a month so our UC is always heavily reduced but what they have done so far today is added LWRCA onto the last 17 assessment periods (starting december 5th 2019- January 5th 2019) which we received on the 12th Jan. Then following on from that theyve added an extra £336.20 from months Jan 2020 payments- April 2020. Then from may 2020 to may 2021 £341.92 has been added. 

No extra ESA has been paid yet but when it does we will then generate the overpayment from UC and pay it straight back as obviously esa/UC are deducted £ for £. Hope this has maybe made it slightly clearer lol 

What not is clear is how someone has added £336.20 x 4 and 13 x £341.92 and got £4,500

calcotti

Clouds88 said: What not is clear is how someone has added £336.20 x 4 and 13 x £341.92 and got £4,500

It can’t be 13 x £341.92 because there are only 12 months in a year, presumably there should be 1 x £343.63.