Less money after being switched over to Universal Credit

thebailey

poppy12345 said:

thebailey said:

calcotti said:

rarees1 said: While it is true that the amount of CA is deducted £ for £ from UC, the carer's element in UC increases the amount you have to receive each month, just like you used to have a carer's premium in your IS.  So you should be better off.  

It is not necessary to claim Carer’s Allowance in order to get the carer element in UC. OP has already told UC they are a carer and it appears that they have confirmed the carer element is payable.

Yes. Spoonie_Turtle replied saying it'll probably take a while to start receiving CA payments again.
Hopefully I'll get a reply soon in my journal.  Thanks.

Yes but it's the Carers element you want in with your UC. The carers allowance will not make you financially better off because it's deducted in full from your UC.

Ok, I think I understand.  I'll see what reply I get from the UC journal.  Thanks.

calcotti

rarees1 said:

And carer's allowance is the same rate as it was before. .  It's the carer element in UC that is lower - exactly as the carer premium in IS.  The total of the elements make up what the minimum amount you should receive is.  Then other monies received are deducted from the total (in your case CA).  (As you know PIP is exempted from the calculation)  UC makes up the difference to the minimum in your case.

In the above paragraph where the word minimum has been used it should say maximum.

Spoonie_Turtle

calcotti said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

thebailey said:

I have been told I am entitled once again to carers allowance (£163 a month) BUT haven't received any payments yet (nor have I received the backdated payment)  That also seems to be take ages to get?

They can take a long time to process Carers Allowance claims.  As it's only been a month since your aunt won her appeal, it's not surprising that your payments haven't yet resumed.

OP is mixing up Carer’s Allowance and carer element of UC. £163 is the UC carer element. I am not clear that OP has reclaimed CA, even if they have it will not increase their overall income because the CA will simply be deducted from the UC.

True; I thought they may have as they mentioned having been told there would be backpay owing but that could equally well apply to the carer's element.

OP, just for clarity, have you reapplied for CA?

thebailey

Spoonie_Turtle said:

calcotti said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

thebailey said:

I have been told I am entitled once again to carers allowance (£163 a month) BUT haven't received any payments yet (nor have I received the backdated payment)  That also seems to be take ages to get?

They can take a long time to process Carers Allowance claims.  As it's only been a month since your aunt won her appeal, it's not surprising that your payments haven't yet resumed.

OP is mixing up Carer’s Allowance and carer element of UC. £163 is the UC carer element. I am not clear that OP has reclaimed CA, even if they have it will not increase their overall income because the CA will simply be deducted from the UC.

True; I thought they may have as they mentioned having been told there would be backpay owing but that could equally well apply to the carer's element.

OP, just for clarity, have you reapplied for CA?

I think so? 

I'll be honest, I am just so confused by all of this.  Over the years I have never understood what the different benefits meant and were but this UC is eve more confusing.

I was told a while ago in my UC Journal to phone the medical team and tell them I was caring for my auntie again, and the guy I spoke to said that's fine, and he said I will start getting Carer's allowance once again, and said that I would also be backdated 28 weeks money at roughly £41 a week.  He told me to click on the "caring for someone" in my UC and fill in the details, which I did.  But, I havent heard or received anything since.

I'm also sorry if my posts have confused people too.

poppy12345

If you have applied for Carers Allowance you wouldn't have done this through your journal. It would have been separately here. https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/how-to-claim

It sounds like it's the carers element you've asked to claim. For this, you need to make sure you report the changes onto your journal. If you want to apply for Carers allowance as well, you'll need to apply through that link above.

calcotti

poppy12345 said:

It sounds like it's the carers element you've asked to claim. For this, you need to make sure you report the changes onto your journal. 

It sounds like carer element of UC to me too but I am then confused by a reference to 28 week backdating if UC was only applied for in August.

OP, can you please clarify
when did your IS end?
when did you apply for UC?

thebailey

calcotti said:

poppy12345 said:

It sounds like it's the carers element you've asked to claim. For this, you need to make sure you report the changes onto your journal. 

It sounds like carer element of UC to me too but I am then confused by a reference to 28 week backdating if UC was only applied for in August.

OP, can you please clarify
when did your IS end?
when did you apply for UC?

My final IS payment was 13th September.  I just assumed I was paid on the 27th but I never knew till I checked the bank after receiving the letter on the 30th.  

I received a letter in the post on the 30th of September saying "Your entitlement to IS has ended because you need to claim UC" and the weird thing is, under this it says "From 25th of May you are not entitled to IS"

Anyway, straight away on the 30th I applied for UC, and got a payment on the 5th of November from UC.

The guy I spoke to on the phone from the medical team after my Auntie won her PIP appeal said I would be backdated 28 weeks CA, as thats when my my Aunties PIP stopped and also my CA.

P.S I'm worried now that I was still getting IS till September and maybe should not have been?

thebailey

UPDATE:

I received a call from the DWP, admitting they have made a mistake but they won't be paying me the SDP.  They said that even though I was not informed my IS was running out at the end of May, and they continued to pay me till September, I had to apply for UC by the end of June.  The woman said there's nothing I could do and they will just continue to pay me the basic UC rate now.

There must be something I can do?  If they didn't write to me till September, it's not fair.  

Thanks.

calcotti

If you were still being paid IS with the SDP included within a month of your claiming UC I think you have a case for being entitled to the SDP transitional element.

When did the PIP stop for your auntie?

thebailey

calcotti said:

If you were still being paid IS with the SDP included within a month of your claiming UC I think you have a case for being entitled to the SDP transitional element.

When did the PIP stop for your auntie?

It was the end of March, and she won it recently

The situation is just unreal. Why wait till September to tell me my IS runs out May 25th

Anyway yes, I signed up for UC 17 days after my final IS payment

Do I maybe need to go to my MP?