UC by 2024

calcotti

Sweepy2013 said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

It has just dawned on me this is probably why DWP are promoting posts on social media about claiming UC.  The more people who do the claim themselves, the fewer they'll need to do in the managed migration, so the quicker (relatively!) they'll meet the target.

Plus the more people who opt to do the claim themselves, and therefore not included in the managed migration plan, the fewer people they'll need to provide a 'top-up' payment for, for those who will be worse off on UC 😐

The idea is that only those who will be better off on UC choose to voluntarily move across. To be fair to government (not my natural inclination I must admit) the adverts do warn people to check or get advice before choosing to move. 

andrewmp

Sweepy2013 said:

Sparkleon said:

I am currently a student on the legacy system. If I moved over to UC, even with working part time alongside uni, I'd be £500 a month worse off as they take my maintenance loans £1 for £1... despite me having to pay it back with interest. 

Remember, if you will be worse off on UC, the amount you receive on legacy benefits is protected, so that if you are migrated onto UC ( by force, as it were, and not by choice or through a change in circumstances), your UC payment should be topped up to the amount you received when on Tax Credits. I'm not sure for how long you get the top up though...

That doesn't work for students as I understand it.

They could lose thousands.  Anyone just starting a course in September might be in for a shock.

kaMelo

andrewmp said:

Sweepy2013 said:

Sparkleon said:

I am currently a student on the legacy system. If I moved over to UC, even with working part time alongside uni, I'd be £500 a month worse off as they take my maintenance loans £1 for £1... despite me having to pay it back with interest. 

Remember, if you will be worse off on UC, the amount you receive on legacy benefits is protected, so that if you are migrated onto UC ( by force, as it were, and not by choice or through a change in circumstances), your UC payment should be topped up to the amount you received when on Tax Credits. I'm not sure for how long you get the top up though...

That doesn't work for students as I understand it.

They could lose thousands.  Anyone just starting a course in September might be in for a shock.

Students on tax credits were in a strange situation, essentially double dipping. UC corrected that so benefit claimants are treated the same as non benefit claimants in relation the help available when studying.

andrewmp

kaMelo said:

andrewmp said:

Sweepy2013 said:

Sparkleon said:

I am currently a student on the legacy system. If I moved over to UC, even with working part time alongside uni, I'd be £500 a month worse off as they take my maintenance loans £1 for £1... despite me having to pay it back with interest. 

Remember, if you will be worse off on UC, the amount you receive on legacy benefits is protected, so that if you are migrated onto UC ( by force, as it were, and not by choice or through a change in circumstances), your UC payment should be topped up to the amount you received when on Tax Credits. I'm not sure for how long you get the top up though...

That doesn't work for students as I understand it.

They could lose thousands.  Anyone just starting a course in September might be in for a shock.

Students on tax credits were in a strange situation, essentially double dipping. UC corrected that so benefit claimants are treated the same as non benefit claimants in relation the help available when studying.

The Government have said that anyone that is ‘managed migrated’ over to Universal Credit in the formal exercise by DWP will not lose out in cash terms at the point they are moved where their circumstances remain the same.

This won't be true for students.

They should change their rhetoric, or fix the protection for students.

kaMelo

A new claim for tax credits has not been possible for some time, by the end of 2024 I would imagine all students who had an existing tax credits claim will have long since graduated so not really an issue.

Students on tax credits were a bit of an anomaly anyway in that their tax credits were not reduced by having a srudent loan available. An advantageous position compared to someone who didn't qualify for any help wanting to study and had reduced or given up work to do so. With UC both those groups are now treated equally

andrewmp

kaMelo said:

A new claim for tax credits has not been possible for some time, by the end of 2024 I would imagine all students who had an existing tax credits claim will have long since graduated so not really an issue.

Maybe the government are imagining the same thing, that might be why they haven't given this full consideration?

Firstly, managed migration begins this month, so it stands to reason that some students will be impacted.  Secondly, someone may have qualified for tax credits many years ago and begin a university degree this September.  These people will not graduate until circa 2026/2027 - longer if they repeat a year.

The transitional protection is not fit for the started purpose when students are involved.

andrewmp

kaMelo said:

Students on tax credits were a bit of an anomaly anyway in that their tax credits were not reduced by having a srudent loan available. An advantageous position compared to someone who didn't qualify for any help wanting to study and had reduced or given up work to do so. With UC both those groups are now treated equally

This may be true, and in many ways it might be more fair. However, that doesn't detract from the fact that transitional protection isn't doing what the government said it should do, when it comes to students.

calcotti

andrewmp said: 

Firstly, managed migration begins this month, so it stands to reason that some students will be impacted.  

Not necessarily. DWP are the ones sending out the invitations so they could exclude any student Tax Credit claimants for the time being.

andrewmp

calcotti said:

andrewmp said: 

Firstly, managed migration begins this month, so it stands to reason that some students will be impacted.  

Not necessarily. DWP are the ones sending out the invitations so they could exclude any student Tax Credit claimants for the time being.

Have they indicated any intention to do that?

Also, how would DWP even be aware whether or not someone is a student?

calcotti

andrewmp said:

calcotti said:

andrewmp said: 

Firstly, managed migration begins this month, so it stands to reason that some students will be impacted.  

Not necessarily. DWP are the ones sending out the invitations so they could exclude any student Tax Credit claimants for the time being.

Have they indicated any intention to do that?

No, but I was simply speculating that it might be possible.
Frankly, at the moment there is almost no information about how they are going to approach it other than starting next week and that they are going to learn as they go.