Problems migrating from tax credits to universal credit

tomtom256

peteuk said:

To answer the first item, migration is fairly easy.  Your receive a letter that informs you that your TC will cease and that you can apply for UC.  In doing so you will receive a years transition protection.  

Its only 12 months if you have over £16,000 in savings/capital. Any other transitional protection isn't time bound, it erodes as the award increases. So people with no savings could have 2 years of transitional protection or more or less depending on their circumstances and any yearly increases to the applicable amounts.
Unless you are talking about self-employment, but anybody deemed to be GSE, who hasn't had a start-up period in the last 5 years, gets a 12 month start-up period prior to MIF being applied.
Self-employment doesn't count towards the AET.
Home schooling wouldn't be a reason to reduce the CET, as generally thats a personal choice, but if backed up with an EHCP, it could posibly be tailored.

helsbells17

As per one of the comments above perhaps this isn't the correct forum for this discussion, I was just wanting to find out if anyone is experiencing the same as us and been surpsrised at the different criteria/process.

Just to clarify I'm not suggesting we should be getting special treatment as we're migrating from TC, just that the information we've been given has not been transparent at all.
I think the system for ALL UC claimaints seems inefficient at best and feel that having to take time off work to prove that you work is illogical. And under TC both parents/partners were not expected to work. By stopping TC the choice to be a stay at home spouse/partner/parent has been taken away if you want the help you're entitled to (and which you have paid your taxes towards for many years).

marcia_

helsbells17 said:

As per one of the comments above perhaps this isn't the correct forum for this discussion, I was just wanting to find out if anyone is experiencing the same as us and been surpsrised at the different criteria/process.

Just to clarify I'm not suggesting we should be getting special treatment as we're migrating from TC, just that the information we've been given has not been transparent at all.
I think the system for ALL UC claimaints seems inefficient at best and feel that having to take time off work to prove that you work is illogical. And under TC both parents/partners were not expected to work. By stopping TC the choice to be a stay at home spouse/partner/parent has been taken away if you want the help you're entitled to (and which you have paid your taxes towards for many years).

 Taxes dont pay towards universal credit. 

 Yes they are removing the opportunity for you to decide to be s stay at home mum. But the assumption is you should either have a partner earn enough to keep you or you work if you are fit to do so once your children are in school or childcare 

peteuk

helsbells17 said:

As per one of the comments above perhaps this isn't the correct forum for this discussion, I was just wanting to find out if anyone is experiencing the same as us and been surpsrised at the different criteria/process.

Just to clarify I'm not suggesting we should be getting special treatment as we're migrating from TC, just that the information we've been given has not been transparent at all.
I think the system for ALL UC claimaints seems inefficient at best and feel that having to take time off work to prove that you work is illogical. And under TC both parents/partners were not expected to work. By stopping TC the choice to be a stay at home spouse/partner/parent has been taken away if you want the help you're entitled to (and which you have paid your taxes towards for many years).

The whole reason for transitioning claims from TC to UC was to a) slim line the benefits process and b) close some big loop holes that allowed people with a set income claim benefits whilst sitting on multiple properties and large sums of capital.   

The fact that you’re surprised by the different criteria/process suggests you didn’t look at the UC process or if you did you didn’t fully understand it.  Thats not a dig, quite a few people dont fully understand it.

Under UC your are expected to work a set amount of hours depending on your circumstances, so if your working 30 hrs a week and have an expected 36 hours a week then you will be expected to be looking for an extra 6 hours employment.  I very much doubt you will be expected to leave work to visit prove your working, DWP will be aware of your monthly income as they are informed by HMRC.

As mentioned above you can no longer choose not to work and claim a means tested benefit unless your OH earns above a set amount,   

Home schooling does not affect your expected work hours.  So you are expected in the first instance to be searching 30 hrs a week for employment.

sheramber

You do have a choice of whether to work or not.

But you will not be able to claim government support to allow you not to work. 

kkkklinky

Unfortunately Tax Credits and UC are completely separate and different benefits, if you want to stay home and look after your children then your husband will need to earn enough to financially support you within the UC rules or you can choose to not claim UC and live off his income.

That's what my brother ended up doing, working full time and not bothering to claim UC so his wife could be a stay at home mum, they live off a lower income but that's the choice they decided to make.

jojaca

Unfortunately I think some underestimate they changes from Tax Credits to UC, UC feels more like big brother(government) watching over you. I work full time, been in my job for nearly 20 years and I still had to attend the job centre meeting, it felt like my early days of being on the dole. I can't wait for UC to look through my bank statements, which to me is government overreach. I have started to use cash more, my way of protesting, I don't want government tracking all my spending. 

You now have to play a new game now with new sets of rules if migrating. The biggest change from Tax credits to UC now is I have become a spender instead of a saver because your basically getting penalized for saving, I have cancelled all work SAYE's etc and started to do repairs to the house to try and get money close to the 6K saving mark. I suspect more people will do the same, which will make ordinary families even poorer in long term.

OhWow

peteuk said:

helsbells17 said:

As per one of the comments above perhaps this isn't the correct forum for this discussion, I was just wanting to find out if anyone is experiencing the same as us and been surpsrised at the different criteria/process.

Just to clarify I'm not suggesting we should be getting special treatment as we're migrating from TC, just that the information we've been given has not been transparent at all.
I think the system for ALL UC claimaints seems inefficient at best and feel that having to take time off work to prove that you work is illogical. And under TC both parents/partners were not expected to work. By stopping TC the choice to be a stay at home spouse/partner/parent has been taken away if you want the help you're entitled to (and which you have paid your taxes towards for many years).

The whole reason for transitioning claims from TC to UC was to a) slim line the benefits process and b) close some big loop holes that allowed people with a set income claim benefits whilst sitting on multiple properties and large sums of capital.   

 I recall reading Universal Credit was brought in to return the welfare system to what it was intended for; a temporary help for those in dire need; and end the lifestyle choice welfare benefits had become.

Was it Frank Field MP (Labour's Minister of Welfare Reform) who said the welfare benefit Tax Credit, was a benefit trap?