Migrated from Tax credits to UC but awarded nothing

SunflowerSmile

I had the migration letter and filled out the forms and now UC say I am entitled to nothing. I was getting £451/month for tax credits plus free prescriptions and glasses. 

I earn just under £13000 a year, am a single mum and have a 16 year old in full time education, no savings over £6k.

So i think I understand my deductions from earning just over £1k a month means I dont get UC (entitled to standard single adult pay of £393 but then have deductions of £565 due to wages so cancels out UC) but was previously get child and working tax credit and have to pay for bus fare for child to get to school, school meals etc.

Thought being a single mum on a low income of £12-13k a year would mean there's some help? £450 less a month is enormous.

itsthelittlethings

I’m sure you should be getting something, you should get an element for your child. Do you rent?

SunflowerSmile

No i dont rent. No housing costs.

marcia_

 As far as i understand it you should get transitional protection for 12 months. Giving you the same money you were got in tax credits 

 One of the more knowledgeable posters will see this soon 

SunflowerSmile

That's what i thought....

SunflowerSmile

Thanks. I rang the helpline and they confirmed the child element has not been processed yet. This is something I wouldn't have known about so thanks for the help on here. Not knowing the system and just being told your payment of £0 is due next week is not helpful!! 
I dont know if they send a letter once they have finished processing it or whether everything is online these days..

marcia_

SunflowerSmile said:

Thanks. I rang the helpline and they confirmed the child element has not been processed yet. This is something I wouldn't have known about so thanks for the help on here. Not knowing the system and just being told your payment of £0 is due next week is not helpful!! 
I dont know if they send a letter once they have finished processing it or whether everything is online these days..

 Just check online regularly and you can also send and receive messages with them. 

poppy12345

marcia_ said:

 As far as i understand it you should get transitional protection for 12 months. 

That only applies to those that have capital of more than £16,000. For anyone else that's entitled to TP then it lasts for as long as it lasts, some will be entitled to it for longer than others. It erodes over time so if other elements increase or you become entitled to other elements the TP decreases. 

poppy12345

SunflowerSmile said:

Thanks. I rang the helpline and they confirmed the child element has not been processed yet. This is something I wouldn't have known about so thanks for the help on here. Not knowing the system and just being told your payment of £0 is due next week is not helpful!! 
I dont know if they send a letter once they have finished processing it or whether everything is online these days..

Put a message onto your journal under the payment section and tell them that the child element wasn't included. They will need to recalculate that statement to include that. Once that is done you will also be entitled to the work allowance of £673, which means that amount of earnings will be ignored. For every £1 over that amount your UC will reduce by 55p. 

Once that is done you may find that you're better off on UC. 

WelshPaul

Let’s say your take home pay each month is £1,000. You should get the following UC payments:

Credits:
Standard Allowance: £393.45p
Child element: £333.33p
Transitional Protection: £0.00

Deductions:
Take-home pay: -£179.85p.

The first £673.00 of your take home pay doesn’t affect your UC payment.

So your UC payment would be £546.93p.

You might get hit with a benefit cap deduction of -£95.93p reducing your payment to £451.00. I’m not sure though, you could be better off on UC if the benefit cap doesn’t apply for you!

poppy12345

WelshPaul said:

Deductions:
Take-home pay: -£341.55p.

The first £379.00 of your take home pay doesn’t affect your UC payment.

Your UC payment would be £451.00p.

That work allowance is not correct. As the OP doesn't claim for help with their rent then the higher work allowance of £673 will apply. Therefore earnings of £1,000 would see a deduction of £179.85 in their UC. 

The lower work allowance if claiming for help with the rent is £404.work-allowance-universal-credit

Standard allowance £393.45
Child element £333.33 total before deductions £726.78 - £179.85 deductions. £546.93 payable. 

Can't advise about TP because it's beyond my knowledge, too confusing for me.