What's a Work Search Review all about?

jane_doe

I've been in receipt of UC for nearly a year, am working single parent, earning just under £1200 a month, so above AET but presumably below my CET. Not had any interventions from UC until now, when they've informed that I have a Work Search Review telephone appointment in a couple of days.

Is this a fairly standard thing, a formality? Does it imply that they think I should be searching for (more) work? Is there anything I should do to prepare for the phone appointment?

huckster

Appears your earnings reported that fall within AP might have been below AET ? Otherwise you would be light touch and not a priority for Job Centre to book appointments for.

I do seem to remember Job Centres booking appointments for some in light touch to discuss finding more work and any help required. But that was some time ago.

jane_doe

Yes, you're correct. Turns out my employer didn't submit their payroll information to HMRC on time, and so it hasn't been passed to UC and they think I've had zero income in the last AP. My payslip is dated correctly and I was paid on time though. Suspect this might mess up my next AP calculation as they might try and put 2 months of pay into 1 AP? 

Newcad

They have a system in place for when that happens (because it does happen often) so that when they find out about the late reporting they can intervene so the wages get allocated to the correct AP.

See "Reallocation of reported payments" here : https://revenuebenefits.org.uk/universal-credit/guidance/entitlement-to-uc/rti-and-universal-credit/

Check your statement when it's available and raise a query on 'Payments' if that hasn't been done.
That's what the nominal 7-days between your AP end and your payments are for, to give you a chance to query such things.

TheShape

jane_doe said:

Yes, you're correct. Turns out my employer didn't submit their payroll information to HMRC on time, and so it hasn't been passed to UC and they think I've had zero income in the last AP. My payslip is dated correctly and I was paid on time though. Suspect this might mess up my next AP calculation as they might try and put 2 months of pay into 1 AP? 

Someone at UC should be able to check when your employer has reported the payment was actually made to you (rather than the date they submitted the information to HMRC).

It is probable that they did report the correct date of payment.  That would mean that at the end of your assessment period the system will pick-up the payment from your previous assessment period, recalculate your entitlement, and correct your Work Group for the current assessment period and, assuming there isn't anymore late reporting, put you in the correct Work Group going forwards..

You should then be able to see your original statment and the recalculated statement.  

You may have an overpayment of UC to repay if you received more UC than if the payment had been reported on time.