Recent switch to UC from Tax credit. Holiday pay and going abroad

Farid2024

Dear all,

I am in a process of moving to UC from Tax credit. I currently work full time and planned my holidays long before my switch. My question is 1) Do I need to notify DWP about my holiday if I am planning to take kids abroad during summer holiday for just over a month. 2) Incase of unforeseeable circumstance if I need to extend my holidays for few more days then what will happen and should I reinform DWP from abroad or after I come back. 3) I'll be paid holiday pay during my holidays.

Please advice.

Thanks

poppy12345

Farid2024 said:

Dear all,

I am in a process of moving to UC from Tax credit. I currently work full time and planned my holidays long before my switch. My question is 1) Do I need to notify DWP about my holiday if I am planning to take kids abroad during summer holiday for just over a month. 2) Incase of unforeseeable circumstance if I need to extend my holidays for few more days then what will happen and should I reinform DWP from abroad or after I come back. 3) I'll be paid holiday pay during my holidays.

Please advice.

Thanks

Have you submitted your claim for UC yet? If not what date do you need to claim by?

When claiming UC you can only go abroad for up to 1 month, the day you go and the day you come home are not included in that. If you're out of the country for longer than 1 month then your UC will end. https://www.gov.uk/claim-benefits-abroad/universal-credit

Farid2024

Thanks. Yes. Submitted my claim and is under process. My assesment period ends on the 27th July.

peteuk

If your assessment period ends 27 July then payment will be 6/7 days later (depending on if it lands on a Sat/Sunday). Does your UC journal have any meetings between now and then.  

Annotate your holiday on your journal and if less than a month and tell your work coach.  If you need to stay longer then tell them at the time.

Holiday pay should be at your normal rate and so wont affect your claim.   It will be treated just like your normal wage.

Farid2024

Thanks. No meeting schedule until now or work coach assigned. Do they assign one when I work full time. Mrs get CA  to look after our disabled child.

Newcad

Did you miss that if you go out of the UK for more than a month on holiday then your entitlement to UC will end?

You should be able to make a new claim for UC once you do get back - but legally because you have lost entitlement to UC by being abroad for over a month that will be an entirely new claim with new AP dates (not a reclaim) and there will be none of the Managed Migration transitional provisions on any transitional element.

(I do note that in the past they may have occassionally been known to allow a quick reclaim with the same AP dates in such circumstances, so you lose payments for any and all APs in which you were abroad including the one you left and the one you came back - but that is not what the law says should happen and if they do allow one it is entirely at their discretion).

 

[Deleted User]

Does that mean in theory you could go on holiday 2 weeks a month every month for 12 months and your uc won't end

HillStreetBlues

[Deleted User] said:

Does that mean in theory you could go on holiday 2 weeks a month every month for 12 months and your uc won't end

It will depend if a person fulfils their claimant commitments. As I'm in LCWRA there would be nothing stopping me from doing that.
I could have a 28 days holiday come back for a day then go again. An issue that could arise, is that I would still need to pass the habitual resident test. 

peteuk

[Deleted User] said:

Does that mean in theory you could go on holiday 2 weeks a month every month for 12 months and your uc won't end

The whole point of Universal Credit its to get those without jobs back into employement.  If you are unemployed your commitment states you are to actively seek employment.   However if you are out of the country for over a month they deem this "not" viable to seeking employment. 

Id arguee what my son does now he could do from a beach in Cornwall or a beach in Spain.   But  sadly the month is the timeframe set.   Its not the amount of time outside the UK per year, its the amount taken at one time.   

In theory you could go to France for 3 weeks, come home and then a day later fly to spain for 3 weeks.  Although your out of the country for 6 weeks, youve been in the UK inbetween. 

In theory yes you could go on holiday for 2 weeks a month, but at somepoint you may well run out of money or be questioned as to where its coming from. 

Spoonie_Turtle

peteuk said:

[Deleted User] said:

Does that mean in theory you could go on holiday 2 weeks a month every month for 12 months and your uc won't end

The whole point of Universal Credit its to get those without jobs back into employement.  If you are unemployed your commitment states you are to actively seek employment.   However if you are out of the country for over a month they deem this "not" viable to seeking employment. 

Id arguee what my son does now he could do from a beach in Cornwall or a beach in Spain.   But  sadly the month is the timeframe set.   Its not the amount of time outside the UK per year, its the amount taken at one time.   

That's only part of the point.  ~40% of people claiming it are in employment without any extra work requirements, but with wages below the level that would make them ineligible for UC, based on their circumstances.  Then of course there are people with LCW/RA and people with caring responsibilities who are not expected to be finding work.

It is interesting though that the income-replacement legacy benefits (including contributions-based) all had/have a 28-day cutoff, whereas benefits entirely unrelated to income such as PIP and DLA have a longer time limit of 13 weeks.  [I don't know the reasons for that, it's just an observation.]

peteuk

Spoonie_Turtle said:

peteuk said:

[Deleted User] said:

Does that mean in theory you could go on holiday 2 weeks a month every month for 12 months and your uc won't end

The whole point of Universal Credit its to get those without jobs back into employement.  If you are unemployed your commitment states you are to actively seek employment.   However if you are out of the country for over a month they deem this "not" viable to seeking employment. 

Id arguee what my son does now he could do from a beach in Cornwall or a beach in Spain.   But  sadly the month is the timeframe set.   Its not the amount of time outside the UK per year, its the amount taken at one time.   

That's only part of the point.  ~40% of people claiming it are in employment without any extra work requirements, but with wages below the level that would make them ineligible for UC, based on their circumstances.  Then of course there are people with LCW/RA and people with caring responsibilities who are not expected to be finding work.

It is interesting though that the income-replacement legacy benefits (including contributions-based) all had/have a 28-day cutoff, whereas benefits entirely unrelated to income such as PIP and DLA have a longer time limit of 13 weeks.  [I don't know the reasons for that, it's just an observation.]

I realise this however I should have emphasised for those without jobs, the whole point of UC is to get them back into employment.  (Sorry) 

Interestingly the one month can be extended depending on the circumstances (returning home of medical treatment/recovery) 

I would guess that the month period is there because its the assessment period of UC and given that PIP/DLA ect dont have an assessment period as such then it doesnt need to fit into one like it does with UC.