Just got UC statement, worse off by £900 ? Mistake?

tacpot12

The double payment of salary looks to be the cause of the very low award. If the second salary payment hadn't come in when it did, you would receive about £900 more than the current award, so this does explain all the missing amount.

I think it should be possible to ask for her payment on 27th September to be allocated to the next asesssment period when she is due to receive no salary. See here: Welfare Rights | UC and ‘double payment’ of wages: new rules (askcpag.org.uk) 

Newcad

Ahh, a double wage payment falling in one AP could explain a lot.

If it is the cause, then you still need to also chase the  possibly missing LCWRA Element - because that element when included would have taken the indicative UC entitlement to above what you were getting before with Tax Credits - and so the Transitional Element would be zero as it says on the statement.

blackstar

kaMelo said:

blackstar said:

Ohh my gosh...my wife gets paid monthly but depending when the last working day of the month is and weekends it can be a day or so sooner. Last two months she got paid 

29th Aug and 27th September 

So maybe that both are within the assesment peroid. So does that mean we will get nothing for that month.? 
As they have combined two months of wages

If she is paid calendar monthly and that is what has happened, she can have the salary payment reallocated to the correct assessment period to 'maintain a regular payment schedule' of one salary payment per assessment period.

Paragraph 7
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/935532/adm27-20.pdf

Thanks.

Other than the wage issue is there anything else which looks like it's mot correct.?

Also what should I do or say specifically? 
Should I write something in journal and quote a law or rule?
How can we set it up so it won't happen infuture? 
So we should be able to get the Sept payment corrected without any issues?

As it means the next payment will be also caught up with Sept payment. 
So every single month we will have this issue. 
Maybe write off the September one and where would they allocate the August wage as the Aug one shouldn't have been there? 
If allocate the Aug payment to Sept then when the assesment is made for Oct we will have a double wage for Sept and Oct. So the issue will continue, really the Sept payment should be written off as they are the wages for Aug and we don't get UC for Aug. 

The dates of our assesment peroid falls very unfavourably with our pay dates this is due to UC using the same dates every month that are fixed whereas my wife's pay dates are dependant on weekends and week days. 
But this will continue to happen on a regular basis so what's the solution from UC she has asked her work and they can't change the dates They pay her or the dates They report to HMRC.

Rubyroobs

As previously mentioned if in the support group there should be an LCWRA element on the claim but one of the carers elements would be lost as the same person cannot have LCWRA and carers elements.

blackstar

Will this happen every month? How do we know what the assesmrnt peroids will be for us? 29th Aug- 28th Sept was this one. So we can work out when it will happen again? 

Her contract says to be paid the last working day of the month. Well it actually goes in the day before the last working day of the month her wage goes into her account for some reason. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Then all of your assessment periods will be one calendar month starting on the 29th.  (I don't know what happens in February.)

blackstar

Thanks will it not be 29th - 28th of every month (Feb is tricky)
Hiw long do they consider a calendar month?

Is there no way to permanently avoid this issue in future? Other than having to raise a RT on the journal? 
Is it possible to work out whixh month we will jave an issue as she gets paid the day before the last working day of every month (checked last year's bankstatment) and the assesment peroid is 29th - 28th.

andrewmp

blackstar said:

Thanks will it not be 29th - 28th of every month (Feb is tricky)
Hiw long do they consider a calendar month?

Is there no way to permanently avoid this issue in future? Other than having to raise a RT on the journal? 
Is it possible to work out whixh month we will jave an issue as she gets paid the day before the last working day of every month (checked last year's bankstatment) and the assesment peroid is 29th - 28th.

I don't think it's resolvable permanently without cancelling the claim and starting a new claim, which you obviously won't want to do. 

blackstar

We just checked her contract and it says

"You will be paid by equal monthly installments in arrears on or before the last day of the month."

So does it seem her employer is paying her correctly HMRC wise?

kaMelo

February is covered by Regulation 21

21

(1) An assessment period is, subject to paragraph (5), a period of one month beginning with the first date of entitlement and each subsequent period of one month during which entitlement subsists.

(2) Each assessment period begins on the same day of each month except as follows

 (a)if the first date of entitlement falls on the 31st day of a month, each assessment period begins on the last day of the month; and

 (b)if the first date of entitlement falls on the 29th or 30th day of a month, each assessment period begins on the 29th or 30th day of the month (as above) except in February when it begins on the 27th day or, in a leap year, the 28th day.

It's really unfortunate for you that the dates have fallen when they have, it would have been much better to have waited a week longer before claiming but there is not much you can do about it now. As far as I'm aware there is no way to change the assessment period without cancelling the claim, and even then any reclaim within six months would be classed as a rapid reclaim and use the same dates for the assessment period.

You say your wife is paid the last working day of each month but what actually matters to UC is the date her employer reports as pay day through RTI.   I can only suggest keeping an eye on this each month via Government Gateway/UC statements and if double salary is reported within an assessment period, report via your journal and ask for the earnings to be reallocated to the correct assessment period, in line with UC earned income regulation amendment. 

Full legislation https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1138/made

Memo for Decision Makers 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/935532/adm27-20.pdf