Universal Credit AET

Diddly452

Hi, my wife and I are both self employed and started claiming Universal credit 9 months ago. In month 9, our payment stopped and was told it was because of 3 months in a row earning less then the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET). However I am disabled and registered with them due to my inability to actively look for work and thought this made me exempt from this and also am I correct in thinking that this rule doesn't apply to self employed either. Are they correct in stopping our payments? Thankyou for your advice.

huckster

So your UC payments were quite small and due to transitional element being removed due to 3 AP's under AET, the UC statements are now showing zero due ?  This appears to relate to transitional element criteria and would look at the earnings of the person working.  What have been your partners gross earnings each month, before UC stopped paying?

Without a full breakdown of the basis for your UC claim, it may be difficult for anyone to answer your question fully.

Can you provide a breakdown of your UC statement when you were receiving a payment and a breakdown of the statement now that you are not due a payment.  

Diddly452

Thanks Huckster, I will have to try and dig out all the figures etc, but what about my disability and being on their system as having limited capability for work and work related activity. Should this not null and void the AET amount.

rosewalk

I would advise that you check with Citizens Advice or a similar advice agency as this is a complex query.

huckster

Is your partner noted as your carer and the claim includes carers element?   If not the AET still applies to your partners earnings in relation to transitional element for the claim.

huckster

If you think it is wrong ask for Mandatory Reconsideration of the last UC statement. But come back with more information before you do so.

NedS

The AET is being used here as a threshold amount to determine continuing entitlement to transitional protection, not in it's conventional sense to determine a conditionality regime.

This is about entitlement to Transitional Protection. If there were earnings above the AET in the first assessment period (which may be implied at the level of the MIF from being gainfully self employed), then transitional protection will end where earnings drop below the threshold for 3 consecutive assessment periods.

kazzyb123

Diddly452 said:

Hi, my wife and I are both self employed and started claiming Universal credit 9 months ago. In month 9, our payment stopped and was told it was because of 3 months in a row earning less than the Administrative Earnings Threshold (AET). However I am disabled and registered with them due to my inability to actively look for work and thought this made me exempt from this and also am I correct in thinking that this rule doesn't apply to self employed either. Are they correct in stopping our payments? Thankyou for your advice.

We are in the same situation except I’m on ESA & PIP and my partner is self employed, in our case it looks like it will end, no one told us this and we also thought we were exempt becuase of being self employed and hanging carer element.