Reporting earnings

larryharvey

Can someone help.

My partner reported her new job yesterday. It is a cash in hand and she will be paid at the end of the month, first payment coming end of March. She receives her UC payment middle of the month.

We were previously told to report the new job with zero earnings, as reporting it with the expected earnings will mean this is taken into account at the end of next assessment period, which is mid-March, even though she is not paid until end of March.

Now being told by a new UC advisor that she should report the earnings immediately.

So which one is right?

kaMelo

Earnings are taken into account for UC purposes in the assessment period when they are actually received.

You shouldn't normally need to report income this information is usually obtained from the RTI filing of her employer to HMRC. Being paid cash in hand doesn't change the employers responsibility to do this.

tomtom256

It wil use actual income when calculating the award, not what you think it may be.

So if it's 20 per hour thats what you would put. Universal Credit doesn't use anything unless it's via RTI from HMRC or from the claimant completing a report your earnings from employer to-do at the end of each asessment period.

larryharvey

So if she reports her expected earnings now it won't stop payment middle of March?

FlorayG

OP you shouldn't use the term 'cash in hand' that means literally what it says - nobody knows, nobody pays tax on it and it is illegal. Being paid in cash isn't the same as being paid 'cash in hand'

sammyjammy

larryharvey said:

So if she reports her expected earnings now it won't stop payment middle of March?

she shouldn't report it until she has received it.

larryharvey

sammyjammy said:

larryharvey said:

So if she reports her expected earnings now it won't stop payment middle of March?

she shouldn't report it until she has received it.

This is what someone told her in the Job Centre.

Is this the same thing as reporting a change to circumstances and noting the wage she is getting every month?

poppy12345

It’s not a change of circumstances. You don’t report expected earnings. As others have advised UC is based on earnings received. Her employer should report her earnings to HMRC and UC check with them. 

larryharvey

poppy12345 said:

It’s not a change of circumstances. You don’t report expected earnings. As others have advised UC is based on earnings received. Her employer should report her earnings to HMRC and UC check with them. 

Okay, now really confused.

Her advisor in the job centre told her to report a change of circumstances so she could tell them she is now working. She also told her to put no earnings as listing earnings would mean that her next assessment period would take these into account and as she won't be receiving her first pay until six weeks time this is the only way to avoid not receiving any payment. She was told to only report earnings when she starts receiving them.

Another advisor today contacted her and told her that she had to report her expected earnings when doing the change of circumstances.

Which one is right?

poppy12345

Yes reporting that she’s now working is correct but in your first comment you said she’s already done that. 

She doesn’t need to report earnings because there’s nothing to report because she hasn’t received anything yet. 

larryharvey

Thanks. When you report your now have a job, it also asks you what your earnings are.

My question is should we put what her earnings will be if she has not been paid anything yet?