Self employed and on £0 entitlement to Universal Credit. Can I apply for other benefits?

Vicky27

Hi 

I've had a Universal Credit claim since November 2023. I'm self employed working as fast food/grocery delivery driver.
I finished my 1 year self assessment start up period in November last year and the Minimum Income Floor applies to me regardless of my actual monthly income which is reported  to the job centre. Each month my payments are £0.

My question is, if I receive £0 income from UC will I still be able to apply for other benefits such as Council Tax reduction, or Energy Saving Grants?

Advice would be greatly appreciated.

KxMx

You can apply for CTR on the basis of income.
For the energy grants it would depend on what criteria they have, as you don't currently receive any UC there would be no entitlement from that route. 

peteuk

I would say not,  below it the text from the gov website, it clearly states that if you earn less than the minimum income floor, they will apply the minimum income floor to your UC.  If your delivering and getting £0 as a wage then it might be time to start looking for a different job.

If you earn less than the minimum income floor, we will calculate your payment using the minimum income floor. We will only do this if you are:

• gainfully self-employed, and
• not in a start-up period

If the minimum income floor applies to you, and your income is below that floor, then your Universal Credit payment will be lower than if we had based the payment on your actual earnings. This might mean you need to look for additional work.

huckster

As others have said, the self-employed work you are doing is not paying you a living wage. If you are not earning much more than a living wage during busier periods, so you can put money aside for the quieter months, then you might want to think about what you can do to boost your income.  e.g secondary employed work, get local business advice to see what actions you can take. In most areas the local Councils website will have details of local organisations that can help with self-employment advice.

Vicky27

Thanks to everyone who replied, the information has been helpful.