Help with out Universal Credit Application u

6337sean1

Hello,
I recently sold and bought a house on the same date which was 21st Feb 2025.

My partner and I have 3 young children and moved from Yorkshire to Scotland for a new adventure and fresh start.

My partner and I have no current income coming in at all. We are just setting up our new lives now. I do have savings however.
I withdrew in cash £5500.00 on 18th March for new home repairs - and there are many repairs to be done. Some already completed but I stupidly haven't kept receipts for materials and tools bought as I am doing alot of work myself whilst i look for work.

 I have £2800.00 left of the £5500.00 I withdrew on 18th March.
I also have £13,000 in savings in my isa and current account. Total I currently have is £15,800 which falls below the 16k threshold to claim
My partner has £0.

We recently put a universal credit claim in but now I am worried that me withdrawing £5500.00 may look like I am hiding money?

I also bought a holiday (£1000.00) for my daughters birthday a couple of weeks ago for her in May so again does this look like I am spending wrongly to UC?

How can I explain to uc the £5500.00 I withdrew cash was me budgeting for home repairs and not me hiding away cash ? How do I proove I only have £2800.00 left of it and have below the 16k threshold to claim uc ?

I don't want to be investigated or suspected of deliberately hiding money.

Thanks

OldBeanz

Do you have a receipt for the holiday?

HillStreetBlues

6337sean1 said:

Hello,
I recently sold and bought a house on the same date which was 21st Feb 2025.

My partner and I have 3 young children and moved from Yorkshire to Scotland for a new adventure and fresh start.

My partner and I have no current income coming in at all. We are just setting up our new lives now. I do have savings however.
I withdrew in cash £5500.00 on 18th March for new home repairs - and there are many repairs to be done. Some already completed but I stupidly haven't kept receipts for materials and tools bought as I am doing alot of work myself whilst i look for work.

 I have £2800.00 left of the £5500.00 I withdrew on 18th March.
I also have £13,000 in savings in my isa and current account. Total I currently have is £15,800 which falls below the 16k threshold to claim
My partner has £0.

We recently put a universal credit claim in but now I am worried that me withdrawing £5500.00 may look like I am hiding money?

I also bought a holiday (£1000.00) for my daughters birthday a couple of weeks ago for her in May so again does this look like I am spending wrongly to UC?

How can I explain to uc the £5500.00 I withdrew cash was me budgeting for home repairs and not me hiding away cash ? How do I proove I only have £2800.00 left of it and have below the 16k threshold to claim uc ?

I don't want to be investigated or suspected of deliberately hiding money.

Thanks

I expect that will be. If you look at it from their side giving away £1000 to your daughter now allows to to claim a income related benefit that you wasn't entitled to before that  £1000 was given away.
Also withdrawing cash without proof where it's gone will also raise flags.
You could be lucky and they don't ask for any further proof, but also they might want a full breakdown of your finances covering many months.

6337sean1

I have a receipt for booking the flights and hotel room yeah. OldBeanz said:

Do you have a receipt for the holiday?

Yes I have online receipt for booking hotel and flights as I paid for this on card. The cash I withdrew so it's just for the repairs needed and nothing else. 

Newcad

The question to be asked is-

Did you know about the capitial limits, and did you knowing those limits deliberately reduce you capital in order to claim (or increase) benefits?

It appears that you did know, and so you are on somewhat of a backfoot if the DWP queries the motivation for your spendings.

peteuk

Can I take a step back, was there a reason for moving?  Did you have an income prior to moving?

so having sold and brought a house in the same day?  How much was left over?  Of which you’ve taken  £5.5K in cash.  What’s left after this in your accounts?

I get the holiday, but when you’ve got house repairs and no income I’d question the logic.  DWP will allow the holiday, as it’s not £20K on a five star luxury holiday.

sammyjammy

DWP will not allow the holiday, its for a daughter not the OP

Spoonie_Turtle

sammyjammy said:

DWP will not allow the holiday, its for a daughter not the OP

OP says they have 3 young children, so probably most of us thought it's a family holiday booked to coincide with the birthday or linked in some other way e.g. she chose where to go.