UC Claim effectively ending - should I stop claiming or just let it end through ineligibility?

michaels

I was migrated 12 months ago to UC from WTC.  Due to having savings earmarked for paying off my mortgage when my fix ends I am not eligible for UC except via the transitional protection so my eligibility will end with the 12 months post migration.

Each month I have to have my payment reassessed to include my private pension sipp payments.  This can easily take 6 months to actually happen.  I am worried if I end my claim then they may stop processing these sipp payment recalculations - or that this will happen automatically once I am no longer eligible for new payments?

Once the claim ends will I still be able to use the online portal to chase the missing payments form when the claim was still live?

Thanks

Grumpy_chap

When does your mortgage fix end?
Can you make the mortgage repayments before the transitional protection ends?

michaels

Grumpy_chap said:

When does your mortgage fix end?
Can you make the mortgage repayments before the transitional protection ends?

Sadly not, it was a five year fix with a 5% ERP for the life of the fix and doesn't end until a few months after transitional protection ends.  The funds are also invested in fixed rate accounts with terms to end when the fix ends. Sums involved mean that the ERP/lost interest from terminating fixed savings early is much more than any possible ongoing UC payments.

Spoonie_Turtle

I think - could be wrong, but I think the claim should close automatically because it's due to a fundamental ineligibility.  You might be thinking of when a claim stays open after UC being nilled by earnings, but that's a different situation.  Someone in that situation meets the basic conditions of entitlement.

I would advise downloading statements and taking screenshots of your journal below the claim closes, as you may not be able to access your journal once it has closed.  You can of course reclaim once your savings drop below £16k but if that's more than 6 months after it closes I seem to recall that it's treated as a fresh claim so you won't have access to your journal with the info relating to your current claim.  If it's within six months then you probably will have access to the journal info (but other members will have to confirm or correct because I'm not completely sure).

michaels

Spoonie_Turtle said:

I think - could be wrong, but I think the claim should close automatically because it's due to a fundamental ineligibility.  You might be thinking of when a claim stays open after UC being nilled by earnings, but that's a different situation.  Someone in that situation meets the basic conditions of entitlement.

I would advise downloading statements and taking screenshots of your journal below the claim closes, as you may not be able to access your journal once it has closed.  You can of course reclaim once your savings drop below £16k but if that's more than 6 months after it closes I seem to recall that it's treated as a fresh claim so you won't have access to your journal with the info relating to your current claim.  If it's within six months then you probably will have access to the journal info (but other members will have to confirm or correct because I'm not completely sure).

Thanks

Any idea how I will contact to chase up the missing MR payments resulting from my pension payments if the claim is closed and the portal access goes away?  We are talking at least £900 owing.

Edit:  Google suggests that the portal should remain open for up to 6 months but you are probably correct about taking screen shots now.

Spoonie_Turtle

I can only think of the UC helpline, or if you've had any related letters in your journal, whether there's an address on there (although I'd doubt it, for digital letters).

Maybe someone else will know any detail that's more helpful!

NedS

Spoonie_Turtle said:

I think - could be wrong, but I think the claim should close automatically because it's due to a fundamental ineligibility.  You might be thinking of when a claim stays open after UC being nilled by earnings, but that's a different situation.  Someone in that situation meets the basic conditions of entitlement.

I would advise downloading statements and taking screenshots of your journal below the claim closes, as you may not be able to access your journal once it has closed.  You can of course reclaim once your savings drop below £16k but if that's more than 6 months after it closes I seem to recall that it's treated as a fresh claim so you won't have access to your journal with the info relating to your current claim.  If it's within six months then you probably will have access to the journal info (but other members will have to confirm or correct because I'm not completely sure).

Unless it's changed, I don't think claims do actually close automatically (NIL by earnings for 6 APs is the only time claims auto-close)

What should happen is that where a person had 12 months of transitional protection due to capital exceeding £16k, at the end of that period a ToDo should generate asking the claimant to redeclare their capital.

An agent should then verify the capital (applying any appropriate disregards), and take any action as described in the ToDo.

Normally where capital exceeds £16k (after any disregards etc), the todo will either instruct the agent to refer to a decision maker (where a decision is required, for example in the case of a second property being involved), or instruct the agent to close the claim where no decision is required and it's simply a case of capital exceeding £16k. However, it's not automatic - it required the agent to follow the instructions and close the claim.

Sometimes agents are reluctant to close claims and fail to take the required claim closure actions. If that happens - capital over £16k has been verified but the claim has not been closed, a statement continues to generate each AP, but in the deductions section for capital, a deduction is made equal to the full entitlement before deductions ensuring the claim is NILLED. I've seen a few claims just sat there in this state indefinitely, and they don't auto-close after 6 months either as it is not earnings that are nilling them.

Anyway, just adding a little fine detail as to the process.

In @michaels case, when you complete the capital declaration, I would also send a journal message stating that you have however many MRs outstanding for potential underpayments, and that the claim should not be closed until all outstanding MRs have been actioned and any underpayments have been made. This is in UC's interest too, as it's far easier to make any missing underpayments whilst the claim is still open rather than having to do it once the claim has been closed.