Universal Credit – Check and Confirm Your Details – Advice Needed

blackstar

Hi everyone,

I'm completing the UC Check and confirm your details task and have noticed three discrepancies:

1. Housing: Says "Change occurred on 30 September 2024", but we moved in on 15 May 2024 (UC claim started 29 August 2024).
2. Bank account: Details are correct, but says "Effective from 25 June 2025", although the account was opened on 18 July 2013.
3. Earnings: Says my partner "Usually earns £XYZ per month", but this doesn't match her gross or net earnings on any payslip (although it's only £20 different from her usual gross earnings). Our UC statements correctly show her net earnings (take-home pay) reported by HMRC.

I phoned UC for advice. The adviser basically said:

1. Housing: Leave unchanged, as they're really just checking we haven't moved. Ignore the change date.
2. Bank: Leave unchanged, as they're checking the account details. The effective date might relate to an internal update.
3. Earnings: Either leave unchanged or update to net earnings, as UC receives actual earnings from HMRC monthly anyway.

My concern: This advice was given over the phone, not in writing. I've also asked through my UC journal but might not receive a clear reply or a reply at all before the 9 November end date, when our UC could be stopped if we don't complete the task.

I'm unsure whether to follow the telephone advice and select "Yes" to confirm everything or "No, change this" to correct the discrepancies.

Has anyone experienced similar issues? What did you do, and did it cause any problems with your UC?

Thanks for any advice.

teaselMay

You could do as advised on the phone now and also document in your journal what you've posted above including what you were advised over the phone and therefore what you have done.

NedS

These all look minor/irrelevant discrepancies and I would not worry about them.

Housing: Is the address and amount of rent correct (if you are renting)? If so, accept it, that's fine.

Bank Account: Are the account details correct, and is this the account your UC is being paid into? If so, accept it as correct

Earnings: Are the correct amount of net earnings being reported to UC each month from HMRC? If so, accept it, that's fine. They may have averaged her earnings over the last few months or year to get the figure they have stated. Either way, if HMRC are reporting the correct earnings (as seem on your monthly UC statements), that is what UC will use so leave well alone as you can only do more harm than good by trying to change it.

HillStreetBlues

I echo @Ned I wouldn't worry about the incorrect past dates, and if wages are correct on UC statements I would confirm.

blackstar

Thank-you all for your replies.

HOUSING: Yes address is correct and we started a mortgage 6 months before we claimed UC. No idea where they got the "change occurred" date from or what that means.

BANK: Yes same bank and details are correct.

No idea what the Effective from date" is or what that means.

EARNINGS: The figure they have on the Check and confirm list is £20.00 less than her gross pay. Her take home pay is around £400 less than her gross pay and therefore about £380 less the figure on the Check and Confirm.

Maybe just leave as the figure it is as they use the figures rhey get from HMRC anyway? And the Check and confirm doesnt say what figure they want?.ie net pay or gross pay. It matches neither but only £20.00 less than her gross pay.

NedS

@blackstar wrote:

No idea what the Effective from date" is or what that means.

That could be the date UC verified the bank details on the UC claim. As I said above, it's not important.

EARNINGS: The figure they have on the Check and confirm list is £20.00 less than her gross pay. Her take home pay is around £400 less than her gross pay and therefore about £380 less the figure on the Check and Confirm.

It could be the amount that she estimated as her earnings when you made the claim (it may have been correct at the time, but her pay has since gone up). Anyway, as I said above it's not relevant as the actual earnings each month are reported by HMRC, and those are the earnings that are used.

Where it would be relevant is if no earnings were being reported by HMRC due to some technical error, then the fact she has declared that she has some earnings would cause the system to investigate why no earnings were being reported on RTI by HMRC. It's there to catch people who may otherwise fall through the net whose earnings are not being reported at all.

blackstar

Thank you all kindky for taking the time to reply.

On another thing if others don't mind to give their thoughts please.

On the UC “Check and confirm your details” task, under “Work and earnings”, it says in relation to myself ** currently does not receive additional payment.”**

1) I am unemployed but receive contribution-based New Style ESA and Adult Disability Payment (ADP) which UC are aware of,

Is it correct that ESA and ADP are not classed as "additional payment"?

2) also the ADP (ESA is) is not mentioned on the UC payment statement? Is that normal?

3) What does “additional payment” mean, and is this statement ** currently does not receive additional payment.”**correct on the basis I am unemployed and only receive CB New Style ESA and ADP.

Thank you all for your support.

KxMx

1. Yes, the ESA is classed as unearned income and ADP is disregarded.
2. Yes, see above answer.