Universal credit and early Christmas wages

abbiesmom
abbiesmom Posts: 102 Forumite
in Benefits & tax credits
Hi,

Wondering if anybody can assist.

I'm paid monthly by my employer and due to being paid early for Christmas 2x wage payments fall into my assessment period meaning my UC is reduced to nil and I am wondering what I can do about this.

My award is circa £1900 per month reduced to circa £1100 per month due to my earnings and UC are advising that I'll just get paid more in Feb when I have a £0 earnings but this still leaves me short by around £300 over Jan and Feb period.

I am told I'm not entitled to an advance as I had one when I first moved onto UC and I'm not sure where I can turn to for support. I will not be able to meet my basic living costs and childcare costs without a UC payment in January.

UC said there is no right to appeal and that i should just lobby my MP but that isn't going to help me in the short term!

Can anybody point me in the right direction please. I'm feeling really desperate and dont know how me and the children will cope. We have no family or friends we can turn to.
«13

Comments

  • Rubyroobs
    Rubyroobs Posts: 864 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Your employer should report your wages properly as per the guidance from DWP so that the problem doesn't happen. It's not really the fault of the DWP.
  • jbkmum
    jbkmum Posts: 293 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    The answer is, you probably can’t do anything about it. I get paid 4 weekly so once a year I get no UC AND my claim is closed
    £5000 left to pay on credit cards, down from 40k!!
  • Icequeen99
    Icequeen99 Posts: 3,775 Forumite
    calcotti wrote: »
    They should have. Employers are supposed to report the usual pay date even if they pay early and Clear guidance has been issued to employers reminding them of this.

    Our posts crossed - the problem is that this is an easement from HMRC and so not enforceable if employers continue to follow the legislation.

    IQ
  • abbiesmom
    abbiesmom Posts: 102 Forumite
    Ice queen thanks for your reply. My employer is not UK based and I can already see the report as tomorrow's date on the gov.uk website. I will try and request a mandatory reconsideration as per the template on the link and let you know how I get on.
  • calcotti
    calcotti Posts: 15,696 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    Icequeen99 wrote: »
    Our posts crossed - the problem is that this is an easement from HMRC and so not enforceable if employers continue to follow the legislation.

    IQ

    So does that mean all the official guidance at 1.8 here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cwg2-further-guide-to-paye-and-national-insurance-contributions/2019-to-2020-employer-further-guide-to-paye-and-national-insurance-contributions--3 is actually contrary to law?
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Some rules may be different in other parts of UK.
  • Icequeen99
    Icequeen99 Posts: 3,775 Forumite
    calcotti wrote: »
    So does that mean all the official guidance at 1.8 here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cwg2-further-guide-to-paye-and-national-insurance-contributions/2019-to-2020-employer-further-guide-to-paye-and-national-insurance-contributions--3 is actually contrary to law?

    yes, it is the same as the Christmas guidance - an easement. I can't see anything in the legislation that covers this - and if there was HMRC wouldn't need to call it an easement nor say it was temporary and now permanent. Which supports my view I think.

    IQ
  • Icequeen99
    Icequeen99 Posts: 3,775 Forumite
    abbiesmom wrote: »
    Ice queen thanks for your reply. My employer is not UK based and I can already see the report as tomorrow's date on the gov.uk website. I will try and request a mandatory reconsideration as per the template on the link and let you know how I get on.

    Even if they are not UK based, if they are filing reports to HMRC then they can follow the guidance (albeit not on this occasion).

    That said, i should also point out that in a small number of cases even if the contractual date is entered in the box, DWP may use the following day. That is because DWP don't use the date in that box as such, they go by when they receive the information to decide which AP it goes into. If an employer sends a submission after 9pm, it wont go to DWP until the next day.

    IQ
  • abbiesmom
    abbiesmom Posts: 102 Forumite
    I have no idea how my payroll works I've just been advised that it reports automatically via their software. Due to the time difference even though I dont get paid until tomorrow it's already showing as reporting tomorrows date. If it's only guidance to the employer then surely they dont have to follow it. I cant be the only person in this situation?
  • Rubyroobs
    Rubyroobs Posts: 864 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper
    edited 19 December 2019 at 8:17PM
    abbiesmom wrote: »
    My employer doesn't have the facility to report a different date. It is a policy issue and trying to pass the blame onto employers who dont have the means to report 2 different dates is just passing the buck.

    Either way, thanks for your unhelpful input in where I can go for help during my struggles :T

    Wow - very rude. I shall remind myself not to bother responding to you in the future. You have no idea how your payroll works yet are happy to label my comment as unhelpful.
  • powerful_Rogue
    powerful_Rogue Posts: 7,509 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Can you not cut back on a few things? Saving £37.50 a week over the 8 weeks will cover the shortfall.
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.1K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.2K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173K Life & Family
  • 247.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards