Universal Credit and backdated pay

TheBlueSnail · 15 September 2017 at 11:47AM

Hi,

To cut a long story short...

I was made redundant a few weeks ago and claimed Universal Credit (UC). Because I worked for a week at the beginning of the month, when I got paid at the end of August this money arrived during my first assessment period. The DWP have taken this into account and reduced my first payment to next to nothing.

Is it correct they can reduce payments for money received from work BEFORE your claim? This seems unfair as if I was paid on the last day before I was made redundant this wouldn't have counted.

Anyone have a similar problem?

I have raised a dispute but the DWP keep calling this 'earnings' received during the assessment period even though these are earnings from before. This money was meant to cover my rent due this month. I am really worried.

Help!

annandale · 15 September 2017 at 12:06PM

Yes they can. If you are paid during the assessment period it counts as income for uc purposes

TheBlueSnail · 15 September 2017 at 12:12PM

Thanks. I cannot believe that. Well, that's me in rent arrears then. Out of interest you do not know if tax rebates are also counted as income? I submitted a P50 a few days ago.

annandale · 15 September 2017 at 12:25PM

In some cases yes tax rebates have counted. I was once paid a wage six months late by an employer and it counted.

Any income that falls into your assessment period counts as earnings.

annandale · 15 September 2017 at 12:26PM

Have you applied for an advance payment from uc?

TheBlueSnail · 15 September 2017 at 12:39PM

Not yet because I was expecting my first payment to cover it. I have a dispute meeting on Monday and if that goes badly (which is probably the case now) I will claim an emergency payment.

I am also affected by bedroom tax (or I call it box room tax) so waiting on a decision for the discretionary housing benefit payment from my council. Even if I get that, my rent is probably going to be late (I'll ring him on Monday).

All in all, this leaves me about £40pw to pay for water, heating, electric, food etc. I am sure UC has been devised to just reduce benefits. Last time I was made redundant (2010) although it wasn't great, my rent was covered by the council and I got approx. £65 pw for living costs. Now I have a shortfall in my rent and getting less to support me why I am trying to find a job.

Unrelated, but I had a job interview last week (which unfortunately I didn't get) and the company wouldn't even pay my travel expenses, so that was about £10 in petrol lost.

annandale · 15 September 2017 at 12:47PM

You can claim expenses from the job centre but I think they prefer you to use public transport.

You won't win your dispute if your earnings have fallen in your assessment period.

You can claim half your first payment in an advance

TheBlueSnail · 15 September 2017 at 12:50PM

OK thanks.

My first payment is only £159 so half of that won't pay my £500 rent due next week.

Think I'm in trouble.

annandale · 15 September 2017 at 12:58PM

A weeks wage has reduced your payment to zero and taken away all your housing element?

annandale · 15 September 2017 at 12:59PM

That doesn't sound right unless it was a huge wage.

TheBlueSnail · 15 September 2017 at 1:07PM

Yes because the rental valuation of my postcode is also really low at £340 per month. I live in some new flats which are more expensive than the postcode is in general. So I lost £160 from my standard entitlement to cover the shortfall.

Well I guess if you count the 31st July as part of a week in August, I finished on the 11th it is almost two weeks. I got paid £800 (which is better than normal as there was no tax to pay) and then DWP penalised me £500 from that.

So I basically have no housing support this month (and only 2/3 next month) and my payment reduced to £159 per month (£40 pw)

Universal Credit and backdated pay

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