Can't find any thread regarding this so thought I'd ask on here about people's experiences as it will help me and others.
I'm unemployed now as of yesterday so have just finished going through the online application and getting a Govt Gateway set up to prove my identity. All the various bits about my living arrangements, savings, bills etc are done and it has got to the stage where it says about I should expect a phonecall at some point to go through my application before saying how much I'll get, if anything!
So to the questions:
How long before any money starts to come in?
How do I use the Journal bit so that I can prove I'm looking for work?
Just how much of a dent in my claim is savings going to make?
Some of the online calculators say I'll get £180 a week, others £30!
Be good to hear of other people's experiences of this system as it's the first time I've had to claim any benefit whatsoever apart from the Single Person Council Tax Reduction. Yes, that means I'm now officially a Benefits Bum. What trashy reality show should I apply to be on now that Jeremy Kyle is gone?!
I used it for a bit during lockdown and I was getting nothing elsewhere being self-employed only recently, but from what I know:
How long before any money starts to come in?
- 5 weeks from applications date.
How do I use the Journal bit so that I can prove I’m looking for work?
- Home > Job applications, there's a bit there
Just how much of a dent in my claim is savings going to make?
- If you've got more that 16k, you'll get nothing, if you've got more than 6k, they'll take of £4.35 for every 250 quid above that.
There 2 elements to it btw, standard allowance and housing benefit, make sure you claim housing if you need to. Not sure how that works for mortgages, but they'll pay your rent up to a certain amount, after that, yer on yer own to make up the rest. It varies according to where you live how much.
If you've any inclination towards going self employed, ask them about new enterprise allowance(NEA), that'll get ye a few more sheckles(66 quid a week for 3 months, then 33 quid a week for 3 months, on top) and will keep them aff yer back for 6 months (they send you to a place to make a business plan and get it approved, which is a dawdle if you've got an idea). this was fairly useful to me in giving me time to set up for myself after being made redundant couple of years ago.
btw, you should get a further reduction on your council tax beyond the single person discount, so look into that too.
If you are stuck for cash, I guess not since you've got savings, you can get an advance, but you'll pay that back out of subsequent paymen†s.
btw, if you have savings and debt, I'd probably look to be paying off the debt with yer savings. never know how long you'll need to be on this patter these days. So best not to do your self out of money I'd guess if your savings are above the thresholds I mention above.
Plus getting rid of debt is a wonderful thing.
Anyhoo, that's about the limit of my understanding, hope the thoughts help.
And good luck hopefully, a new job soon!
Looked into the advance but my savings amount means I don't qualify for it. Don't need it anyway so that's one less thing to worry about.
For the council tax I'll have to phone them tomorrow as their phone lines only work up until 2pm for hardship claims!
No plans to go Self Employed but handy to know if I do decide to go down that route.
That £4.35 for every £250 above £6k is handy to know, means I should get a reduction of roughly £192 from whatever I am entitled to. I'd heard stories of it being better to spend any savings you had as it reduced the amounts so badly! I plan to buy a new trail bike soon but will be putting it off until I get permanent full-time work or the current one dies, good to know the money put aside for it can stay in the savings account without denting any claim too much. I cleared the small amount of debt I had the second my redundancy payout landed, was just a 0% credit card but it was close to the end of the offer and I'd rather have a simple savings balance to watch as it depletes. I hope to keep the savings pot as high as possible so that it can be used for any retraining costs I need/want to incur and for if I need to relocate anywhere I then have a deposit for a rental. It's the one time I'm happy to not have a mortgage as it gives me a bit of flexibility!
Just watch how you spend your saving though if they decide you've deliberate spent it excessively they, they can still count it. (not sure what they'd consider, but worth looking into further if you do spend your savings quickly)
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Deprivation-of-savings-and-other-capital-Universal-Credit
Here's the other bit about when they'll take off your savings.
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Savings-and-other-capital-overview-Universal-Credit
No plans to spend any of my savings unless I have to. It's there for living costs, retraining fees and so that I can move to where work is. If any of it is left once I find permanent work then it can go towards a new bike and possibly a holiday. I've been down the road of large debt once before and never want to go down there again so I'm guarding the savings pot like a hawk!
no worries, all the best anyhow in the job hunting!
Just to tighten up on a couple of things mentioned above, which is generally sound advice, and add a bit - I've also linked the relevant regulations should you need to quote anything.
The 'Housing Benefit' is actually called Housing Element in UC and is part of your UC award (HB is the old Local Authority administered, and paid, scheme for people on 'legacy benefits' such as JSA, IS etc that would essentially have a DWP claim for living costs and a LA claim for housing costs). Semantics, really, but when you're new to all this it's easy to be taken in the wrong direction when googling 🙂
The amount of housing element (as you are renting - mortgages are totally different) you will get will be based on age, number of bedrooms and the Local Housing Allowance Rate for your area. Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates
If you have tax bills to pay, then any of that you have in capital should be disregarded. Regulation 48: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/376/part/6/chapter/1 Schedule 10: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2013/9780111531938/schedule/10 MSE Link 🙂 https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/04/self-employed-with-cash-saved-to-pay-tax--it-won-t-be-counted-as/
(The above links also outline other situations where capital can be disregarded. Just pop a message in your journal if you believe any of them apply).
Capital that you spend, is only treated as 'deprivation of capital' if it is solely for the purpose of getting more benefit. Reg 50: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/376/part/6/chapter/1
Re: Council Tax, when you made your claim you will have been asked some questions about Council Tax liability and depending on those answers your LA might have been notified. However it won't hurt to also contact them directly as you have tried to do. I'm a little confused by your reference to hardship and I wonder if you pressed the wrong buttons and ended up on the line for Discretionary Hardship Payments (which it doesn't sound like you need). What you're after is known as an LCTR - Local Council Tax Reduction. A phone call is always easier, but google that term and your local authority and you will probably find a portal/page to do it online.
Shout up or drop me a line if you have any other questions.
Isn’t this what savings are for!?
Living on in these type of scenarios until finding work.
Yes it was in my case.
mutepoint
Free Member
Isn’t this what savings are for!?Living on in these type of scenarios until finding work.
Yes it was in my case.
Partly, but it's also what yer national insurance and tax is for.
Isn’t this what savings are for!?
Living on in these type of scenarios until finding work.
Yes it was in my case.
* this may have hit a nerve so apologies if I come across as yelling, I'm not*
That's what my savings will be used for but if I'm entitled (hate that word) to some monetary support then I'll take it to help make those savings stretch further.
It is the first time in my adult life I have had to resort to using the benefits system, having had a job continuously since my first one when I was 16.
In that time I got myself into difficulties with the easy credit that was available around 2001-6 and believing that to 'make it' in life you had to have the right car, wear the right clothes, etc. I racked up nearly £40k of debt from various sources and got very close to tipping over the edge. I could have declared myself bankrupt or had the majority of my debt written off via an IVA or two but I didn't. I sucked it up, restructured everything, took on 4 separate jobs (1 full-time and 3 part-time), sold a lot of stuff I didn't need and worked my butt off to pay it all back. Something I accomplished in 2014. Remember what happened around this time? The global crash due to a lot of other people in a similar situation taking the easy way out and the banks mismanaging it all. I was one of the few who stood up for my mistakes and repaid all of my debt with the corresponding interest. This is important later. Since then I continued to work hard and try and get a chunk of savings together for a house deposit. For various reasons I've never managed to get enough together so have never been in the position to benefit from schemes like Help To Buy.
Contrast that with a set of cousins on one side of may family who have never worked a day in their whole lives, constantly rack up debts, get them written off only to do the same again a year or two later, get their whole lifestyle paid for by the state (multiple kids, multiple fathers who go AWOL, full-on Jeremy Kyle) and generally live a life expecting everything handed to them on a plate.
Thanks to an unexpected series of global events I have lost my job that I was very good at. I had been there over 12 years and had taken on extra responsibilities. That job was the transportation of cash and other valuables around to banks, shops and cash processing sites. To do this I had to have a clear credit history file (not no credit but no missed payments, not over-extending myself etc), have a fully traceable 10 year employment history with full references, have to qualify for an SIA license. This is where my debt repayment earlier comes back. If I had not done so earlier and taken the easy way out I would have not qualified to do that job.
I also had extra license qualifications so that I could enter military sites, Bank Of England holding facilities and a few other high security areas that some of my colleagues could not. I was on a good wage doing a job that a lot of people could not do due to their financial and job histories. The downside is that all of these extra skills, licenses and qualifications are very specialised and rely on the continued use of cash in society, something that was dwindling anyway. The surge of Covid-19 has accelerated this decline in two ways: businesses have stopped trading and those that are open are actively encouraging their customers to no longer use cash. This has meant my job was no longer viable along with all of my colleagues. Our branch that covered the whole of South East Wales was closed at the end of August.
So I have been made redundant due to unforeseen circumstances and released into a decimated jobs market with a set of skills that don't directly transfer to any other jobs. This is the one time that I could do with some help from the state after over 24 years of employment and the corresponding NI and Tax payments. I've never begrudged those payments as I realise that, as a society, we all should play our part in funding it and looking after those that are not as fortunate than ourselves. That support is available to me through the Universal Credit system and all I am asking is for help to access that support. I'm not trying to claim anything I am not entitled to (there's that horrible word again...), the same as anyone else. If it was in normal times I could have picked up a new job relatively easily and not have to fall back on govt help but as these are not normal times I am. This global crisis could go on for a long, long time so any help I can get to make my savings stretch further and enable me access to retraining schemes or educational avenues I will take.
I am not one of those people who will say that I've paid into the system for 22 years so I'm now entitled to something back, I would much rather not be in the situation at all. If I could go my whole life working and never having to claim anything that would be ideal but that's not the reality. I fully intend to find new work and pay back in more than any help I get, I would be happy to do so. If I have to sell my car, bikes, TV etc so that I can gain a future where I am again earning enough to support myself then I will. I'm not a sponger and never have been. I am always happy to help others when they're in a sticky situation or just because I can. I don't like having to ask for help when in similar situations and have got through lots of difficult times without having to do so. This time is different as I don't see a point where it will get better anywhere in the near-future so I'm taking steps to access help. As it is something I have never done before I have asked for help and information on here so when it seems that someone is having a pop at me for not exhausting savings first before turning to the benefits system it hurts, even if that wasn't the intention. In normal times I would look to use those savings to retrain as quickly as possible but all the retraining schemes are currently closed so I need to make those savings last as long as possible so that when the schemes and jobs appear I am in a position to grab those opportunities. Like I have said earlier, I am not expecting special treatment. All I am asking for is help that is available to everyone and asking for help to access it. There will be a lot of people in similar situations now and in the immediate future so please don't rush to quickly judge people as that only leads to everyone becoming insular and fighting for themselves. In times like these that are coming we need to work together to come out the other side intact, helping each other negotiate the various dangers ahead. If I can use any help available now to get me back into full-time work and paying back into the system and having spare money to spend on more than the essentials then that is money that can then be used to help others. Whether that's for govt retraining schemes or just making a business profitable so that they can employ another member of staff it all helps.
I know that's a wall of text and a lot of info but hopefully it'll go some way to explaining how awful I feel about being in the situation of being unemployed and unable to pay my way without outside help, financial or otherwise. I imagine a lot of other people feel the same in similar situations.
mutepoint
Free MemberIsn’t this what savings are for!?
Living on in these type of scenarios until finding work.
Yes it was in my case.
No. Savings are for buying your first house/flat whatever so that you can escape the extortionate rents that JSA will not cover.
Isn’t this what savings are for!?
Living on in these type of scenarios until finding work.
Yes it was in my case.
As above, UC is tapered off at a relatively low level of savings, so you get a lower level of benefits. They also (careful now, this may blow your mind) don't force you to sell your house, car or other significant assets before you can claim. The benefits system needs to support people fairly in times of need. Personally I'm fine with people knowing that they can use UC as a bridge from a slightly more comfortable financial position. I find it civilised.
If you have savings it might be better to apply for Contributions based JSA rather than UC as it’s not means tested.
Google New Style JSA for more details.
This is from what I’ve picked up from my other half who deals with DWP from time to time.
disco_stu
Free Member
If you have savings it might be better to apply for Contributions based JSA rather than UC as it’s not means tested.
If your area has gone UC, you'll not have the choice.
reluctantjumper
Full Member
You don't need to explain yourself to anyone fella.
If your area has gone UC, you’ll not have the choice.
New Style JSA exists alongside UC. It was called Contribution Based previously for areas that had not gone to UC (but all areas are rolled out now).
It's a good point to stick in an application though; as mentioned above it's not means tested and if you're entitled to more UC than the JSA rates, then the JSA will simply be deducted from your overall UC award as an income. Any JSA will also top up your class 1 national insurance credits.
FWIW, more people claim welfare than you'd think. Over 5m people are on UC at the moment, about 3m households on Tax Credits and God knows how many getting state pension, pension credit, child benefit, legacy benefits etc. People should always claim what they're entitled to: it's not a dirty word.
I've been on UC for a few months now.
Just starting to get rumblings that they'll be asking you to evidence job hunting, but not required at the moment
Always worth putting your skill set and location on this forum, you never know where an opportunity might come from.
I was claiming last year, application process was difficult and they cancelled my application at the last minute and told me later when it was too late to rectify what had been done wrong, which wasn't obvious.
It was worth the extra money, think we got around £450 a month with my wife still working, still about a tenth of my employed take home but better than a poke in the eye with poopy stick.
I just put a record of my job hunting in the journal, probably averaged 2 applications a week, sometimes more. Never got any feedback on any aspect of my claim once approved. Was claiming for 5 months. All very different from the days of trooping to the job centre with a folder full of applications. This was all pre covid.
It’s a good point to stick in an application though; as mentioned above it’s not means tested and if you’re entitled to more UC than the JSA rates, then the JSA will simply be deducted from your overall UC award as an income. Any JSA will also top up your class 1 national insurance credits.
Have just done an application for this as keeping up my NI Credits is always a good thing. This is exactly why I started this thread, to help negotiate the maze of terminologies and what you can and cannot apply for together.
Always worth putting your skill set and location on this forum, you never know where an opportunity might come from.
I'm in Cardiff but am looking to move out of city life anyway so will happily move to where the work is. I was planning to do this anyway in the next year or so, move to a more rural location with riding on the doorstep so all of this has just made it happen earlier. My skillset is pretty narrow as I haven't really got any formal qualifications like Degrees. I've basically got a C1 driving license (up to 7.5T rigid), the associated DCPC card and digital tacho card plus an SIA license to carry cash and valuables (CVIT). I'm used to working alone and in a small team in a highly regulated environment that has high levels of responsibility - the normal job involved handling £2-3 million in cash every day and delivering that cash plus collections - and the corresponding level of trust and honesty that came with it. Like I said earlier, it's a very narrow skillset tailored to an industry that is severely contracting so I need to find work that relates to that or re-skill myself. I've asked on here before about going back into the cycle industry that I started in as a teenager and am looking at doing my HGV Class 2 as I like driving as a job. Other options will be considered but I really don't want to still be living in a city so that does hamper my search somewhat. As long as I can earn £20-23k a year and still have time to go riding twice a week I'll be happy. I was earning £30k before so I'm being realistic about wages and fully expect to have to take a significant drop.
Making progress with all of this, slowly due to it taking a few days to get replies to queries but it's ticking along.
My New Style JSA application has been approved, it's the UC one that's a bit of a nightmare. They want to see a copy of my Tenancy Agreement which I've sent them but they keep on refusing it as it's not got my rent amount stated on it, that is on the second attachment to the agreement but they refuse to accept it! I've sent them bank statements too but they're being really fussy about having it in a certain format. The letting agent has had this issue before with long tenancies as they have to hold the agreement in an older style format which doesn't tally up with what the UC team are asking for. If I want a copy in the new format I may have to sign a fresh agreement, which I don't want to do as I've been here for over 7 years and am on a rolling basis which gives me the flexibility to move for work at short notice. I've got a week left to sort it out but it's an annoyance I could do without!
No mention of having to log job searches yet, which is a good thing as nowhere is advertising jobs due to the lockdowns. I'm exploring options for further training through Careers Wales as I currently qualify for retraining funding.
It all moves slowly doesn't it!
You shouldn't have to sign a new tenancy; a letter from the letting agent should suffice:
(Both Gov.uk links) Section 2:
If they don’t have a signed tenancy agreement which shows the current rent, a signed letter from the landlord or letting agent is acceptable.
Section 4.1 here details what needs to be in the letter:
Handy links those bearnecessities - will point them that way. It does feel like the person I'm dealing with at the UC office is struggling to deal with their rule changes for remote applications as they have kept on mentioning face-to-face even though that's not possible right now. The letting agents are seeing what they can do so should hopefully get it sorted early next week.
– If you’ve got more that 16k, you’ll get nothing,
Not true, if you've been made redundant and have paid NICs you get 6 months of JSA regardless of your savings. My company went bust on Feb 6th, so been through all this (well JSA rather than UC), got paid in a couple of weeks IIRC.
UC fraud/work coach here 🙂
Dont quite follow the issues with the tenancy agreement - yes we have to see the amount but the format its in? It really shouldn't matter as long as its a legal tenancy - could be on a post it note as long as its legal...
The evidence for job searching has come in for nearly everyone now, you will be in one of a few 'groups' thats its not quite there yet...but its coming. You will get a to-do in your account labelled 'work search review' and depending on your answers (well, actually, doesn't matter what you put) it will create a to-do for the work coach to make an appointment and ring you about your 'commitments'.
Happy to help with any questions 🙂
Dont quite follow the issues with the tenancy agreement – yes we have to see the amount but the format its in? It really shouldn’t matter as long as its a legal tenancy – could be on a post it note as long as its legal…
Hi, it does matter and it's not a legality issue - it's purely the evidence requirements.
A rental agreement is normally used as that evidence, but not everyone knows that a letter as outlined above is also acceptable.
It's not a legal requirement for a landlord to provide a written agreement.
Just ask UC what they do in those circumstances. That should resolve the problem.
What are your people skills like. Have you considered things like ambulance, patient transport services. If you are used to driving a large van? Is there any volunteer work you could do to build experience in a sector whilst still claiming?
And sorry to here you’re in this situation, 100% confident things will improve.
It’s not a legal requirement for a landlord to provide a written agreement.
Just ask UC what they do in those circumstances. That should resolve the problem.
They will still insist you need a written agreement in some arcane format
Welcome to the kafkaesque world of universal credit. Designed to make claiming as difficult as possible. they will constantly move the goalposts on you, change what you need to show them, misinterpret their own rules and do everything they can not to pay you.
Once you have successfully made a claim you will then be removed for a spurious reason and then have to start the whole process again.
Just to suggest an alternative - both my wife and I were entitled to not very much at all when the first lockdown came in (despite paying huge sums of tax each year). My work was in danger of drying up (thankfully it didn't) and i was looking at driving jobs for Amazon.
Terrible company to work for, but sometimes needs must in the short term
Have you considered things like ambulance, patient transport services. If you are used to driving a large van? Is there any volunteer work you could do to build experience in a sector whilst still claiming?
Not interested in any of those, have massive respect for people who have caring for others as their job but not something I could do constantly.
My work was in danger of drying up (thankfully it didn’t) and i was looking at driving jobs for Amazon.
Terrible company to work for, but sometimes needs must in the short term
Looked into it but a few on my now ex-colleagues did it initially and they all quit within a few days. Staff turnover is horrific due to the working conditions and a lot of them were being forced to go the 'self-employed' route where you rent the van then get paid per drop. Plenty of stories of people finishing a run and ending up owing Amazon money due to damage to the van etc. Not interested in multi-drop van jobs at all! It's one of the reasons I'm exploring doing my HGV Class 2, it gets you away from the likes of Hermes, TNT etc.
Tjagain - I could not agree more. I was in a similar position as the OP. I was told only a signed tenancy agreement would do. My landlord wouldn't supply one so I asked UC what I said earlier. That shut them up and they accepted what I had supplied.
Reluctantjumper - I looked into getting my HGV2 a number of years ago. So my information may well be out of date. I spoke to a guy who had worked for 20 plus years in an agency which supplied HGV drivers. He said there was basically only one insurance company who supplied insurance for agency drivers. One of their conditions was you had to have X number of years experience for them to insure you. Basically all agency work was a no go without experience. Iirc it was 2 years.
He also said their is a lot of pressure on drivers today to keep up with near impossible time scales. What was the clincher for me. Was him telling me if his son told him he wanted to be a driver he would give him a clip around the ear and tell him to find another profession 😁
As I said this was a while back. Things might have changed and it obviously doesn't include working for one company full time. Before you spend 2-3k on a licence. I would just double check with a few current job adverts what their insurance restrictions are.
I've found the experience needlessly difficult so far. And filled with technical issues large and small, like, some issue with my account meant that it broke the ID process when it tried to connect to Government Gateway, which took weeks to overcome which apparently I don't get to claim for even though it was 100% a system failing. And sort of similar, there seems to be loads of little loops where you say "I need to make a change" and it says "use the journal, please don't phone", so I say OK, and go through the journal and eventually it links me back to the first page that says "use the journal". For someone like me, with depression and anxiety it's been a struggle but nothing i couldn't overcome- though, it will definitely leave me worse off. For anyone worse off than me, or less computer literate, it could be a nightmare
Equally, there were some unexpectedly good moments- like, when I had my first phone call, it actually went very smoothly and the chap was both professional but also just, well, nice. And he threaded a bit of a needle with an awkward part of my application which I think basically he didn't have to.
Oh, and they're claiming I have enough savings to cause issues- I literally got my severance agreement payment through, and then instantly used a chunk of it to clear off some debts, but the 1 day it was in my account apparently counts as "having had savings but then spent it to reduce my savings for UC purposes". Shrodinger's savings.
Having said that, I've still not received a penny and I should have, by now. I don't desperately need it but I know perfectly well that the delays are going to cost me money that they shouldn't.
Re driving for amazon, the trouble is, at this point there are already tens of thousands of people who've had the same idea. My brother's business is completely stalled, but he's still a man with a van and thought, I'll be in demand. But there's an awful lot of men with vans whose business has also stalled.
I've not logged in here for ages, but I wanted to reply to your post Northwind - there's several things I can point that DWP have some wrongly there.
Your savings - if you've spent them to repay debts, then they can't say that you did it to increase your UC award (called intentionally depriving yourself) the UC rules specifically state that you can repay debts, even if they don't have to be repaid immediately
Also, if you had problems with the ID verification, that happens after you make your claim. I'd you've made the claim, they must have made a decision that you were not entitled to UC. You can ask them to reconsider this and award from the earlier claim date, especially as it doesn't seem to be your fault.
Worth also telling them about your mental health problems and perhaps getting a medical certificate/fit note from your GP as well, even it is is to just make things easier
winstonsmith
Full MemberAlso, if you had problems with the ID verification, that happens after you make your claim. I’d you’ve made the claim, they must have made a decision that you were not entitled to UC.
It happened near the end of the claim screenflow- tried to connect to Government Gateway, broke. Wasn't able to complete my claim til it had been fixed. (I've a feeling that it might have just not made it to the ID verification at all)
Ironically, I got the first payment through today. It's wrong, because of the savings thing, but it's progress. Obviously going to have to do some chasing which, again, is OK for me but again, is not how these things should work.
I'm not personally bothered by it all; I'm in decent financial shape and computer literate and all that. So it's not for my own sake I'm annoyed, I'm just seeing how massive an issue it would have been for other people. Especially getting your first payment later than promised with no reason given, and having it be like 2/3ds as much as you're entitled to.
Before you spend 2-3k on a licence I would just double check with a few current job adverts what their insurance restrictions are.
Fully aware it's a hard industry to break into but it looks like I'm eligible for funding to get it and as I already have a C1 it'll only cost £800. If I can get funding to cover the vast majority of it I don't mind spending £2-300 on hopefully increasing my chances of getting a job.
As has been alluded to above, I'm stuck down with everyone else right now fighting for the crap van jobs as most places that require the higher C1 license want HGV too. If it doesn't work out I'll look for other work but it seems a reasonable risk to take right now.
Quick update on this.
Just had my second review with the UC team via phone and for the second time I am not getting any payment whatsoever. I have the JSA coming through but going by the calculator online I should be getting a total of £4-500 a month UC on top. I've had to put a note on mu journal to request the Payment Team look into it but as it stands I've received nothing and they don't think I'll get anything next month either! I've got two ex-colleagues who are in pretty much the exact same situation and they are getting payments with no issues.
Something doesn't seem right at all.
Have they told you why you don't qualify?
reluctantjumper - thats in the design of UC You have to persist and probably get a professional to look at your claim. the intent is to refuse claims on spurious grounds and hope folk do not appeal
No, the phone call was just with an advisor that doesn't have access to the decision process, just the outcome. I've had to message the Payment Team via the journal system on the online portal and it says I should hear back withing 7 days.
Even going on my previous savings amount (I've spent some of it so it is actually less than declared) I should be getting £436 this month on top of the JSA payments, that's using the official calculator they link to on the UC webpage. At this rate it'll be over 3 months before I receive any UC payment whatsoever! How the hell this system is meant to help those who have no savings I have no idea.
thats in the design of UC You have to persist and probably get a professional to look at your claim. the intent is to refuse claims on spurious grounds and hope folk do not appeal
Seriously?!? What **** thought up that system?
Oh yes, wasn't it Ian Duncal Smith? The **** who cheered a pay freeze for NHS staff? He's added to the 'punch in the face on sight' list.
Yep UC a brilliant idea implemented in the most incompetent, complicated and evil way possible. I did get something out of them but did have to persevere to get it.
Well I've had a message back from the Payment Team and they've basically told me to go swivel as they don't think I'm eligible for any payments. No reason or workings out (which I asked for) but they did say they would review for January. A sliver of hope but it really, really annoys me that I'm basically being told to **** off despite me working continuously since I was 16, always 'paying in' to they system correctly and never claiming any benefits until now. Contrast to my cousins on one side of my family who never work, pop out kids like they're going out of fashion, have a house handed to them, have Sky, iPhones and generally do what the hell they want and it's making me rather angry.
If you see someone aggressively throwing around a Rocket tomorrow that'll be me. Either that or I'll be arguing with a tree, probably get more sense out of it actually.
I got another apparently random payment this month, phoned up and said "why is it that much", they said "here's the calculation", I said "yeah but it seems to be full of made up numbers that don't relate to my claim", and they said, er, "here's the calculation".
But it does look like they might have actually sorted out last month's screw up, though they won't actually tell me what the backpayment will be yet, just that I'm getting one.
Not for the first time, I'm so glad I'm not depending on it to live or pay bills at this point- it's just infuriating and stressful for me but if it was feeding your kids?
There must be an appeals process you can initiate.
I suspect you are just being used to hit their target of rejections this month, just picked at random to be told 'No' regardless of the validity of your claim.
I'm going to explore the appeal option after I've calmed down a bit, otherwise I'd fill that inevitable box for 'comments' full of a sweary rant that would get it rejected.
Not for the first time, I’m so glad I’m not depending on it to live or pay bills at this point- it’s just infuriating and stressful for me but if it was feeding your kids?
That's my overriding feeling through this, I can't imagine how I'd be feeling if I had a partner/kids to support and no savings. Is it still true that the majority of the country's households have less than £100 in savings? If it is then there's going to be a lot of personal pain when people have to enter the UC system!
You need to appeal and unfortunatly you probably need a pro to do it for you - CAB, local advice shop or whatever
Mrs TJ ( who used to do this stuff for a living) says a the calculation should be available on your online account. Northwind you can phone the advice shop in Edinburgh for help if needed
Had 2 bits of good news about all of this today:
1: I've had my REACT funding for my HGV lessons and test approved, fully paid as long as I pass. That's £1300 of training for free! If I fail my first test I just have to pay for the retest at £120 a go, as long as I end up with a license then it's all good. I have to repay REACT the £849 if I don't pass which I'm happy to take the risk on. Lessons and test are booked for the end of January.
2: A friend of my sister is a solicitor who's currently on maternity leave and has phoned me to help with the UC issue I'm having. She agrees that I should have got a payment this month and is looking into it for me. She's already contacted the UC team that she deals with locally to her and they say there's something amiss somewhere, sound promising but not getting my hopes up just yet!
Oh, and they’re claiming I have enough savings to cause issues- I literally got my severance agreement payment through, and then instantly used a chunk of it to clear off some debts, but the 1 day it was in my account apparently counts as “having had savings but then spent it to reduce my savings for UC purposes”. Shrodinger’s savings.
This might be part of the issue for me too. My redundancy payment and PILON hit my account and sat there for a few days before some went on stuff for my parents (both ill and had just moved back home after being flooded out in February) then being put into Premium Bonds. I have also used a previous savings pot I had for the purpose of buying myself something for my 40th birthday in a few weeks, this spend has not been taken off my savings total but has been declared so as not to fall foul of the rules about depleting your savings deliberately so as to claim more UC. I was told by the UC team early on that this is the way to do it and that they would just use their regular formula to assess how much my savings should deplete as time goes on. It would make a difference of £90 to my payment so happy to live with that.
Before you spend 2-3k on a licence. I would just double check with a few current job adverts what their insurance restrictions are.
Have re-looked into this point and my experience driving C1 (7.5t) vehicles counts towards experience with some employers and agencies so should be ok on that. Also the school I am using have said they have previously been contacted about their new passes and have on occasion given references to how good drivers are or aren't. Sounds like it'll be a case of wriggling my way in to a job through contacts etc as much as firing off CV's etc.
Just had my third UC consultation phone call so thought I'd best update this, specifically these two points:
Had 2 bits of good news about all of this today:
1: I’ve had my REACT funding for my HGV lessons and test approved, fully paid as long as I pass. That’s £1300 of training for free! If I fail my first test I just have to pay for the retest at £120 a go, as long as I end up with a license then it’s all good. I have to repay REACT the £849 if I don’t pass which I’m happy to take the risk on. Lessons and test are booked for the end of January.
2: A friend of my sister is a solicitor who’s currently on maternity leave and has phoned me to help with the UC issue I’m having. She agrees that I should have got a payment this month and is looking into it for me. She’s already contacted the UC team that she deals with locally to her and they say there’s something amiss somewhere, sound promising but not getting my hopes up just yet!
1: My training was meant to be happening three weeks ago, then got pushed back a fortnight due to limited capacity then moved to March as the DVSA are suspending all driving tests during the current lockdown. Fully expecting it to be pushed back even further so it will be a while before I can do the course. Annoyingly if I take a job in the meantime I lose the funding and the priority course place so I'm stuck waiting unless a really good job comes along. I have applied for a few but only 1 has even got back to me!
2: My solicitor friend has got a result with the contested payments, they're all being paid. I should get the money in the next week or so plus I received a payment this month too so it's all set up correctly now. Don't know exactly how she managed it but she called me with the good news last week but I waited until now to mention it as I have now had confirmation with the advisor that it is all fine.
The advisor did say that there is still no obligation to look for work right now due to the lockdown but was impressed that I was still getting the odd application out, lots of people are just sitting back and doing nothing. It' tough out there right now but it shouldn't be for too long.
Glad to hear that
I've done my theory for hgv but like you practical is off the cards currently
