My Universal Credit Claim Journey

I think Sir John talked a lot of senses tbh. If it does go pear shaped I think any riots that will take place bordering on the levels of the poll tax riots. But if neither Brexit or UV brings down May's Govt then surely she will be forced out by her own MP's or a Election vote. The system is to my mind unworkable they needed to put more flesh on the bones of it before they even trialled it, or even introduced it on a roll out system. Not only that I do think any repeat of the 2008 financial crisis will have a severe impact on it too or kill it off altogether.

Just seen my UC payment for 19 November to yesterday = £318 think that is lower than I expected was thinking more in terms of around £350 and a lot depends if the housing payment is paid directly as I put on claim, and what my wages are on Friday. Payment is now due on 25 December - WTF!!! What good is that supposed to be to me.

update
Just seen a message that I now have to arrange rent payment to my landlord out of my Universal Credit (£318) plus extra from my wages to make up the difference to the amount required plus £80 DD for rent arrears. To me the UC set up is a complete and utter farce, and I think the claim is now not worth the paper it is written on. I would no sooner drop my claim and go back to claiming tax credits and paying rent myself the best I can and also juggle other payments around or use my pension to pay my bills without being sanctioned.
The whole UC system is flawed and rotten IMO. I think it does not help any one on a low wage one Iota and why should it force people into working two jobs to help themselves? At my age (55) two jobs is not my ideal working situation!!!! They need to withdraw it and go back to drawing board and fix all the problems surrounding UC a lot better and then re - introduce it once it is properly fixed.

Next update

Now it seems the J/C appear to have no knowledge of me ever making a request for my housing element to be paid directly to landlord They are now asking me for information as to why I want this done!!


it does seem the request on my initial claim was lost somehow and this has become a mess.

(20-12-2018 12:29 )babelover48 Wrote:  Next update

Now it seems the J/C appear to have no knowledge of me ever making a request for my housing element to be paid directly to landlord They are now asking me for information as to why I want this done!!


it does seem the request on my initial claim was lost somehow and this has become a mess.

Some things in life never change..DWP ineptitude and incompetence being one of them. I thought they were infested with clowns when I had the misfortune of working there..seems like nothing has changed.

Update 24/12/18

Payment went in this morning thank goodness. But what was hearing about was the that families on UC were having to claim back the childcare costs after paying upfront. This should not be happening IF child care costs are part of their UC payment. This payments has way too many flaws/loopholes that unscrupulous people can exploit at the taxpayers' expense, and one I feel that the Government will end up having to pay a heavy price for.

Next update
have found out yesterday that the J/centre have STILL NOT have received the request from my H.A. for rent being paid directly to them, when I was given assurances by the H.A. before Xmas that would be done from their end.
I do not understand how they could not have done this, and now there is a part of me wishing i never made the bloody claim in the first place and stayed with £550 coming out of my account every month and being left with next to nothing to live on for a whole month. At least it would have a darn sight better than dealing with a benefits payment system that offers no real benefit to ANYBODY except those who can get the cash and not bother paying rent.

At least then I knew I was paying rent and my rent arrears at the same time!!

January update

Having now finally settled the rent issue and rent being paid directly to H. A. logged in this morning to check my payment and it is showing as nothing being paid in this month!! atm can only presume my standard payment will not show up until tomorrow morning or Thursday, or it is part of my rent payment.
If this is the case then it leaves me in a fix as I have bills to pay before being paid on 31st.

small update

Having checked the payment statement they took of £479 off for take home pay (this being advised as being paid as £760) £232.24 for rent, and I still have to pay 224.8 as my rent share on top of an additional £80 DD for rent arrears so that's over £300 gone before the start of February!!

if they had left tax credits out of the UC payment then things would be easier for so many people, and i think quite a few people would agree with me on that.

Next update...
I logged on this morning to see when payment was due which is 17 days time and this month I'm not expecting anything to be paid in to my account since I have now moved back to my contracted hours and now face a loss of an extra working day and wages loss of around £150 - 200/month.
If nothing is paid in this month then I may feel the only way for me to be able to live with money in my pocket will be to withdraw my claim for UC and use part of my savings to get through the rest of this month and (possibly this year) without them sanctioning me and reclaim tax credits.

The shocking state of UC is highlighted in Guardian survey which shows UC has scored lowest for satisfaction in benefits survey. I do now feel the more problems that are highlighted in the press with UC, the more the DWP will deny that problems exist and will continue to states that "Overall satisfaction in the new benefit remains consistently high" when clearly this is not the case in reality.

I logged on this morning to see when payment was due which is in 6 days time and as I expected, nothing to be paid in to my account since I have now moved back to my contracted hours and now face a loss of an extra working day and wages loss of around £150 - 200/month.

I feel the system for UC is nothing short of a total mess and I now feel the only way for me to be able to live with money in my pocket will be to withdraw my claim for UC and use part of my savings to get through to my payday without them sanctioning me and reclaim tax credits. At least under the tax credits claim, I KNEW EXACTLY what was being paid in and on what day.

I have read that people are stopped reclaiming old benefits if they drop their UC claim and would like to know if any of you have friends/relatives who may have made this decision and faced this process, and how hard or easy it is to move back.

Someone in Parliament now has to have the balls to stand up in Parliament and tell our PM exactly what kind of financial difficulties UC leaves ordinary people in. The rent arrears situation was one I went through and through the debt collector I worked with he told me how many people he had to visit to collect money from or even evict who were claiming UC and how hard it was to see those peoples lives destroyed AND he agreed with it how unworkable and unfair it is.
I cannot see how our PM thinks UC IS A workable system, when clearly it is not.
It has become just a mess and she should put a stop to the system roll out, before many more lives families and individuals are wrecked and destroyed by what is an absolute crock shit benefits payment system.
The old system may have had it flaws and was regularly abused, but for many decent hard working people like myself, at least it was one that we understood without being too over complicated like UC is.

Again no money from UC was advised this month last time I spoke to them that they were paying too much and my HA told me that they (UC) weren't paying enough and further rent arrears were added plus HA advised my DD was going up to £215 a month ALONG WITH INCREASE IN RENT FROM 1ST April. I have been borrowing from parents to keep afloat and now I can no longer borrow from them.


This now leaves me thinking that I now have start using my savings and risk a sanction or increase my OD to keep afloat or cancel UC in its entirety an pay rent myself an use food banks.

No UC payment again!! plus I was advised that my DD my Rent/Rent Arrears goes up to £309 from 1st JUNE!! Patience has finally ran out am now seeking advice from local CAB. Having spoken to them, they feel there is something completely wrong with my claim.