YouSir
Retired from Urban
They just messaged me about it on the journal. Will have to do it I suppose but hate the idea of owning them anything, ever. Never trust the job centre.
Universal Credit/Benefits system
- Thread starter YouSir
- Start date
They just messaged me about it on the journal. Will have to do it I suppose but hate the idea of owning them anything, ever. Never trust the job centre.
ska invita
back on the other side
i was aware of that, but i expected that basic old "dole" bit would be the same (universal for everyone) before add ons?
Ah yeh, I think it's all here.
Universal Credit
Universal Credit is replacing 6 other benefits with a single monthly payment if you're out of work or on a low income - eligibility, how to prepare.
Kicks in from april 6
Anju
Well-Known Member
Hoping someone can answer a couple of questions.
Everything went through for my claim online but I have been given an appointment for 17th April for a "biographical interview" Left a message in my journal asking if I can have the interview sooner and got a reply saying they are fully booked. Does this sound reasonable / correct.
Also, I should be eligible for self employed help and am wondering if that income will be included when they assess the claim despite it being June before I will receive anything.
Everything went through for my claim online but I have been given an appointment for 17th April for a "biographical interview" Left a message in my journal asking if I can have the interview sooner and got a reply saying they are fully booked. Does this sound reasonable / correct.
Also, I should be eligible for self employed help and am wondering if that income will be included when they assess the claim despite it being June before I will receive anything.
Fedayn
Well-Known Member
Appointments are usually booked at the earliest possible opportunity. The sheer numbers are overwhelming the system, as I mentioned, we had 480,000 new claims in 10 days, these claimants all need an appointment. It's not brilliant but the sheer numbers are causing this.
We still don't have the details of this. Under current UC rules then wages are only taken into account during the assessment period you receive them in. There maybe new/different information coming out soon.
Anju
Well-Known Member
Thanks, didn't want to waste my and their time phoning up to check.
Hopefully they will know about self employed grant by the 17th.
My call came two days after I booked it. That seems like a long time to wait. They actually called me a couple of days before they were supposed to (at 8.30am in the morning!) and asked if I minded doing it sooner.
Anju
Well-Known Member
I'm guessing that I'm near the back of the queue as we held off a bit because my wife finds out what's happening with her job tomorrow.
We can juggle our finances to get through this month so it's better for others who are in worse situation to get sorted before us.
Weller
So ermm ... You know ermm
Looks like I am going to have to make a claim too as Im agency staff and company laid me off today but is paying perm staff the government 80 percent furloughed money if they get it said they would have me back but no idea obviously when.
As it doesnt look like work again any time soon and looking around theres not much chance of getting work here at moment as I am paid weekly a week in hand this week and then getting some holiday money next week friday this will affect my claim is it better I wait until after this weeks pay date or even next weeks payment as this would affect my claim anyway anybody know it seems pointless claiming if it cancels it out reading up on UC but seems confusing as theres also new style jobseekers as an option according to some
Anybody any advice please
As it doesnt look like work again any time soon and looking around theres not much chance of getting work here at moment as I am paid weekly a week in hand this week and then getting some holiday money next week friday this will affect my claim is it better I wait until after this weeks pay date or even next weeks payment as this would affect my claim anyway anybody know it seems pointless claiming if it cancels it out reading up on UC but seems confusing as theres also new style jobseekers as an option according to some
Anybody any advice please
no job seeking for the foreseeable(that's what they told me)? Love it.
YouSir
Retired from Urban
Put a message on the journal saying you need an urgent callback, don't know how much effect it has but I got a message 2 days after putting that and a call ten minutes later from the local JC.
YouSir
Retired from Urban
Not what they told me, although he did just tick boxes when I told him I was/had been self employed. Asked what I'd be applying for, I was vague, he just said 'I'll put this and this then'.
Anju
Well-Known Member
Thanks, will give that a go.
YouSir
Retired from Urban
As a general heads up - I was told to do that by Benefit Forums (@benefitforums) on Twitter who seem to be pretty active helping people out.
Anju
Well-Known Member
Start your application now as it looks like delays are getting longer. I doubt it matters when you get paid, more the date your employment ended.
It took a couple of days of slow loading pages and crashes just to get through every stage online as you also have to use a verification service to prove who you are.
depends where you're from I guess.
Anju
Well-Known Member
Now I know why I'm supposed to wait 16 days for an interview.
That's basically 950,000 people fucked for the foreseeable.
Article says that the normal number of claims over 2 weeks is 100,000. That seems really high?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/01/950000-apply-for-universal-credit-in-two-weeks-of-uk-lockdown?
That's basically 950,000 people fucked for the foreseeable.
Article says that the normal number of claims over 2 weeks is 100,000. That seems really high?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/01/950000-apply-for-universal-credit-in-two-weeks-of-uk-lockdown?
YouSir
Retired from Urban
Aye, depends who's on the phone at the moment for sure. Be wary though, when this is all done I guarantee the DWP will be coming after people. Bastards to the bone.
Get registered online ASAP and then get on the phone ASAP to book your appt. Start at 8am.
10% interest is pretty fair. I've got two credit cards which are 60%!
Actually on this subject, coz ive always been shit at this kind of thing. Should I use the money I get from UC to pay down some of my credit cards. Given the difference in interest rate?
YouSir
Retired from Urban
Aye, could be worse, but experience has taught me never to trust them. Overly cynical maybe, but still.
Pianoworldstage
New Member
Thanks everyone.. helpful.
PursuedByBears
Go stick your head in a pig
My wife is self employed and her business has almost shut down but she's trying to do something online instead so is still receiving some income although it's a tiny fraction of her pre-plague earnings (which weren't much anyway). Will she still be able to make a claim? Will they just make her pay it back when they get around to properly processing the claims?
Weller
So ermm ... You know ermm
Just for info purposes re my post above and universal credit claim as agency worker not getting furloughed , the agency contacted me today and said that the rules have changed from the client having to offer me a perm job to do that to as long as temp workers were working for same client since 28th feb but not started afterwards and were then finished because of covid19 but would have been kept on otherwise then the agency themselves can furlough the employee so as they dont go anywhere else and will continue working for same client afterwards.
So my pay has now been backdated to carry on from last monday at 80 percent full pay and have been told that the furlough must last at least 3 weeks and cannot make money working elsewhere during gov furlough,
This should be same for any agency worker I expect and as I am no longer commuting my pay will be almost the same as it does not affect volunteering etc I will now be looking into doing something for my community whilst off
Anyone claiming universal credit due to agency work stopping it may be worthwhile speaking to their agency about THEM furloughing them too now rather than the client company that are only furloughing perm staff its a lot less hassle and stress than universal credit system at the moment anyway
So my pay has now been backdated to carry on from last monday at 80 percent full pay and have been told that the furlough must last at least 3 weeks and cannot make money working elsewhere during gov furlough,
This should be same for any agency worker I expect and as I am no longer commuting my pay will be almost the same as it does not affect volunteering etc I will now be looking into doing something for my community whilst off
Anyone claiming universal credit due to agency work stopping it may be worthwhile speaking to their agency about THEM furloughing them too now rather than the client company that are only furloughing perm staff its a lot less hassle and stress than universal credit system at the moment anyway
Last edited:
Jackobi
swallows anything
There is no interest on a UC advance payment, it is generally 10% of your ongoing UC payment which will be deducted to repay the advance.
ska invita
back on the other side
Ive been wondering...has the regime for forcing people to search for and apply for endless jobs changed since C19?
NoXion
Craicy the Squirrel
My flatmate is currently on UC and he said that he was basically told to go through the motions. He seems to feel comfortable doing basically fuck-all job searching, which is all he can do to be fair.
I don't think that the UC regime is being applied anywhere near as rigorously as it was before the pandemic; given how many people have recently been made jobless, I think there'd be a bloody uproar if it was.
