Would you accept having your bank account checked?

poppy123456

WhatThe said:

How is it not equivalent, losing 63% of my earnings???

It's not tax. It's also not 63% anymore, it was reduced quite sometime ago to 55%.  You can't expect to work and receive earnings of more than the work allowance (if entitled) and still continue with your full UC entitlement.

Those that work and still claim housing benefit, Tax credits, the more you earn the less means tested benefits you're entitled to.

For some of the old legacy benefits like JSA or Income Support the earnings disregard is much less generous than it is for UC. 

The same applies to ESA when claiming with a partner, if the partner works and they are not the main claimant. In this situation there's only a £20/week earnings disregard and then Income Related ESA is reduced £1 for £1. Therefore if your partner works and earnings £100/week then £80/week will be deducted from your ESA.

For UC the work allowance applies to the claim, not to the actual claimant so a partner working would mean less deductions.

UC is far from perfect but in some cases, it can be a lot more generous than some of the legacy benefits and that's not just my opinion, it's a fact.

WhatThe

The MIF only applies to 'those found to be gainfully self-employed' which I was not. 

My part-time earnings did not exceed the work allowance.
63% of my meagre earnings were deducted by UC leaving me with a net income of £50 a week. There is no justification for this. 

Not working now entitles me to the full UC allowance so work did not pay!!!!! 

Most of the 'overpayments' (created by UC) being chased relate to other supposedly self-employed claimants so mine is not an unusual case at all. 

poppy123456

WhatThe, I  have no idea why you keep referring to self employed. I know you weren’t self employed, I already acknowledged that. 

It’s impossible to give you any advice when you’re drip feeding information like this. No one can give any advice without all the information. 

I’ve tried to help with your UC issues quite a few times and failed every time. I will walk away now and won’t respond further to your UC issues. I hope you can get some help from an advice agency because with your unique situation this is what’s needed. 

Tonawanda17

Another one this morning

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/fresh-dwp-checks-on-bank-accounts-to-make-sure-benefit-claimants-aren-t-lying-set-from-wednesday/ar-AA1kemWI?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=f6ed0ac67d3446cabb9dce6d227bf963&ei=35

poppy123456

Tonawanda17 said:

Another one this morning

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/fresh-dwp-checks-on-bank-accounts-to-make-sure-benefit-claimants-aren-t-lying-set-from-wednesday/ar-AA1kemWI?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=f6ed0ac67d3446cabb9dce6d227bf963&ei=35

Which you already posted on this thread here earlier. https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/756652#Comment_756652

vikingqueen

      These links are getting rather repetitive.. I think we all get the gist of what is happening but none of it is set in stone as yet.  All a media frenzy at the minute!!

poppy123456

vikingqueen said:

      These links are getting rather repetitive.. I think we all get the gist of what is happening but none of it is set in stone as yet.  All a media frenzy at the minute!!

I completely agree. I don't see the need to spam the forum with the same links.

WhatThe

Poppy, thank you
Not so much drip feeding as still trying to understand and explain what's happened. You know I've learned masses from this forum. 

Bundles of calculations from my local authority every month told me of a CoC and what I'd earned from self-employment - that was notified by UC they confirmed to me. 
 
Biblioklept, no Transitional Protection or backdating, no NIC's, no RTI feed, duplicated employment start/end dates and dodgy tax codes - they ignore questions and claim to know nothing pre-UC    

Wibbles

It seems that 2024 benefits increase will be only 4.6%, Rather than 6.7%, if the chancellor fiddles the way that the rise is calculated using October inflation rate rather than September.......
Yet those earning more than £12500 will benefit slightly more due to a drop in NI contributions (although more taxable income = more taxes) 

Wibbles

I was wrong - he increased benefits and pensions by Septembers 6.7% - that's good !

State Pensions increase by 8.5%

But where is all this money being borrowed from ?

Albus_Scope

Pensions increased by 8.5% in fact.

poppy123456

Wibbles said:

I was wrong - he increased benefits and pensions by Septembers 6.7% - that's good !

State Pensions increase by 8.5%

Not forgetting the LHA increases, finally!!! 

2oldcodgers

Wibbles said:

But where is all this money being borrowed from ?

Precisely! I too would love to know where the magic money tree is.

IMStruggling

I watched the Autumn Statement in its entirety.  There was no mention whatsoever of the DWP/ UC looking at people's bank accounts on a monthly basis.  Why are people presenting this story as if it is true??

WhatThe

It's not new money but money set aside for public services so swings and roundabouts..

We all fund the Warm Home Discount Plus in our energy bills too.

 

worried33

Personally no issue with it, I have nothing to hide, I even sent DWP 6 years banks statements to help them make a decision on EDP backpayment.

However politically, I think if they doing this they should also be doing it for all self employed to see if they not fiddling their books.  I have a problem with us getting treated differently in that respect.

I just glanced at Rosie's post and I think its a very good point, there is the potential for this to become a stepping stone to something that I would not be ok with.

apple85

https://www.ukauthority.com/articles/dwp-to-be-allowed-more-checks-on-bank-data/#:~:text=The%20plan%20has%20been%20announced,over%20the%20benefit%20eligibility%20threshold.

i don’t believe this is a repeat article (I know repeat postings annoy lots of us including myself - I’ve reread this several times)

the gov are choosing to amend a pre existing bill rather than putting forward a new bill - this means it could be implemented within 3 months (less time than a new bill - but if amendments go to the House of Lords that may delay things as some lords have already spoken out)

but it sounds like more details are being presented to Parliament this week (and that reading between the lines it may not be as extreme as 1st thought but don’t quote me on that) - edit Wednesday 29th nov 2023

Edit: more detailed article

https://techmonitor.ai/government-computing/data-protection-bill-digital-information-dwp-benefit-claimants


2nd edit: I understood things a little bit correctly

the ‘power for dwp to regularly look at claimants bank accounts’ is amending a pre existing bill (I got that bit right)

however said bill has yet to reach royal assent (aka it’s still a new bill in process so may take longer to get through than a mere amendment)

also I’ve noticed that the House of Lords have not even had a 1st reading - (https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/work-of-the-house-of-lords/making-laws/)
edit - may of answered my own question

https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/passage-bill/commons/coms-commons-third-reading/

3rd edit: I think I fully understand this now - the House of Commons is having its 3rd reading (I don’t know if this will include mp’s voting on amendments to the bill) on 29th nov.

after then the House of Lords will need to repeat the process from 1st to 3rd reading which will take a little time.

then you get the ‘ping-pong’ stage which takes an undefined amount of time before royal assent can happen and things are made into law

if a bill is straightforward it can reach royal assent within 3 months - however I’m 99% that this certainly isn’t straightforward (and I know some lords don’t like the idea of the dwp regularly looking at bank accounts) so royal assent may be a good few months off yet (going by research - can’t say with 100% certainty as I’m self teaching myself all this)


details on this bill:

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3430

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9803/

Wibbles

apple85 said:

https://www.ukauthority.com/articles/dwp-to-be-allowed-more-checks-on-bank-data/#:~:text=The%20plan%20has%20been%20announced,over%20the%20benefit%20eligibility%20threshold.

i don’t believe this is a repeat article (I know repeat postings annoy lots of us including myself - I’ve reread this several times)

the gov are choosing to amend a pre existing bill rather than putting forward a new bill - this means it could be implemented within 3 months (less time than a new bill - but if amendments go to the House of Lords that may delay things as some lords have already spoken out)

but it sounds like more details are being presented to Parliament this week (and that reading between the lines it may not be as extreme as 1st thought but don’t quote me on that) - edit Wednesday 29th nov 2023

Edit: more detailed article

https://techmonitor.ai/government-computing/data-protection-bill-digital-information-dwp-benefit-claimants


2nd edit: I understood things a little bit correctly

the ‘power for dwp to regularly look at claimants bank accounts’ is amending a pre existing bill (I got that bit right)

however said bill has yet to reach royal assent (aka it’s still a new bill in process so may take longer to get through than a mere amendment)

also I’ve noticed that the House of Lords have not even had a 1st reading - (https://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/work-of-the-house-of-lords/making-laws/)
edit - may of answered my own question

https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/passage-bill/commons/coms-commons-third-reading/

3rd edit: I think I fully understand this now - the House of Commons is having its 3rd reading (I don’t know if this will include mp’s voting on amendments to the bill) on 29th nov.

after then the House of Lords will need to repeat the process from 1st to 3rd reading which will take a little time.

then you get the ‘ping-pong’ stage which takes an undefined amount of time before royal assent can happen and things are made into law

if a bill is straightforward it can reach royal assent within 3 months - however I’m 99% that this certainly isn’t straightforward (and I know some lords don’t like the idea of the dwp regularly looking at bank accounts) so royal assent may be a good few months off yet (going by research - can’t say with 100% certainty as I’m self teaching myself all this)


details on this bill:

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3430

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9803/

I really love the way that article ends :
"Technology secretary Michelle Donelan said the bill is indicative of the fact that Britain “has seized a key Brexit opportunity – boosting small businesses, protecting consumers and cracking down on criminal enterprises like nuisance calling and benefit fraud.”

I mean brexit has nothing to do with it at all
But "criminal enterprises" - that will get the Lords on "our side"!! 

2oldcodgers

Why when they are fully aware of the outrageous fraud that went on during the pandemic. Very little hope that it will be recovered. 
I know of one guy who went in to my local JLR dealership with his 'funding for business' and ordered a Range Rover Vogue costing well over £120,000 AND wanted to pay cash for it. They refused so he had to move the money around and into his wife's bank account.
She produced an invoice for her husband that read -' for business management and professional advice'. She ran her own accountancy firm from home.

poppy123456

2oldcodgers said:

I know of one guy who went in to my local JLR dealership with his 'funding for business' and ordered a Range Rover Vogue costing well over £120,000 AND wanted to pay cash for it. They refused so he had to move the money around and into his wife's bank account.
She produced an invoice for her husband that read -' for business management and professional advice'. She ran her own accountancy firm from home.

My goodness, you always “seem” to know people who you claim have done bad things like commit fraud of some kind.