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UC Review - I’m Confused..

MrJackT

Hello,

Earlier on I received a text message from UC, to read a message on my journal.

I have signed into my account and on the journal it says “We are reviewing your Universal Credit claim to make sure your payments are correct. As part of the review, you will need to send us information to confirm your details.”

It also says they’re going to call me on Monday to discuss the review and what happens next?

I’m really confused about this, as I have no idea what this means?

I claim UC and I was also awarded LCWRA. I was awarded LCWRA in May 2024, and the letter said they would be review my circumstances again 18 months after I was awarded LCWRA.

Any advice about what this review means would be appreciated. Because it can’t be for the LCWRA as I was only awarded that in May 2024, so what is this review?

Thanks

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Comments

Kimi87

UC are doing millions of these checks, I went through one last year and lots of others on the forum have been through one. They are to make sure your payments are correct from a financial perspective.

On the call they will ask for what they need, which is usually ID & four months of bank statements for all accounts.

After you submit the information they are looking for, you will have a telephone interview.

You'll be asked a series of scripted questions about other potential sources of money.

Then questions about some of your banking transactions, which might not appear to make any sense.

I myself (as capital was over £6k on paper) was then asked to submit individual bank statement pages showing my Cost of Living payments.

Then I had a journal message saying my review was complete and my payments were correct.

MrJackT

Hello,

Thank you for explaining this.

I have saw some other posts regarding reviews on the forum and I have another question. The Majority of the posts say that UC aren’t bothered about what you spend your money on, but then I’ve saw some posts/comments where UC have asked about certain transactions. If they aren’t bothered about what you spend your money on, why do they ask about certain transactions?

Kimi87

That's a question only they can answer.

I certainly was asked about various transactions during my review, I suspect they are looking for things like deliberate deprivation of capital.

MrJackT

Hello,

Ah, that makes sense. I get money paid into my bank account and then I transfer it to my Monzo bank because I use the pots to help me manage my money

Albus_Alumni

Heya @MrJackT sometimes they'll ask about certain transactions if they think it could be used for something fraudulent, so regular payments to an overseas account or similar. It's not anything to worry about. 😊

JonnycJonny

Their main focus is on any savings accounts or income that has not been previously disclosed. They will ask about money from property, Paypal / Revolut accounts, ISAs etc. Simply answer Yes / No to the questions and supply any further evidence if need be. I had to supply 4 months' worth of Paypal statements following the interview ( they will send you a link in your Journal if need be )

Your outgoings are of no interest to them whatsoever ( they cannot dictate what goods or services you purchase ) - likewise servicing of debt ( making payments to your credit card if you have one ) is unimportant. They might ask about one or two outgoings such as rent payments - more to confirm your identity than anything else and to check that the housing element of UC is being used ( if you get that element, of course ) Have your bank statements in front of you in readiness for any such questions. Regular payments to an overseas account would, of course, be a red flag and require justification - as Albus states.

It really is nothing to worry about - they simply want to make sure you are getting the correct amount of UC - it is a means tested benefit afterall.

Best wishes

Kimi87

I was questioned about more than one or two outgoings so they were certainly of interest to them. I was even asked about a £12 monthly payment (which is for my window cleaner).

They completely ignored money coming in from eBay sales as well.

MrJackT

Hello,

I have my telephone appointment about the UC review on Tuesday 3rd December. It says the appointment can take up to 15 minutes. When I tap on the appointment it says the time of the appointment and who it’s with, and it also says what the appointment is for.
However, it says “This appointment is to review your Universal Credit claim, discuss the information you have already provided and for you to provide further evidence.”

I’m just wondering if that is a standard message, as I haven’t been asked to provide “further evidence” prior to the appointment being booked in?

Thanks!

Albus_Alumni

Hey @MrJackT yes I'd not worry about that, it looks like a very standardised stock reply. 😊

Autism_at_40

I got a UC check after only having received 1 LCWRA payment. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I think the further evidence thing is because when I had my call they asked me for more information. It was only after they reviewed that information that they made their decision on it.

adamyou

@MrJackT

Hi did you end up having to send your documents?

adamyou

I also received a uc message about my claim review, it's in 2 days time, they haven't asked me to upload any documents, will this be requested during the review? Thanks

Rosie_Scope

Hi @adamyou, if they haven't requested anything yet, they will usually tell you on the call what you need to send in. Hope it goes okay!

Birdfeeder

Thank you for all the helpful posts on here. I have recently been contacted in my UC journal about a Claims Review, as I had to draw down £2000 from my pension pot for house repairs. I'm not yet of pension age. I'm a bit worried as I had to fight for LCWRA in 2023, I'm worried I'll have to fight for it again. Or is it just to check my financial situation?

Any comments please?

Thanks, Birdfeeder

Adrian_Scope

Hello @Birdfeeder,

These reviews are usually to look at your financial situation, to ensure you don't have undeclared income or undeclared savings/capital above threshold.

isirendi

Hello,

I had my 1st ever UC review phone call last week. It's nothing to be afraid of, I did find the fact that even though I had to upload all the info they asked for on my UC account beforehand, they still needed to go over it, a bit stressful.

There are some concerning things about the questions they ask, especially regarding data protection. As I am new here and can't post links yet, please go on YouTube and search for " TheJusticeJournalsTV" channel and look for video called " Why Universal credit review questions raise serious questions on Data Protection Laws". It will give you detailed information about what exactly they are allowed to ask, without breaking the named law. I found the video great source of information and great help, not to mention that I did reply to some of the questions during my interview exactly as suggested in the video.

Much love

Birdfeeder

Thanks very much Isirendi. I had a watch on YouTube and now feel a bit more prepared for it. 😎

isirendi

Birdfeeder, you are most welcome 😊. You have to be rather consistent with saying that they are not allowed to ask questions where your money goes, keep mentioning data protection act. The person who rang me tried a few times, telling me that he's been told to ask those questions. I suggested them to get in contact with supervisor and/ or whoever trained them and tell them what he's doing is illegal. I guess that got him a bit scared, however yes, it is illegal to ask such questions. Good luck with your review appointment!

forgoodnesssake

I am appointee for my son (UC goes into his account) and in the review a few weeks ago it was very much as others have said above… I was asked about a couple of transactions on his account which were moneys to me. I explained that they were re-imbursements for things I had bought him and that seemed fine. They didn't even ask what things. I can understand why they asked about those as it could indeed be deliberate deprivation of assets, or at least an attempt to "hide" a few quid. Otherwise it was pretty low key.

Update: just watched one of the above Youtubes…useful food for thought and i will look on ICO website as well for more info (just wish "Alison" didn't shout! Finding it hard to listen for too long!)