I seem to be getting less money

Annieanxious

This is my first month on UC. I was previously on ESA and got SDP so in total I received £425 fortnightly.

Unless I am missing something this doesn't work out the same.

Kimi87

The Transitional Protection tops up your award to match previous legacy benefits.

This is calculated before any deductions.

Your previous ESA & SDP was approximately £920.83 monthly

UC Standard Allowance, LCWRA & TP are £921.03.

Annieanxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1015132#Comment_1015132

Thanks but I still can't see it.

I was definitely getting £425 before with deductions now it only works out £397 unless I am doing something wrong in my calculations 🤯

Kimi87

What is your calculation to reach £397?

Although using different terminology, LCWRA, Standard Allowance and Transitional Protection is the equivalent UC award for someone previously on ESA + SDP.

OverlyAnxious

Has your savings amount changed during the migration?

I'm only calculating it as £366 per fortnight now, including the savings deduction. Not sure how you're getting £397? Are you just halving the monthly total? If so, that doesn't work because there are a few extra days in most months, they are not exactly 2 fortnights long.

OverlyAnxious

Just calculated using the old ESA rates. Savings have not changed.

They deduction would have been £58 per fortnight on ESA. Works out exactly the same on UC.

OverlyAnxious

ESA - £90.50
EDP - £20.85
SDP - £81.50
Support Group - £47.70

Weekly Total = £240.55

Fortnightly Total = £481.10

£481.10 - £58 savings deduction = £423.10 Fortnightly Payment

UC - £393.45
LCWRA - £416.19
TP - £111.39

Monthly Total = £921.03

£921.03 - £126.15 savings deduction = £794.88

£794.88 x 12 = £9538.56 per year

£9538.56 / 52 weeks = £183.43 per week

£183.43 x 2 = £366.86 Fortnightly Equivalent

So you are correct that you're getting less money each fortnight, or month or year, however you want to divide it. I just can't work out exactly what's happened here! The TP is a lot lower than mine, and I'm thinking that must have been calculated including the bedroom tax on the housing element somehow?

OverlyAnxious

Ahhhh, I think I've got it. Your TP was based on your ESA payments after deductions, instead of overall entitlement.

So effectively you now get a leftover savings deduction from ESA. Plus another savings deduction on UC.

I don't know if that's how they usually calculate TP. It seems a bit unfair if it is. My savings were just below £6k when I migrated so I don't have experience with this scenario.

Annieanxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1015171#Comment_1015171

Oh so I am getting even less then, that is a big difference 😩

Thanks for doing all the maths. I got £397 by taking the rent allowance off my monthly amount then divided by 2 which was clearly wrong.

Annieanxious

Is it worth me contacting them in my journal and letting them know the shortfall? I thought the whole idea of TP is to make sure we get the same amount as before the migration.

I wonder if they possibly forgot to add the SDP.

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1015719#Comment_1015719

SDP is worth around £80 a week, so they haven't forgotten that.

The problem we have here is that your overall entitlement is the same as you were getting paid before (as Kimi mentioned much earlier in the thread). And perhaps that is the figure they use to calculate TP. The UC savings deduction is then made separately after TP is calculated.

I was hoping that Kimi or another member may be able to confirm whether that is the normal way they calculate TP (payments) or whether it should have been calculated on entitlement (before savings deductions) instead. Honestly I wouldn't expect the UC staff to know which of those is correct. Perhaps you could contact Citizens Advice or a local Disability Advice specialist to ask instead?

Kimi87

I believe TP is calculated before deductions, but would suggest you ask a trained benefits advisor as OA suggested.