Claiming universal credit while becoming self-employed

Simon1867

Hi all!

I was wondering if someone could help me with the below please:

I am currently employed, however I am looking to resign to set up my own business. I have funding for this business, so I will be able to provide a realistic business plan etc to universal credit.

My questions are:

1. If I resign from my job and then set the company up - will I be able to claim UC straight away, as long as I can prove that I have a self-employed business (albeit a brand new one), and that I have a concrete plan etc?
2. Will UC take issue with the fact that I've quite my job, even though it's for the purposes of setting up my own business?
3. Will the fact that the company is brand new, and therefore has no prior turnover or income be an issue with me claiming UC?

It's worth noting that I've never claimed UC while setting up a business before. I have claimed UC previously, and I have earned self-employed income before, but in seperate tax years. I filed my tax return in the same financial year as I was claiming UC, however the period was for a previous tax year, and I was out of work at the point I was claiming UC.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Simon

Holly_Scope

Hi @Simon1867 sorry you've not had a response to this yet. I can see with it being a brand new business with no prior turnover might be problematic, as when you attend your self-employed interview, you'll have to supply as much evidence as possible about your organisation, which would be very difficult if it's brand new. Is there potential to start this business alongside your current employment for a little while until it grows?