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Please Would Someone Check This Is Right. Thank You

Azura

Have just had my second payment, after a huge mess up with my first (migrated from ESA). Last month I had to pay bedroom tax, as they hadn't checked with my landlord that I need an extra bedroom for my carer - so I paid that extra out of my money. This month, they are paying my landlord full rent but have taken the bedroom tax amount from my transitional protection - so I get less. Is this right?

Also I am being paid bimonthly on Universal Credit, as I asked.

When I was paid on ESA, my amount was £489.30 every fortnight.

Now, on Universal Credit, my amount is £494 bimonthly - or £989.19 a month.

I'm not very good with numbers but does this seem about right? As I know they calculate the dates differently.

Thank you so much in advance. I'm still not understanding any of it.

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Comments

Kimi87

What is your UC award before deductions?

Are any deductions listed on your payment statement?

Transitional Protection reduces when other elements increase.

I suspect your TP was incorrect month 1 due to incorrect Housing Element amount. It should now be correct alongside HE with both as they should have been in month 1.

Azura

Thank you Kimi. My awatrd before deductions (rent) is £1496.10

Kimi87

Excluding rent, for an ESA payment of £244.65 a week i'd expect a UC award of £1060.15, and you've not indicated any deductions aside from rent.

I know sometimes a change in rent, if being paid directly to LL does funny things to the claimants payment, I'd suggest a trained benefits advisor who with sight of your statements should be able to help.

https://advicefinder.turn2us.org.uk/

Azura

Thanks Kimi. The difference between monthly amounts seems to be the bedroom tax at £70.96 a month. So I guess they are still taking that off (maybe on the tp?)

Kimi87

I've just added a bit more information to my reply 😊

Azura

Thank you Kimi, so much. You're always so helpful

Azura

I just phoned the UC helpline and they said to put a message in my journal - as they don't think the £70. 96 should have been taken from my transitional protection - as my rent hasn't increased - and I was just wrongly made to pay the spare bedroom tax the first month. They have treated it as a rent change, when it isn't - and I am now about £70 a month worse off than on ESA. So we shall see what happens.

Azura

Well after waiting days for someone to get back to me - have just had a message in my journal saying -

I have forwarded your issues to a Decision Maker who will look over your case and get back to you as soon as possible.

So now I'm even more stressed. It shouldn't be that hard. They mistakenly made me pay spare bedroom tax on my first statement - and then they paid full rent on my second statement - which made it look like I had a rent increase, so they took money from my transitional protection. But my transitional protection should have stayed the same - as my rent was the same - they just got my first month wrong.

Having a "decision maker" makes it all sound so official and has made me panic even more.

callyt7969

Azure, I'm going through the exact same thing. 1st month, no extra bedroom paid, 2nd month full rent but almost halved my transitional protection. UC saying it's due to increase in payments but like you, it is due to the extra bedroom. Not rent increases. Customer service at UC are adamant they are right. I am waiting for a case worker to contact me. I don't use a journal so it's all by phone. Like yourself, my mental health has been tested by this. You are not alone.

Azura

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1056689#Comment_1056689

It is so stressful., isn't it? To me, it's just common sense - the first statement was wrong and so the second one is also. I've explained it so many times in my journal (the people on the helpline were no help) but nobody seems to be understanding. Now it's been passed to a decision maker - which could take months. And I don't really hold out a lot of hope then either. If they had paid my spare bedroom on the first statement, like they were meant to - then my transitional protection wouldn't have gone down. I know it will go down in April, when rent increases - but it shouldn't until then.

I hope you get it sorted. I feel like giving up on it all, to be honest because I can't take the anxiety and panics. I was left alone on ESA (Support Group) but this migration has been one mistake after another. x

callyt7969

Just a quick update. I contacted UC after I posted to you and it seems I'm due a payment of the full amount deducted from the transitional protection and has been reinstated. It had gone to a decision maker and thankfully they must have realised the incompetence. Just to give you hope that it will get sorted eventually. It took from 15th July when I first contacted them after noticing my statement was wrong. Same as you, incompetent call center staff, saying it was correct. You will eventually get someone that knows what they're doing and correct it for you. Please stay strong x

Azura

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1056747#Comment_1056747

Oh I am so glad you got it sorted - what a relief. Gives me just a glimmer of hope then - as I had left so many messages and called so many times - and it was like I was speaking a different language, as nobody understood what I meant. I was getting so frustrated and upset. It makes you feel so isolated.

So pleased to hear the good news for you. x

callyt7969

I completely understand how you feel, it definitely makes you feel like you're going crazy. Please keep me updated on your progress. Carolyn x

Azura

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1056749#Comment_1056749

Thanks lovely x

Azura

Just updating. I got a message today with a letter on it saying -

One of the conditions for claiming Universal Credit following a change of circumstances isthat it is reported within a prescribed period.

You must tell us about your change ofcircumstances before the end of the assessment period in which the change occurred. You reported a change that happened on 07/06/2025. This declaration was made outsidethe assessment period in which the change happened.

The decision maker has reviewed the reasons for the delay in notifying us of the change. On this occasion it has been decided that special circumstances apply and your UniversalCredit will be adjusted from the date of change.

Changes to your Universal Credit entitlement will be shown in your monthly statement. If your circumstances change

You must tell Universal Credit straightaway if there is a change in your circumstances. If you give wrong or incomplete information or you do not report changes straightaway you may: be prosecuted, need to pay a financial penalty, have your Universal Credit payments reduced or stopped be paid too much money - you will have to pay back overpaid money when told to do so.

Now firstly I told them on 1st of June and also on 25th June about needing an extra bedroom. But they didn't send me the form until 7th July = when they are saying I told them about a change of circumstance. I wasn't telling them about a change - I was asking why they had reduced my transitional protection. So this letter is nothing about what it was meant to be. And they say it will be adjusted - does that mean they will give me my transitional protection again, or take it away - it's not clear.

Honestly I am so tired of all this and feel like giving up. I can't get to talk to anyone who knows what they're doing and I feel so frustrated.

Azura

And I just phoned the helpline and they just kept telling me that my transitional protection has gone down because my rent went up. I tried to keep telling them it hadn't - but they didn't seem to understand. I'm just going round in circles. They keep getting everything wrong and it's making me feel ill.

Kimi87

Have you spoken to an independent trained benefits advisor?

Link given 3 weeks ago.

Venetia

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1061381#Comment_1061381

I can highly recommend the CAB Help To Claim service. They can assist you in establishing if your award is correct and if necessary, facilitate a three way call between you, the DWP and the CAB. They can support you through a claim until your award is correct.

Azura

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1061459#Comment_1061459

Thank you Kimi. I did visit the link you gave me and got through to my local advice line - but they only gave me the Universal Credit Helpline.

Azura

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1061912#Comment_1061912

Thank you Venetia. I have phoned the CAB a couple of times but they told me they could only help with up to my first payment. So I phoned the "normal" CAB and they just gave me the Help To Claim number again - which, yet again, told me they could only help with up to my first payment. So I was just going round in circles.