Hi, my name is ELloyd022! Universal Credit Review Anxiety

ELloyd022

Hi guys, Im just looking for some help at the moment.

I have just been contacted out of the blue by the DWP for a UC review. I am a Carer on the Carers element and also down as Self employed, but haven't earn't anything in ages due to caring duties taking up all my time (Has always been over 35hrs a week). I don't have any savings, but recently recieved £5000 inheritance a couple of weeks ago, which I declared and got a message back saying that it won't affect my claim. I've tranferred £790 of that to my Mum, who I care for, so that she could buy an Electric Wheelchair. She is on the lower rate of PIP and put in for a review to see if she could get the higher rate of mobility, but that got scrapped as soon as she reached retirement age, so she was unable to get one on motability. I have also made several payments for hobbies (Model making, hiking and camping stuff(Getting a few things that i've been looking at for ages).

I have anxiety as well as some physical health conditions myself, and this sort of hit me for six as I haven't heard anything from them since 2022 apart from the monthly self employment reporting. At the time that I last spoke to them, they had said that as I am caring for someone, they wouldn't bother me again.

I am just wondering if I need to worry about anything or if this is just a standard thing at the moment, and would they care about the wheelchair or my other spending.

Thank you,

Evan

Kimi87

It's a standard review, they are looking at millions of claims.

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/125931/universal-credit-bank-reviews-frequently-asked-questions

If the 5k took you close to £6k, and you then gave away £790, it might raise questions.

ELloyd022

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1056247#Comment_1056247

Hi Kim, thanks for the comment. I had already spent some money before transferring the money, only reason I did it was because she doesn't have enough money or savings to buy a wheelchair herself, but she will be paying me back some of the money because I originally earmarked about 500, it was just that we couldn't find anything suitable, that could also go up a 12 degree slope, as she can't walk very far and lives at the bottom and of a hill. It was just to help her have some independence, also as I have my own physical health issues, it's so that I don't risk injury.

Kimi87

As it seems you did skirt around the £6k mark then they might ask some questions to satisfy themselves it wasn't deliberate deprevation of capital.

Just be honest with them.

ELloyd022

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1056274#Comment_1056274

That's no problem, rest of my spending was just getting some hobby and hiking/camping stuff. Mainly because of trying to find stuff to occupy myself and help my own physical and mental health when I have time to myself, but I will explain to them if they question that spending that I haven't gone and blown it on expensive stuff and I do budget things out. The inheritance came out the blue anyway, because my grandad had struck me and my mum off after a set of incidents when I was a baby, that meant we had to move a couple of times (complex situation but long story short, he was a bit of a nasty bloke), but the executor thought it was wrong so asked me if I wanted £5000 moreso as compensation, because my mum gave up hers due to those incidents so didn't receive anything.