My first UC payment

miracleboy

Hi

I get my first UC payment next Friday £410 a month. When do I get the transition payment on top as I move from ESA IR Support Group. Also it says because I am still claiming ESA that is what they can pay me. I am confused as I have bills to pay out of that, etc.

Your help and advice is always truly appreciated. Can you please explain here rather than directing me to other posts as I get lost that way.

Thank You

Kimi87

Your income is now both New Style ESA and Universal Credit.

As advised previously as well as UC you will be getting New Style ESA payments every fortnight of £281.10.

So once a month you will get UC, and once a fortnight you will get New Style ESA.

Because you get both, the NS ESA is deducted from your UC award.

So while the UC might not be as much as you expected, it's the same money just paid from different sources.

Example UC LCWRA + Standard Allowance is £823.41.

(LCWRA is the UC equivalent of ESA Support Group).

You would get monthly £214.36 UC + £609.05 NS ESA.

Instead of £823.41 UC.

What is listed on your payment statement, before deductions?

£196 seems low for rent so I'm wondering if that amount is your Transitional Protection.

miracleboy

Thank you for your kind reply. I will get back later on this. It doesn't add up to what I was getting before about £880 a month can't remember exact amount. So wonder if the £281.10 I got on Thursday was NS ESA then they got to put transition on top of the UC. My rent is £111 a week I pay about £30 a week

they pay about 337 a month.

Kimi87

You'll need to look at the different UC elements listed on your payment statement, at the top before any deductions.

It's not that unusual for something to be missing on the first statement.

I've even seem some here on the forum where the ESA deduction is being correctly made, but they missed off LCWRA element!

miracleboy

Kimi87

before deductions £1,395.51

said my first payment be £400 but I got £410 today my first payment. They are paying £337 to rent bit odd as they paid £23 on 20th August, I rang housing and they expecting payment of £337 to go in later.

where is my transition payment also it does not mention ESA £281 fortnight on my statement

Kimi87

The ESA should be listed as a £609.05 deduction. I'd expect that to be on there as your opening post said

Also it says because I am still claiming ESA that is what they can pay me. 

It sounds like LCWRA element (£423.27) is missing from your statement.

Add a Journal note (using the payment option) highlighting this.

Once this has been sorted out, a letter will be added to your Journal stating the amount owed due to underpayment. The money will then be paid within a few working days. A new version of your statement will also be added.

What amount of ESA were you receiving prior to migration?

Not everyone qualifies for Transitional Protection as some are better off on UC.

miracleboy

I was receiving roughly about £480 ESA Support Group a fortnight. I have left a message in my journal two weeks ago but no reply.

miracleboy

Hi Kimi87

I have copied and pasted my statement there is no important details such as national insurance number etc

What you're entitled to

Standard allowance

£400.14

You get a standard amount each month. You said you're single

Housing

£335.37

Need help understanding your housing?

You said per month the total rent for your property is £484.42.

You have 4 rent free weeks a year. This means per month we will adjust your rent to £447.16.

We can pay your landlord £335.37 towards your housing. We cannot pay the full amount as:

based on your household, we have decided you have 2 spare bedrooms

-£111.79

Limited capability for work and work-related activity

£423.27

You said your health affects you at work or prevents you from working

Transitional protection

£236.73

You get this because of other benefits you were on before you moved to Universal Credit.

The payment will continue until you have a significant change of circumstances.

Total entitlement before deductions

£1,395.51

What we take off (deductions)

Other benefits

We take money off your payment

As this is an average of other benefits that you're continuing to claim

Employment and Support Allowanceminus‑ £609.05

Money, savings and investments

minus‑ £0.00

We have taken £0.00 off your Universal Credit payment because you have money, savings and investments of £1.28.

You must tell us if this changes so that we can pay you the correct amount on time.

The first £6,000 of your money, savings and investments does not affect your payment. If you have over £6,000 up to £16,000, every £250 reduces your Universal Credit by £4.35. For any remaining amount that is not a complete £250, a further £4.35 is also deducted.

Advance Payments

minus‑ £40.87

Need help understanding advance repayments?

We take £40.87 off your payment to pay back your advances.

Check what advances you've had and what you owe.

Payment to your landlord

minus‑ £335.37

We currently pay this to your landlord towards your rent.

!WarningThis payment will not cover all of your housing costs.

Total deductions

minus‑ £985.29

Your total payment for this month is

£410.22

Kimi87

Thank you.

Everything looks correct, you've got Standard Allowance, Housing, LCWRA and Transitional Protection.

I think you are confused because you expected to be only getting UC and so think your UC payment is too low, but you need to think of your income now as UC + New Style ESA.

So excluding rent and the Advance deduction for simplicity, your income is now £451.09 UC + £609.05 NS ESA a month.

Equals £1060.14 a month.

The monthly equivalent of your previous ESA was £1060.15.

To convert a weekly benefit into a monthly you multiply the weekly amount by 52 then divide by 12.

(£244.65 x 52 /12)

I've given several other people the exact same guidance, so you aren't alone in your confusion 😊

miracleboy

I thought I was getting £281 a fortnight ESA don’t know about getting the ESA £609.05. Or will it adjust on next payment though I thought they deducted the 609 amount

Thank you for your help truly appreciated.

Kimi87

UC is paid monthly. ESA is paid weekly at £140.55. There are 4.3 weeks in a month. The deduction is for a month's NS ESA.

So if you follow the formula above to convert a weekly benefit into a monthly:

£140.55 x 52 / 12 =£609.05

The NS ESA deduction will always be for £609.05. It doesn't matter if in that month an individual claimant has had two or three NS ESA payments.

miracleboy

They don’t half complicate things, lol. So does this mean I am better off?

miracleboy

They don’t half complicate things, lol. So does this mean I am better off?

Kimi87

You are on the same money as per my breakdown at 9:12pm, well there is 1p difference.

The Transitional Protection will erode over time as other elements go up or new elements are added.

Effectively your payment is frozen until the rates for those not getting TP catch up.

Turn2Us has a great guide on TP.

https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/information-for-your-situation/universal-credit-uc-transitional-protection/what-is-universal-credit-uc-transitional-protection