What's the most I can earn in hourly rate on PIP and UC?

SheffieldMan1976
SheffieldMan1976 Posts: 279 Connected
in Work

Above.

I know the current minimum wage is about £12 an hour, but in order for it to be worth working I need at least £15 an hour, would I get sanctioned for working 16 hours a week on £15 an hour which comes to £240 a week?

Comments

  • SwiftFox
    SwiftFox Posts: 497 Empowering

    £240 plus benefits is more than someone who isn't claiming,a bit much really. Just wondering but didn't you say you can't get a job even doing voluntary?

  • SheffieldMan1976
    SheffieldMan1976 Posts: 279 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1107475#Comment_1107475

    I'm working on that, I had a very productive meeting with Autism Plus yesterday.

    And in 2 weeks I'll have another one.

  • baller
    baller Posts: 20 Connected

    what do you mean 'in order for it to be worth working' you cant expect to walk into entry level job at way above minimum wage with zero work experience lol

    if you work even on minimum wage youd get more money

  • luvpink
    luvpink Online Community Member Posts: 3,611 Championing

    I don't really know much about universal credit but pip isn't means tested so surely what you may earn is irrelevant.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 5,731 Championing
    edited March 8

    UC LCWRA works completely differently to the old ESA. There is no hourly rate maximum. And there is no hours limit either. You can work as many hours as you like.

    You have a Work Allowance of £427 per month if you receive housing costs. (Or £710 a month if you do not receive housing costs.) If you earn any more than the Work Allowance in one month, then you do not get sanctioned, but there will be a deduction made to your UC. The deduction only applies to the extra amount over the work allowance. And that deduction is 55p per £1.

    So for example, if you have the work allowance of £427, but earn £1080 in one one month, there would be a deduction of £360 from your UC. But you have earnt £1080, plus the rest of your UC, so you are still much better off than on UC alone.

    If you want to work on LCWRA and not get any deduction at all, then your monthly total income must be below the Work Allowance threshold. (£427 with Housing Costs, £710 without Housing costs).

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 14,295 Online Community Programme Lead
    edited March 8

    Hello @SheffieldMan1976.

    On UC, if you get help with housing costs, from April you can earn £427 a month before any deductions are made from your UC.

    If you don’t get help with housing costs, from April you can earn £710 a month before any deductions are made.

    After that, your UC is reduced by 55p for every £1 you earn. This means your total income will still be higher when you work.

    As others have said, PIP is not means-tested, so your wages or other income do not affect your PIP.

  • SheffieldMan1976
    SheffieldMan1976 Posts: 279 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1107546#Comment_1107546

    I HAVE work experience, over 30 years' worth, it's just that for various reasons I haven't worked for about 2 and half years since September 2023.

  • Wibbles
    Wibbles Online Community Member Posts: 3,294 Championing
    edited March 8

    Purely out of interest - does that £710 include (ill health) pension payments or is it only "earned" income ?

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 8,424 Championing

    It only refers to money earned from working.

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 14,295 Online Community Programme Lead
    edited March 8

    Hi @Wibbles, the wage allowance is only for earnings (employed or self-employed). Pension payments are deducted £ for £.

    @OverlyAnxious, sorry I must have been writing my reply as you posted, I didn’t mean to repeat you. I’ve updated my comment to reflect the 2026-2027 increase too, good shout, thanks.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 5,731 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1107672#Comment_1107672

    No problem at all. Some days it feels like we're tripping over each others toes, other days posters have to wait hours for a reply.

    It is a bit annoying that there isn't a feature on here to show when someone else has posted while we're typing out a reply, but I understand that's another limitation of the current platform so nothing can be done about it.

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