UC bank statements upload

rbz

Anyone who has uploaded their bank statements through their online Universal Credit account, could you please share screenshots from your UC journal showing:

• the request from UC to upload bank statements, and
• where/how the statements can be attached or uploaded.

Please hide or blur all personal information before sharing.

I asked UC to provide me with an upload link, but they refused, saying that uploading bank statements is “not safe” or “not available,” and that there is a mandatory requirement to provide paper statements at the local UC office.

I would like to make a complaint and attach evidence showing that uploading bank statements online for UC purposes is available.

Thank you for your help.

Kimi87

UC control providing an upload link, they turn it on then off again. It would appear in a claimants To Do list.

Bank statements can be uploaded during the routine financial claim reviews.

For all other reasons, giving paper statements in person at a Jobcentre is the procedure.

rbz

@Kimi87 In my case, they refused to provide an upload link regardless of the reason they needed the bank statements.

I received several different explanations about why uploading bank statements was “not available”:

• that it is “not safe,”
• that upload links for bank statements do not exist at all,
• and later they said that providing paper statements to the local UC office is mandatory for everyone.

Their final response was that they could visit the claimant’s home and inspect the statements there if the claimant could not attend the local office in person.

Neither through an FOI request nor during the internal review were they able to provide any reason, policy, or law explaining why they refused to provide me with an upload link.

They even refused to accept a formal complaint regarding this matter.

They also redacted their journal messages where they had previously stated that document upload was “not safe” (fortunately, I still have copies of the original journal messages).

I am now preparing a complaint against the DWP to the Ombudsman.

OverlyAnxious

This is something that frustrates me as well.

So far I haven't been asked to provide statements. But I can't travel to a JC and I can't cope with any other person in my home.

When they do the reviews, the statements are uploaded electronically, as Kimi says. But when it's a capital check, they will only accept paper statements. It really doesn't make sense at all.

rbz

@OverlyAnxious They refused to provide an upload link regardless of whether it was a claim review or a capital check. They told me that uploads for bank statements were not available at all, which is clearly incorrect.

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1128177#Comment_1128177

Yes, I'm not disputing that. Most of the things the UC staff told me have been wrong as well. They certainly can't be trusted to provide accurate information.

But the main issue still remains that they seem completely unable to provide the link for anything other than reviews which is the part that really doesn't make sense to me.

rbz

@OverlyAnxious I am no longer willing to accept inappropriate handling by DWP. Any unclear step or request from their side will result in a formal complaint from me.

They have already stopped asking questions such as how much money is in my private pension account, as they were unable to provide a proper legal basis for requesting this information. On one occasion, a staff member simply said, “I want to see it.”

They were provided with the name of my pension provider, which is regulated in the UK and can easily be verified independently. However, the exact amount held in my pension is not their concern.

There have also been several other minor issues.

As a result, I will not engage with unnecessary questions or attend voluntary appointments that I have not agreed to.

I am currently dealing with the issue of bank statement uploads.

I also find myself wondering why some people allow this kind of treatment from DWP without challenging it or protecting themselves. It is strange to read that some claimants report aggressive or inconsistent tactics, including situations where claims are threatened with closure over minor issues, such as not remembering where £1 was spent.

In my view, this kind of approach is unacceptable

OverlyAnxious

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1128204#Comment_1128204

I wish you all the best with it.

The reason some/most don't challenge the UC staff is because we've already got enough to deal with, and can't manage any additional stress. I've given up trying to get the staff to learn correct procedure. Now just do what I believe is correct from my own research and leave it at that. If they decide I've done something wrong in future then I will have to cross that bridge at the time.