I am currently having trouble with Universal Credit in the fact that despite my having a doctor's note they are refusing to accept that I have limited capacity for work.
I am also self-employed and wasn't able to make a profit during my first year due to the pandemic and the lack of availible client work in my previous home, so I moved to Surrey and was able to find a client. My work coach is insisting that I declare myself unemployed due to not making a profit in the last month (my client isn't due to pay me until the end of this month). I can't in my right mind declare myself unemployed when I am currently undertaking self-employed work as I would be lying to the DWP.
Further to this, my work coach is kicking up a fuss that my fit note states that I am not able to work, when I am taking on a single client for my self-employed work. I tried to get the doctor to state limited capacity for work to avoid this but they did not listen. I do not think it is fair to be punished for working when I am able to.
To make matters worse, they owe me £550 in backpayments due to an issue with their forms when I was reporting a change of house. Long story short, I made it clear that the full rent was £1000 and that I am living with a housemate, but because I didn't type £500 somewhere they didn't pay my housing element for that month and worked out the previous month based on the rent of my last house that I was no longer living at. They accepted the evidence I provided but don't seem to be doing anything in terms of getting the backpayment to me which has caused me to get into debt with my bank.
I have been advised on the phone to leave a message on my UC Journal and I will quote what I said below:
'I am being asked to declare myself unemployed, which is not the case. I am currently taking on work from a regular client and am due to be paid at the end of the month. To declare myself unemployed will be a lie. It is true that currently I am not gainfully self-employed, however, I moved to Surrey to fix this issue and with the regular £600 I am due to recieve this should soon not be the case. I am not currently gainfully self-employed as I haven't recieved my first payment from the client, however, I am self-employed.
I was advised on the phone that I was right in declaring the expenses during the month in which I had to pay them, as just because I haven't recieved payment for my work as of yet does not negate the fact that I have had to spend money to complete the work.
In regards to my fit-note, my doctor has advised me that on account of my issues, I am not fit for work. I am trying, however, to do what work I can when I am able to do it. It should not be a case of 'I am either able to work full time or not at all' as this is not how my illness works. When I am able to work, I am making the effort to do so and I should not recieve backlash for doing this.
I am working on getting to a state where my illness does not affect my ability to work full time, however, the treatment I have recieved from the jobcentre has had a detrimental effect on this. A department designed to get me into work should not be getting in the way of my ability to do so.
I would like to be switched to a different work coach for the sake of my mental health, as I would like it to improve and not get worse which is happening as a result of today's appointment.
My deadline for the work I am doing for my client is tomorrow, and instead of working on it, I am having to deal with this situation and the increasing anxiety brought on by it. If I do not complete the work, I don't get paid. If I don't get paid, I have an increased reliance on Universal Credit. I would have assumed it would be in the interest of the DWP that my reliance on Universal Credit be reduced not left to stagnate.
Further to all this, I am still owed £500 from May's UC payment and £50 from Aprils and I am currently in debt as a result of this. Can I please recieve an update on when this will be sorted.'
I am very heavilly considering looking into bringing up an indirect discrimination case against the DWP, as I feel my treatment has been extremely unfair.
Can anyone advise me on anything else I can do to sort this mess out?
Thanks in advance.
