Recently migrated to UC, now worse off and full council tax
hi
I need some help.
I decently migrated over to UC.
I was on income based ESA. Doing permitted work ten hours per week.
I took an advance on UC which I pay back at £34 a month. They deduct £38.20 per month for earnings.
I am now getting UC & contribution based ESA.
Now I am being hit for full council tax. Despite having a rebate In place prior to migrating.
I work between 7&10 hours per week.
I did a turn to us benefit calculator, says I am entitled to council tax rebate based on earnings, UC and income.
But council willing to pay £3.45 per week instead of £16.88 and now been hit with £959 bill to pay. I haven’t had any UC. They are including my rent as income taking me over the £16,000 bracket for earnings when I dont earn that at all.
Between benefits and work I earn between 12k and 14k over 12 months. It says you can be entitled to full help up to £16k yearly income. I don’t earn that. So why are the council saying because I get the rent paid for me on my property that that comes in to their calculation as my earnings as UC paid it to me after stating I didn’t want them too? So now it’s messed up my council tax rebate.
I am NOW WORSE off I get £588.47 per month instead of £646.20 per month on income related ESA. And being hit with £11.67 per fortnight bill plus £83.90 council tax monthly on top.
After everything is paid I have £64 per month so how can I pay £83.90 from that?
Is anyone able to help me? I’ve re applied for council tax benefit to see if I can sort it, I’ve left messages about the amount ESA has said I receive which is wrong, they say I get £609.35 I don’t. They have included the rent payment as earned income to fife council.
It says on turn to us under the old rules when switching over I can earn £874 but UC say it’s £411.
why has this messed up so badly and made me worse off?
Comments
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- I work between 7& 10 hours per week.. typo **
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Unfortunately Council Tax Reduction is decided on at a local level, each area has different rules and some areas treat UC differently to legacy benefits, leaving people with a bigger liability towards their bill.
Because the rules are different according to area it's really hard to advise on individual cases from here.
Hopefully your repeat application has a better outcome.
The deduction for ESA is correct.
ESA is a weekly benefit, UC monthly and there are 4.3 weeks in a month.
To convert a weekly benefit to monthly you multiply the weekly amount by 52 then divide by 12.
£140.55 x 52 = £7308.60
/12 = £609.05.
The work allowance under UC is £411 as you get Housing Element.
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time will tell. But the truth to us calculator then is giving false information surely… as it says completely different amount and ESA said I was paid £609.35 between 4 weeks. I recieved £307.23 and £281.10 in the last 4 weeks. That’s not £609.35.
I was assured I wouldn’t lose my council tax reduction at all before I migrated over as I double checked before my extensions ran out now it’s all a mess. And it’s stressing me out… and UC have ignored all messages over 4 days.
council say contact uc , uc says contact council, housing saying the same. I’m being passed around and not helped in the slightest. I am stressed over this I cannot afford a big council tax bill… and no one seems to help or know anything it’s just pass the buck0 -
Benefit calculators have limits as they are only as good as the information you put into them.
The £307.23 will be inclusive of your final IR ESA payment. Known as the run on payment it's not always for the full amount, depending on where you were in your ESA payment cycle when you applied for UC. This payment also doesn't impact your first UC payment.
£281.10 is what you will get each fortnight now for New Style ESA and the deduction is correct as I advised.
Have you tried a local welfare rights organisation?
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I done the turn to us calculator. It says I’m entitled to full council tax benefit. Full rent benefit and my way minus the £38.20 on uc and the £34 advance payment. And that I am entitled to £588.47 plus £148.31 per month UC.
I applied for UC and not Contribution based ESA. As UC is £400.16 and £424.36 for people who were on ESA income based support group.
I get no transitional protection and was assured I’d be financially better off on UC and not worse off but it appears I’m far worse off and I am really not even fit to be working even part time at the moment but have no choice due to ever increasing costs of bills.
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might have to try and see if I can go to citizens advice and actually get some help
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If your UC award before deductions matches your legacy benefits then Transitional Protection won't apply.
This calculation excludes Council Tax Reduction because that is separate from Universal Credit.
Your previous ESA award will have been both Income Related and Contributions Based, upon migration the IR is replaced by UC and the CB converts automatically into New Style ESA.
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The transitional protection is £0 I get less money on new style esa than I did beforehand with no transitional protection. And I found this also…
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Transitional Protection applies to Universal Credit only if your UC award (before any deductions) is lower than legacy benefits you get TP. Not everyone qualifies.
As I explained your previous ESA award was both Income Related and Contributions Based.
The Income Related gets replaced by UC, the Contributions Based converts automatically into New Style ESA.
So your benefit income is now New Style ESA topped up by Universal Credit.
I'm not sure what your question is with the screenshots?
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when I do the calculator it says different things.
it says different amounts of benefits, it says different amounts of what you can earn.
it says I am entitled to full council tax rebate.
this whole thing is so stressful…
one thing says something then another says completely different I’m so confused.I don’t another benefits calculator this is what it says
I’m not sure why the council are saying I’m not entitled to help. I done the calculation based on income from both esa and uc and my wage. And it says I’m still entitled to full council tax reduction due to being on new style esa and in the support group.0 -
Hopefully your repeat CTR application brings more clarity, and/or local welfare rights can help.
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