universal credit review and i have gambling on bank statements

budz
budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

Hi I have received notification from universal credit that I have to send then 4 months bank statements for a review. I have £5000 savings so I am under the lower capital limit however for the past 4 years I have been gambling. I have for example on a few occasions lost £500 and won it back and paid it into my bank account via the post office counter services. my betting transactions are always in a William hill shop and i do not have online betting accounts or any other accounts. am I going to be in trouble from having lost and won on my statements. Please if someone can reply as i am at my wits end

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Comments

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,996 Championing

    Hi,

    They might question money paid back in as cash. But gambling itself is not a problem for UC so just be honest with them.

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    in my statement the gambling transactions were debited from my account to William hills for a total of £1300 but did not leave my account till three days later. I won nearly my money back £1100 and was paid in cash. I then deposited this money into the post office counter services and that was an instant transfer to my bank. The problem now looks like i deposited the money first. Is this going to be a problem ,I have submitted 4 months statements and wonder now will they want several years worth ?worried sick now as I await a phone call

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    …….or is it the case they will see my gambling transactions on my account and accept my story is correct by putting my cash back in as a cash transaction as the dates match up. stopped gambling now i have realised how much i was gambling but now overpowered by worrying until i get this phone call

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,996 Championing

    I don't think that'll be a problem at all. I would expect them to ask about it though.

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    thanks for the reply @OverlyAnxious

  • Mary_Scope
    Mary_Scope Posts: 2,493 Scope Online Community Children and Family Specialists

    Hi @budz and a warm welcome to the community form me!

    I see OverlyAnxious has already provided some great information and advice so I won't add anything else today but its lovely to have you here and I hope you enjoy your time on the community😁

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    I currently receive pip and universal credit, I get paid from the 9th to the 8th of each month.do I count this money as capital on the 8th or is that disregarded in the assessment periods

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,996 Championing

    Any unspent UC income only becomes savings at the end of the second assessment period. (So approximately 7 weeks after it was paid).

    PIP is the same, but more complicated because that's paid every 4 weeks, so doesn't match up perfectly with the UC assessment periods.

    If you're well under £6k total then I would just put the current bank account totals and forget about trying to calculate the income to deduct.

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    i am reading from other sites that universal credit are being advised not to disregard the universal credit on the assessment periods?

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    i am usually around £6000 at the end of each assessment and a few times i might be creeping into £6300.if that is the case am i still under with the disregards. i am just confused on other sites when they are stating that universal review officers are being advised not to disregard the universal credit money. i am on high pip and max universal credit due to the cancer.your advice is much appreciated

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,996 Championing

    Ah ok, being around £6000 does make it more difficult.

    In all honesty, while I know the calculations that need to be done, I just declare all of mine, as it's too much hassle to calculate the income deduction each time. (I am over £6k).

    I'm not sure why UC review officers are being advised not to deduct income as that is from the legislation, not just a choice they can make. Only thing I can think is that may some people are trying to deduct their whole UC payment after 3 weeks, once they've already spent a lot of that income. That would be a much easier calculation but it doesn't work like that unfortunately.

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    so if i had for example £6300 on the 8th then do i at least assume my pip takes me under the £6000 on my assessment on the 8th

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    Another big area of concern in relation to my first post about gambling. When I lost money through gambling £1300 and then won it back in the same day. Is that classed as deprivation of capital. This happened in the middle of my assessment period and I was just under £6000 on my last day of the assessment period. I have never been so freaked out in my whole life with this gambling addiction and cannot stop worrying.im now worried I lose my entitlement to universal credit. Can someone please advise

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 6,916 Championing

    I doubt very much gambling would be considered deprevation of capital.

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    i cannot stop worrying about this,i sorted out my gambling problem but this worrying is killing me.i thought they would say your gambling a lot of money regardless of winning it back and your depriving the system

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    is it classed as living extravagant or something....I gambled £1300 and won it back.. is this depriving universal credit. this happened in the middle of my assessment period and i was back at £6000 at the end of the assessment period .worried sick as i have a few heavy looking gambles on my statements and up for the uc review….all thoughts appreciated please

  • Passerby
    Passerby Online Community Member Posts: 878 Championing

    I wish you won a few millions to never ever worry about the DWP and their BS.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,996 Championing

    This is not Deprivation of Capital because you expected to win some back (I assume!).

    It would only be Deprivation of Capital if you were purposely betting on outcomes with extremely low odds in order to simply lose the money with no chance of winning.

    Regarding the earlier post, we can't really just assume your PIP income takes you under £6000 from £6300 as you might have already spent the PIP income by then. For example, if you got £500 of PIP, then spent £600 the next day, there is no longer any income to deduct, because you have already spent it. That is why the income calculation is so complicated.

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 11,031 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Gambling can be seen as deprivation of capital, but only if they see the spending as out of character. So if it's fairly regular and not done deliberately to reduce your savings, then there'd be no problem.

  • budz
    budz Online Community Member Posts: 32 Connected

    thanks to all that relied to my questions.

    Am I correct with the way capital is worked out. I am assessed from the 8th august to the 8th September and paid on the 15th of each month. I receive pip and universal credit. whatever money I have on the 8th September am i correct to then deduct my pip and universal credit as this is assessed on the next assessment period 8th October.therefore my balance in the bank minus the pip and universal credit is my capital or am i wrong in thinking this