Better off on UC! Or perhaps not…....

Claimants moved house within the same LA area. They were on IRESA (one partner is carer for the other so neither can work)

DWP told them to move to UC as they would be ‘better off’.

DWP has since tried to justify it to me that the claimants moved towns so UC was the right thing – but it was still within the same LA area, so there should not have been any need to claim UC.

Technically, they are 50p a week or so better off on UC: however…..

1/ the 5-week delay necessitated an advance payment, which is being recovered at over £80 a month
2/ the migration appears to have caused a Tax Credit overpayment which is being recovered at £25 a month
3/ also being recovered are old Social Fund debts at nearly £90 a month

Two out of three of these debts need never have occurred, and the third appears either to have popped up out of nowhere, or it was previously being recovered at a far lower rate.

Clients say they are suffering financial hardship and they wish they had never changed benefits.

Complaints to DWP and requests to reduce deductions, explain the advice to move to UC, etc etc, are ongoing.