Forum Home → Discussion → Universal credit administration → Thread
UC, self employment and hours
Hi All,
Don’t know whether you can help. But I am working with a client who is registered SSI (Blind) and has been self employed for some time and we are just trying to establish the earnings rules.
I have tried to explore minimum income floor for her and have read info in DRH and CPAG but just want clarification.
Cl has never been or certainly not recently a WCA. So if this is the case does this mean her income floor is 35 hours x national minimum wage? Can she only be classed as meeting the work focused interview rules (LCW), so would mean floor is 16 times national minimum wage, if she has been WCA assessed?
Thanks in advance
Amanda
As far as I’m aware there is no MIF for those with LCW, but only if you have LCW.
Happy to be corrected?
I asked a similar-ish question here: https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/forums/viewthread/13568/
So the legislation supports that the MIF can be reduced so that is it ‘reasonable’ in light of the health issues.
Also under UC, claimants can continue to receive LCWRA regardless of earnings as long as they get a qualifying benefit so that may be something worth considering for your client, although I would agree with you that her starting position on paper is that she is in the all work related activity group.
Hope that makes sense.
The MIF is decided (reg 62 of the UC Regs) using the claimant’s individual threshold (reg 90) which is decided according to the expected hours (reg 88).
Expected hours can take into account physical and mental impairments so MIF can be adjusted on this basis. So if your client’s expected hours would only be 20 due to his disability then the MIF would be monthly equivalent of 20 x minimum wage per week. But it all needs negotiating…
That’s my understanding anyway…