Full list of reasons your Universal Credit payments could be cut – and how to avoid it

HOUSEHOLDS should beryllium alert of each the reasons wherefore their Universal Credit payments could beryllium cut.

Universal Credit is simply a authorities payment which you tin assertion if you are retired of enactment oregon connected a debased income.

It is paid monthly - oregon doubly a month, for immoderate radical surviving successful Scotland - and however overmuch you person depends connected your circumstances.

For example, if you are azygous and nether 25, the maximum magnitude you tin get is £311.68. But this increases to £393.45 erstwhile you crook 25.

If you unrecorded with your spouse and you’re some nether 25, you volition person £489.23 successful total, but this increases to £617.6 erstwhile you are aged 25 and over.

If you assertion the benefit, past it is worthy keeping successful caput that your payments tin beryllium chopped - for example, you commencement earning much money oregon you fail to wage kid maintenance.

We person compiled the afloat database of reasons wherefore your Universal Credit could beryllium cut, which you tin cheque below.

You’ve been overpaid

You tin sometimes beryllium overpaid successful benefits if the office made a mistake oregon you did not cognize you had to archer them astir a alteration successful circumstances.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) tin look to get this wealth backmost done dedecuting the sum from your monthly payment payment.

If you person been told that you were overpaid a payment but you are not definite wether this is close you should interaction your section citizens proposal office.

You tin find your nearest by visiting the Citizens Advice website.

If you person been accused of payment fraud you tin besides inquire an advisor astatine the organisation for guidance.

The Sun precocious revealed that a fig of radical had been asked to wage backmost overpayments for benefits by mistake, erstwhile they did not really beryllium the money.

So, it's worthy treble checking oregon asking for a reappraisal if you are not sure.

You are paying backmost an beforehand connected a Universal Credit payment

Money tin beryllium taken from your benefits outgo if you person got an beforehand successful the past.

You tin inquire for an beforehand connected your Universal Credit outgo if you are waiting for your archetypal outgo to travel successful oregon you expect your Universal Credit payments to increase.

The DWP volition deduct these payments from your beforehand until you person afloat paid it back.

You bash not person to wage involvement connected the advance.

You person much than £6,000 successful savings and investments

If you person implicit £6,000 successful savings and investments, your outgo volition beryllium reduced by £4.35 for each £250 you person betwixt £6,000 and £16,000.

Another £4.35 is taken disconnected for immoderate remaining magnitude that is not a implicit £250.

You'll usually nary longer beryllium capable to get Universal Credit if you person much than £16,000 successful currency spare.

If you person much than £16,000, you mightiness beryllium inactive beryllium capable to assertion if you if you got tax credits and you had a missive from the DWP telling you to assertion Universal Credit instead.

This is known arsenic managed migration.

You tin work much astir the whether oregon not this impacts you here.

You beryllium wealth for Council Tax, tribunal fines, electricity, gas, h2o oregon Child Maintenance

Organisations you beryllium wealth to tin inquire the DWP to deduct wealth from your benefits to wage backmost the debt.

A fixed magnitude is deducted from your benefits until you’ve paid disconnected the indebtedness you owe. Money tin beryllium deducted to wage disconnected up to 3 debts astatine once.

You volition beryllium told however overmuch wealth is being decuted by missive oregon successful your Universal Credit journal.

You person a paid job

The DWP volition deduct wealth from your benefits if you commencement working.

For each £1 you gain from working, your Universal Credit outgo goes down by 55p.

However, you tin gain a definite magnitude earlier your payments are stopped if you oregon your spouse are looking aft a kid oregon either of your person a disability.

If you get assistance with lodging costs, your outgo volition commencement to trim erstwhile your monthly wages scope £404.

If you bash not get assistance with lodging costs, your outgo volition commencement to trim erstwhile your monthly wages scope £673.

You would get supra the payment headdress

The payment headdress is the full magnitude of benefits a household tin receive.

It applies to radical aged 16 and supra who are not yet of State Pension age.

If you’re successful a mates the headdress is acceptable astatine £1,835 a period oregon £423.46 a week.

If you are azygous the headdress is acceptable astatine £1,299.42 a period oregon £283.71 a week.

If you person much than the payment headdress than payments are dedecuted from your Universal Credit and Houseing Benefit payments.

You should interaction the DWP if you are impacted by the cap, and besides scope retired to your section assembly to spot if they tin connection other assistance.

What to bash if your outgo has been deducted?

You tin quality dedecutions from your Universal Credit payments. This is cognize arsenic mandatory reconsideration.

You tin inquire for mandatory reconsideration if immoderate of the pursuing apply:

• You deliberation the bureau dealing with your assertion has made an mistake oregon missed important evidence
• You disagree with the reasons for the decision
• You privation to person the determination looked astatine again

It is escaped to bash this, but you usually request to inquire for the reconsideration wrong 1 period of the day of the decision.

You tin inquire for it aft 1 period if you person a bully reason, for illustration if you’ve been successful infirmary oregon had a caller bereavement.

It ever worthy utilizing a benefits calucator if you foretell your circumstances volition change.

This volition let you to fund for the aboriginal and besides springiness you a heads up connected wether oregon not you should talk to your assembly to inquire for advice.

There are a fig of payment calcutors online connected foundation websites specified arsenic Turn2us, Policy successful Practice and Entitledto.

You tin besides sojourn your section Citzens Advice for immoderate questions astir however overmuch you benefits you are owed.