Universal Credit

[Coppit]

I've tried to understand why people have to wait 5 weeks for benefits. Does this apply only to new claimants? If a person is already in receipt of benefits and is transferred to UC with a wait, what happens to the money they would normally have received?

[murraymints]

the claim date is continuous so once the award is made it covers the whole period

[fiction-factory]

It does seem a long time and I don't know why that figure was decided upon. But most jobs I have had I've had to wait until the end of the month to get paid so it's not far out of line.

[Coppit]

Thanks for responses, but neither answer the root of my question. If a person is already on benefits do they, or why do they, stop for up to 5 weeks?

[Spicerack]

In a way, yes. You'll be paid up to the date you signed for UC and then start afresh as it were. You can borrow as much as you like from your first payment and pay it back over 12 months.

[AuntPollyGrey]

Because benefits are paid in arrears like wages. If you stopped getting Benefits on March 1 and had to apply for Universal credit then your claim would be dated from March 1 and paid monthly in arrears -like wages. If I stopped work on March 1, I would get any wages owned to me up until that date. If I started my new job on March 2nd I would have to wait until the end of the month to get paid.