For many customers experiencing financial difficulty at this time, making a claim for financial support through this period has been a necessity. Therefore, we want to make the process of understanding your claim easier, especially if you have not claimed a benefit previously.
Now that you have submitted your claim, and verified your identification, either online, or via contact with the DWP Universal Credit Service Centre, you will be asked to log-in at certain intervals, where further information may be required.
By maintaining regular access to your Universal Credit account will ensure you keep all information up to date, when required, complete any pending tasks, and check for any journal messages from work coaches or the service centre team.
By following these instructions will ensure that your claim is paid on time
Now that your claim is submitted, you will enter what is called a ‘Monthly Assessment Period’.
Your MAP will remain the same for each period, so for example, if you have made your claim on 23rd March, your Universal Credit will be assessed on 22nd April, then 22nd May, 22nd June, and so on.
Your first payment should be one calendar month and 7 days after the date your claim was submitted.
The amount of your first Universal Credit payment is based on your circumstances at the end of your first MAP.
Therefore, using our date example above, your claim will be assessed on 22nd April, and your first payment will be on 29th April.
At least 4 days prior to your first payment, you will be notified of your expected sum, and this will be displayed as an award summary, which is accessible on your Universal Credit account dashboard, under ‘Payments’.
When you can access your payment summary prior to receiving your first amount. Your award summary will consist of the following information:
The first part of your award breakdown will detail what your maximum Universal Credit entitlement is (note – this is not necessarily how much you will receive).
Your maximum Universal Credit is based on the details you had declared when submitting your claim.
For example, Your details as the claimant, your partner (if applicable), number of children within household, any other household members (non-dependants).
Then the Housing Costs you declared when submitting your claim will follow.
Please ensure this information is correct. The figure that will be detailed first is how your weekly rent is translated into a monthly sum. However, please note, your summary will advise that you have declared 4 rent free weeks, and will therefore, calculate the correct figure.
Here is an example of how it would read if your rent was £100 per week:-
“You said your rent is £433.33 per month.
You have 4 rent-free weeks a year, so for our calculations we adjust your rent to £400.00
You will have to pay your housing to your landlord.”
Note – as mentioned, you will have to pay this to your Landlord once you have been paid Universal Credit.
Look out for deductions that may occur within your Housing Costs, such as a 14% or 25% reduction, if you under occupy by one or two bedrooms. Another deduction that may apply is a ‘Non-dependant Deduction’, especially if you have second adults resident, ie. A son or daughter, who is over 21, and currently in work, receiving benefits etc.
IMPORTANT – If you find that your rent calculation is only 50% of your declared figure, and you are part of a joint tenancy, but the joint tenant is not resident, please notify the Universal Credit team with a message through your journal.
If you have declared that you are a carer, or have disabled children, maybe a limited capability for work, these additional entitlements will follow your confirmed Housing Cost Element.
Your total entitlement before deductions will be displayed at the end of this section
The next section will detail what deductions need to be taken off this total entitlement.
This will include any additional benefits you may already be receiving, or other income, for example, Statutory Sick Pay, Earnings, Contribution Based Benefits (i.e. Jobseekers or Employment & Support Allowance).
There will also be a list of deductions for some debts, these will include repayment for any Advance UC Loan taken at the start of your claim, or deductions for benefit overpayments, plus historic budgeting/social fund loans.
(If you encounter any difficulty with your budgeting as a result of such deductions, a number will be listed in this section to contact the ‘Debt Management Team’)
The final figure you will see will then be ‘Your total payment for this month is…’
This will be the sum that should be paid into your bank account.
Once you have received your Universal Credit payment, you must contact the rents team to make a payment over the phone. When you ring 0333 3212 200, select option 2 for rents, then follow the options for Bridgnorth and Oswestry (depending on your location).
Once you have made your payment, you can set up a direct debit with the rents team. We can set up your payment in line with when you receive your Universal Credit.
We hope that you do not encounter any problems with the claim process, and our team are on hand to provide as much of an explanation to queries you may have concerning your benefit claims.
