Latest news with #DepartmentofWorkandPensions
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
DWP June payments update: When to expect your benefits cash
Some DWP benefits are changing in June The exact date your benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions, DWP, are paid in June should be relatively the same as the date you first claimed your benefit. This is due to the lack of any bank holidays that could disrupt payment dates. Attendance allowance, disability living allowance, pension credit and personal independence payment (PIP) are paid every four weeks based on the date you received your first payment. Carer's Allowance and child benefit payments can be distributed either weekly or every four weeks, depending on your preference. If your usual payment date falls on a weekend, your benefit will be paid on the nearest working day prior. For instance, if your PIP is due on June 15, a Sunday, it should be paid on June 13, the preceding Friday. State pension payments, which can be made either weekly or every four weeks depending on your preference, operate slightly differently. The date you're paid is linked to your National Insurance number. If your National Insurance number ends in 00 to 019, you'll receive payment on Mondays. If it's 20 to 39, you'll be paid on Tuesdays. If it's 40 to 59, you'll receive payment on Wednesdays. If it's 60 to 79, you'll be paid on Thursdays. And if it's 80 to 99, you'll receive payment on Fridays. Most benefit payments and dates are settling after the bank holidays and rate increases of the past two months. However, some Universal Credit recipients will notice a significant change in their next payment. This is due to the 1.7% increase that was implemented on April 7. The delay in this rise is attributed to the way this specific benefit works. Each time you receive Universal Credit, the amount is based on the last four-week-long assessment period. It's typically paid seven days after the assessment period ends. Your rate only includes the annual April increase when you've had one full assessment period after the rise. For instance, if you received a Universal Credit payment on April 1, your assessment period was partially on the old rates. Therefore, your payment on May 1 wouldn't have included the rise. But your next assessment period, from April 24 to May 24, would include the 1.7% increase, making your June payment higher. The DWP has previously confirmed that backpay will be awarded for this delayed increase. If your benefit payment hasn't been paid when you believe it was due, it's best to first check your original award notice. This will have the payment dates listed, and if you are missing a payment you can then check with your bank to see if it's perhaps still waiting to go through. If the payment is nowhere to be found, you should contact the benefit or pension office that deals with your payments. For instance, you can use your online Universal Credit account, the PIP enquiry line or HMRC helpline depending on what type of payment you're waiting for.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- General
- The Irish Sun
I took DWP to court and won over tax on extra bedroom in our detached council house – now I have more benefits than EVER
'SEE you in court!' I say, voice raised, as I slam the phone down on the call handler. It was my third call to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) about the absurd bedroom tax we were facing and nothing had changed, so this time I was taking legal action. 5 Erica Crompton was sick of forking out an additional £94 a month in bedroom tax Credit: Supplied 5 She says that the two 'spare rooms' were being used for wheel chair equipment for her partner while the other was inaccessable by him Credit: Supplied The property I live in is a three bedroom detached council house in As it is just myself and my partner Paul in our home the DWP has always deducted our joint Universal Credit claim for this by almost £100 in bedroom tax. Introduced in 2013 the policy is part of the British Welfare Reform Act 2012 and outlines that council or social housing tenants with rooms deemed to be "spare" face a reduction in housing benefit. Having one bedroom more than the calculated allowance means a reduction in housing benefit of 14 per cent, and two "spare" bedrooms means that a tenant will lose 25 per cent of their housing benefit. Read More on Real Lives The ruling states that one bedroom is allowed per adult couple and while I have three bedrooms I don't agree that we should be penalised for them. The £911 a month Universal Credit we received barely covered our rent and bills so to lose out on £94 to spare bedroom tax was out of the question. Conservative minister While many will be quick to agree, I do in fact need all of the bedrooms in my home. Most read in Fabulous The first spare 'bedroom' is upstairs and is completely inaccessible to my partner as he is a permanent wheelchair user. The two downstairs rooms are both under 3 x 3 metres so we need the extra room simply to store Paul's wheelchair and equipment such as wheelchair chargers and the two extra seats we removed from his car to fit his hoist and wheelchair in. Tragic 'suicide' of bedroom tax victim As the rooms are so small, Paul also needs his wardrobe in our spare room as the other room only fits a queen-sized bed and wheelchair. The spare bedroom tax penalises those with disabilities and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Two-thirds of the people affected are registered as disabled and when the policy was introduced many found themselves suddenly liable for the bedroom tax after deaths or after children had moved out of the home. In 2012 the High Court rejected the premise that the policy was a breach of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights due to the effect on disabled people. The following year disabled grandmother Stephanie Bottrill took her own life after struggling to cope with the newly introduced tax on the three bedroom home she had lived in for 18 years. The law has since been amended so that those whose bedrooms stand empty as a result of death are exempt. Prickling with the injustice of our own situation, I asked the DWP to reconsider what we are entitled to, known as a mandatory reconsideration. When this was rejected with an official letter, I made the decision to take the DWP to court, a tribunal all DWP claimants are entitled to if they disagree with a decision. 5 Erica took the DWP to court over the dispute and won Credit: SUPPLIED 5 Only the downstairs area of their home (seen here) is accessible to her partner Paul Credit: Erica Cartier It wasn't the first time I'd done this. In 2013 my PIP for schizophrenia was stopped. According to the DWP I couldn't possibly work part-time as a journalist if I really had schizophrenia. It didn't seem to matter that I was working from home, mostly from my bed on my laptop, always in my PJs and never working more than 16 hours a week. Back then I also disagreed with the decision to stop my PIP and asked for a mandatory reconsideration. After they rejected this, I took the DWP to court and the judge ruled I was indeed entitled to middle rate PIP - which was a higher rate than I'd expected. WHAT IS THE BEDROOM TAX? Called the under-occupancy policy, it was dubbed the Bedroom Tax as critics who condemned the changes faced by people on benefits amounted to a tax, due to the lack of social housing for affected people to downsize to. Having one bedroom more than the calculated allowance means a reduction in housing benefit of 14 per cent, and two "spare" bedrooms means that a tenant will lose 25 per cent of their housing benefit. The penalties, which can see people affected losing a significant amount of their income or risk being evicted, have also been criticised as having a disproportionate impact on disabled people. In 2016 it was announced that the penalty would be extended to elderly people, despite promises from the government to protect the elderly from benefit cuts. Our court hearing this March only lasted 20 minutes. Armed with my packet of Lambert cigarettes and wearing my tracksuit, I calmly stated our case to the DWP representative. I was intimidated, so I only said the bare bones of our case, that I disagreed with the DWP's decision to add bedroom tax for two spare rooms to our Universal Credit payment each month. We got lucky with our representative who said that the decision to add bedroom tax to our benefits was 'utterly ridiculous' especially when the upstairs room was inaccessible by wheelchair. So a month after the ruling, I got a lump sum of £600 and an extra £94 a month in Universal Credit. I've invested the £600 in a desk, a sewing machine and new laptop which I hope, when further benefits cuts take place next year, might help make an income from writing and clothing alterations. If, like me, you disagree with a decision made about your benefits don't stay silent. Ask for your mandatory reconsideration and if you still disagree, take it to a tribunal. Be sure to read all documents in full and they will outline the steps that you need to take, to further your claim. I've won the two appeals and now my benefits income has been boosted to £1,004 a month, more than ever before. That doesn't make me greedy or a scrounger, it's just what I am entitled to. 5 Erica secured an additional lump sum in repayments and saw her benefits boosted to £1004
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
I took DWP to court and won over tax on extra bedroom in our detached council house – now I have more benefits than EVER
Erica was sick of being charged almost £100 extra a month for her two spare bedrooms CASH PAD I took DWP to court and won over tax on extra bedroom in our detached council house – now I have more benefits than EVER Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 'SEE you in court!' I say, voice raised, as I slam the phone down on the call handler. It was my third call to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) about the absurd bedroom tax we were facing and nothing had changed, so this time I was taking legal action. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Erica Crompton was sick of forking out an additional £94 a month in bedroom tax Credit: Supplied 5 She says that the two 'spare rooms' were being used for wheel chair equipment for her partner while the other was inaccessable by him Credit: Supplied The property I live in is a three bedroom detached council house in Silverdale, Newcastle-Under-Lyme. As it is just myself and my partner Paul in our home the DWP has always deducted our joint Universal Credit claim for this by almost £100 in bedroom tax. Introduced in 2013 the policy is part of the British Welfare Reform Act 2012 and outlines that council or social housing tenants with rooms deemed to be "spare" face a reduction in housing benefit. Having one bedroom more than the calculated allowance means a reduction in housing benefit of 14 per cent, and two "spare" bedrooms means that a tenant will lose 25 per cent of their housing benefit. The ruling states that one bedroom is allowed per adult couple and while I have three bedrooms I don't agree that we should be penalised for them. The £911 a month Universal Credit we received barely covered our rent and bills so to lose out on £94 to spare bedroom tax was out of the question. Conservative minister Iain Duncan Smith previously argued it was an "unfair situation where the tax payer is subsidising people to have home, paid for by the state, with spare rooms they do not need". While many will be quick to agree, I do in fact need all of the bedrooms in my home. The first spare 'bedroom' is upstairs and is completely inaccessible to my partner as he is a permanent wheelchair user. The two downstairs rooms are both under 3 x 3 metres so we need the extra room simply to store Paul's wheelchair and equipment such as wheelchair chargers and the two extra seats we removed from his car to fit his hoist and wheelchair in. Tragic 'suicide' of bedroom tax victim As the rooms are so small, Paul also needs his wardrobe in our spare room as the other room only fits a queen-sized bed and wheelchair. The spare bedroom tax penalises those with disabilities and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Two-thirds of the people affected are registered as disabled and when the policy was introduced many found themselves suddenly liable for the bedroom tax after deaths or after children had moved out of the home. In 2012 the High Court rejected the premise that the policy was a breach of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights due to the effect on disabled people. The following year disabled grandmother Stephanie Bottrill took her own life after struggling to cope with the newly introduced tax on the three bedroom home she had lived in for 18 years. The law has since been amended so that those whose bedrooms stand empty as a result of death are exempt. Prickling with the injustice of our own situation, I asked the DWP to reconsider what we are entitled to, known as a mandatory reconsideration. When this was rejected with an official letter, I made the decision to take the DWP to court, a tribunal all DWP claimants are entitled to if they disagree with a decision. 5 Erica took the DWP to court over the dispute and won Credit: SUPPLIED 5 Only the downstairs area of their home (seen here) is accessible to her partner Paul Credit: Erica Cartier It wasn't the first time I'd done this. In 2013 my PIP for schizophrenia was stopped. According to the DWP I couldn't possibly work part-time as a journalist if I really had schizophrenia. It didn't seem to matter that I was working from home, mostly from my bed on my laptop, always in my PJs and never working more than 16 hours a week. Back then I also disagreed with the decision to stop my PIP and asked for a mandatory reconsideration. After they rejected this, I took the DWP to court and the judge ruled I was indeed entitled to middle rate PIP - which was a higher rate than I'd expected. WHAT IS THE BEDROOM TAX? Called the under-occupancy policy, it was dubbed the Bedroom Tax as critics who condemned the changes faced by people on benefits amounted to a tax, due to the lack of social housing for affected people to downsize to. Having one bedroom more than the calculated allowance means a reduction in housing benefit of 14 per cent, and two "spare" bedrooms means that a tenant will lose 25 per cent of their housing benefit. The penalties, which can see people affected losing a significant amount of their income or risk being evicted, have also been criticised as having a disproportionate impact on disabled people. In 2016 it was announced that the penalty would be extended to elderly people, despite promises from the government to protect the elderly from benefit cuts. Our court hearing this March only lasted 20 minutes. Armed with my packet of Lambert cigarettes and wearing my tracksuit, I calmly stated our case to the DWP representative. I was intimidated, so I only said the bare bones of our case, that I disagreed with the DWP's decision to add bedroom tax for two spare rooms to our Universal Credit payment each month. We got lucky with our representative who said that the decision to add bedroom tax to our benefits was 'utterly ridiculous' especially when the upstairs room was inaccessible by wheelchair. So a month after the ruling, I got a lump sum of £600 and an extra £94 a month in Universal Credit. I've invested the £600 in a desk, a sewing machine and new laptop which I hope, when further benefits cuts take place next year, might help make an income from writing and clothing alterations. If, like me, you disagree with a decision made about your benefits don't stay silent. Ask for your mandatory reconsideration and if you still disagree, take it to a tribunal. Be sure to read all documents in full and they will outline the steps that you need to take, to further your claim. I've won the two appeals and now my benefits income has been boosted to £1,004 a month, more than ever before. That doesn't make me greedy or a scrounger, it's just what I am entitled to.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Universal Credit payment boost to land in bank accounts today
People on Universal Credit could see an early payment from the Department of Work and Pensions this week. Benefit payments will be going out as normal in May for the most part, but there are some exceptions due to the Bank Holidays. That means those that were due to get their benefit on 26 May, will get it on 23 May. This applies to a range of benefits, including the state pension, child benefit, PIP, and Universal Credit. Not everyone will be paid early, only those whose usual payment date falls on the bank holiday Monday. The full list of benefits that may be paid early are: Universal Credit State pension Pension credit Child benefit Disability living allowance Personal independence payment (PIP) Attendance allowance Carer's allowance Employment support allowance Income support Jobseeker's allowance Payments that were due on 26 May will now arrive this week on Friday 23 May, rather than after the long weekend, providing claimants with a much-needed financial boost right before the holiday. For more information on how and when state benefits are paid, visit the government's website. Changes to benefits In April, all benefits were uprated by 1.7 per cent, matching the September 2024 inflation figure. The increase will apply to all working-age benefits, including universal credit, PIP, DLA, attendance allowance, carer's allowance, ESA and more. Things will change slightly for Universal Credit claimants next year following Labour's welfare announcements. Everyone receiving the benefit's standard allowance will see a one-off above inflation rise by £7 a week from April 2026, taking it from £91 to £98. However, the rate of the additional Universal Credit health element will be frozen from 2026 at £97 until 2029/30 (although those in this group will receive the increased standard allowance). Additionally, any new claimants for the health element after April 2026 will receive a massively reduced rate of £50 a week – almost £2,500 less than the current level. This means it is a good idea for anyone who thinks they might be eligible to apply as soon as they can.
Business Mayor
21-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
DWP makes change to Universal Credit payments at midnight on Friday
People on Universal Credit are set to see a change to their payments this week thanks to next week's Bank Holiday Monday. Normally, Universal Credit is paid once a month, with your exact benefits date changing depending on your circumstances such as when you claimed and your National Insurance number. State pensions, for example, are paid on different days of the week depending on what your National Insurance number ends in. This Friday, people on Universal Credit will receive their payments several days early thanks to the Bank Holiday Monday on May 26. Those who were due to receive a Universal Credit payment on Monday will now be paid three days early, on Friday, May 23 instead, by the Department of Work and Pensions. The payment normally hits bank accounts at midnight or just after midnight on the day it's paid, so should arrive at midnight on Friday (00.01am) or thereabouts. Other benefits may also be paid early including state pensions, Pension Credit, Child Benefit, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payments (PIP), Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance. Universal Credit, as the name suggests, is a catch-all benefit for various types of support and can be paid to people to top up their in-work income as well as to those who have no income. To claim, you must be living in the UK, be over 18, be under state pension age and have less than £16,000 in savings. This year, Universal Credit was increased by 1.7% for inflation, with the rate varying between £316.98 and £628.10 depending on whether you're over 25 or live with a partner. Read More You may be overlooking an important point about target-date funds Other additions include childcare costs, limited capacity for work and disability related benefits which can push the total amount much higher. READ SOURCE
