If you live in supported accommodation or a refuge, there are problems if you want to work.
Everything is fine while you are getting UC.
Housing Benefit covers the full rent for your accommodation.
But every pound of earnings reduces your UC by £0.55.
So eventually, if you earn enough, you lose the Universal Credit.
And then, although you can still get Housing Benefit, the amount you get is drastically cut, maybe by hundreds of pounds over the next month.
But this problem is soon to be solved.
On 5th October, new earnings disregards will apply to your Housing Benefit award, so that:
- every pound of earnings reduces your UC by £0.55, then,
- once your UC is gone, every pound of earnings reduces your HB by £0.65.
The cliff edge is gone!
Will everything be perfect now?
It’s benefits, innit?
Once you have lost your UC, you will need to keep the council informed of your wages.
You will need to keep an eye on your HB award, in case it gets suspended, while they wait for wage-information (that you’ve already sent)
Or sometimes HB awards get permanently ended, when the council thinks that the claimant hasn’t responded to requests for information.
You could appeal if this happened, but it’s better to prevent problems by keeping the council informed about your wage information.
Note: If you have LCW, or if you have a child, you can earn up to your work allowance before the tapers detailed above apply.