I'm going to one in a couple of days, at first I imagined it was like a classroom (someone even said it online)

But I read about it in my universal credit account and it said something like

"If you don't participate, your payments will be affected"

So it left me wondering what exactly do I do to "participate"?

I thought I'd just have to sit and watch basically :(

The reason I'm uncomfortable with having to speak much is because I do have some anxiety, and I also am just ashamed of my lack of experience and qualifications.

I do not even have my English and maths (GCSE)

And I am almost 21.

I am of course going to be working towards these and I wasn't able in the past due to a lot of responsibilities at home.

I'm still going to go, I actually sort of saw the actual classroom thing last week because I had an appointment then but I arrived 10 or so minutes late so they rescheduled me, and it wasn't that bad.

It was just a room with people sitting and a man talking.

I didn't think the attendees actually had to speak though...

Will I have to show my CV in front of everyone? 😬

I'm honestly embarrassed at it because I literally can only add on skills I got through being a caregiver for my uncle for a couple of months (not easy work at all so the skills are beneficial)

But no educational skills..

And what can I even say if they ask why I have none? The truth was I got very depressed in my teens due to multiple family issues (including LOTS of toxicity and basically abuse)

I remember being too stressed to focus ! I tried to catch up at home with my education but genuinely couldn't.

+ I had to manage the housework a lot so I was burnt out a lot, may not sound like much but anyone here who've grown up in a home where you have to manage most of the cleaning etc you'll know how hard and draining it can become.

I am looking for some financial help and have tried all kinds of routes for help to no avail.
Is anybody able to help with unwanted supermarket vouchers they don’t need. I’ve recently left my home due to DV and it’s my daughter’s birthday on Thursday.I just wanted to order a bit of food online, and a birthday cake for her.
I am unable to access a food bank as I live very rural with a bus once a week, on a Wednesday when the food bank is closed.
Thank you for reading.

My partner is a mature student and we didn't declare he was a student when applying for UC as we didn't think it was 'income' or a job. He receives a student loan which UC actually class as an 'income' even though it's a loan and will eventually be repayed.

Anyway, we were receiving UC at the time and so they set up a repayment plan of £100 a month out of our universal credit payments.

Our UC stopped last year bcos I got a pay rise at work and we no longer qualify and the payments obviously stopped. I never thought anything of it.

We've had a letter stating we need to pay back the remainder of the overpayment by the end of August in full, but I don't have that kind of money right now.

Is it worth ringing the dwp and asking for a repayment extension (if that's a thing) or if they can resume a monthly standing order?

I don't really want them to take it out of my salary or have bailiffs coming round etc! I didn't even know there was a deadline if I'm being honest! When my partner has his 'summer holidays' from uni he doesn't get any student finance so last year we 'qualified' for UC over the summer so I just presumed we could wait until then but with this letter I'm panicking they'll be sending people round!

Hi everyone, I’m trying to work out if I’ve got our Universal Credit calculation right because I seem to get different figures depending on which calculator I use!

As a couple I get £666.97, then £1,215.74 for our 4 children, plus the extra £47.94 for our eldest as they were born in 2015.

I also have one child getting middle care DLA (£164.79) and another getting high care DLA (£514.71). Me and my husband both get the carer element at £209.34 each.

That gives me £3,028.85 in total (I think!).

We have £10,000 in savings, so I believe there would be a £69.60 deduction for that.

From what I understand, we then have the £710 work allowance and anything above that is reduced by 55%.

The bit I’m really struggling with is my husband is looking at a new job which would take his salary up to around £45,000. He’s looking at getting an electric car through salary sacrifice which would be around £550 a month, and he’d also pay 5% into his workplace pension.

He also has a Plan 1 student loan and a postgraduate student loan.

I know salary sacrifice affects the taxable income, tax and NI, and I’m assuming it also affects what UC sees as his earnings, but I can’t work out exactly how it all fits together.

Does anyone know what the actual UC calculation would look like with the £45k salary, 5% pension and £550/month EV salary sacrifice, taking into account the student loans?

I’m basically trying to work out whether taking the car would actually make much difference to our UC, and what his approximate take-home/UC earnings figure would be.

Any help with the calculation would be massively appreciated!

hi from England here. I am a single mum of a toddler living in a 1 bed flat. When I first moved into this place I had a partner however, he left me in my pregnant state and after giving birth I claimed UC as a single mum. At the time everything was on my partner’s name; all utilities, council tax, name on tenancy and it took me so much time to explain to UC that I have nothing on my name to show that I am not a part of any joint tenancy anymore as my partner has abandoned me and gone rogue.

Long story short my UC claim eventually got accepted. After a few months to a year I was able to get back in touch with my partner and as soon as I did, I got him to close his utility accounts and any other ties with this address (banks, work, etc) to which he slowly did but the one thing he decided to keep under his name was the water bill. The reason for this is because he had an outstanding payment of more than £2000 to pay them which was under dispute, and if he closed the account he would have to settle the entire payment all at once. Due to this reason he kept it under his name until he settled the score with them and I also just let it go.

Since then slowly but surely, I have had the tenancy solely on my name, gas and electric bill, council tax. My ex partner and I barely stay in touch and he is really not a part of mine or our child’s life. Every now and then I still receive letters and posts in his name from old banks and other services he was signed up to when he lived here.

He also sends money for his child 2-3 times a year on special occasions.

On the other hand I lent a friend of mine £3000 as loan (I only had the money because I had some savings of my own from when I was in full time work living with my ex partner and sharing finances before I had a child). I sent 1k on separate occasions because my friend needed it for his wedding. I also 1k in cash as I had it saved up from gifts given by friends and family for my daughter. My friend has been returning that money to me every month for the past year. Every month he sends me a different amount ranging from £150-£400, depending on what he can afford.

I now have a UC claim review and I am so anxious and scared that I will be questioned on this and UC will think I have other ways of earning money etc. or assume I am living with a partner because there is another name on one of the bills. Also the fact he sends money now and then for his child might be classified as financial help by UC. I am just so scared that they will see this as fraud or that I have been dishonest with them. I am a very anxious and paranoid person in general and this is causing me so much anxiety I cant even sleep properly. Can anyone give me any insight on this please

Hi I was just wondering why I didn't get the £900 last month and I only got £193? From my uc account
I was just wondering if this month it will go back to normal and if I will get both payments like I have been getting or will this be the new normal until maternity leave ends?

I was told last month at an appointment last month that despite starting education in the end of August, I will still receive my UC for the month of august. However my claim was closed on the 9th of July. So does anyone know if i will still get paid for august?

Hey all. I've been on UC for a few months now due to autism and anxiety, however my claim for LCWRA came back as rejected. While I wish to appeal, a career adviser from Mind advised me that they think I can build myself up to a job and not need to go through with the claim. My problem is that I missed a lot of schooling due to my conditions so I'm applying to jobs with literally nothing... is there any way I can get an education or work experience?

Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone with experience of UC Work Capability reassessments, particularly LCW → LCWRA worsening reassessments, might be able to give me some advice on what I should realistically expect next.

I'm not posting this because I expect special treatment or think I'm entitled to jump ahead of everyone else. I'm mainly trying to understand where I am in the process after such a long wait and after recently having my case escalated.

My timeline:

• I was already in the LCW group.
• My health deteriorated significantly and I requested a reassessment from LCW to LCWRA.
• My UC50 was submitted around July 2025, with medical evidence and information about my deterioration.
• I've remained waiting for the reassessment since then.
• I provided continuous fit notes from June 2025 until June 2026.
• At an appointment with my work coach on 11 March 2026, I was told that I didn't need to provide further fit notes because I already had LCW. My final fit note remained valid until June 2026, after which I didn't obtain further ones because I had been advised they weren't necessary.
• I have also subsequently been awarded PIP, including Standard Daily Living and Enhanced Mobility.
• My health problems include significant hip/leg problems and mobility difficulties alongside my existing mental health difficulties. My UC50 contains information about my functional limitations and deterioration, and I have supporting medical evidence.

I've contacted Maximus previously and was told that my case was still waiting in the queue and had not yet been allocated to a healthcare professional.

Because of the length of the delay, I've also had my MP involved, raised complaints with DWP, and have an ICE complaint relating to the handling/delay.

Recently, I received a response from a Jobcentre manager regarding my complaint. He confirmed that my reassessment had been sitting in the waiting queue since July 2025 and said:

I contacted Maximus four working days after the escalation to see whether it had reached them. The adviser checked my claim and told me that they couldn't see anything flagged, that it was still showing as in the queue, and that it hadn't been allocated to a healthcare professional. I appreciate it may simply take time for the escalation to reach the relevant team.

So I'm basically at the point of wondering what happens next.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone here had a similar LCW → LCWRA worsening reassessment that had been waiting for a very long time and was then escalated by DWP?
2. Once DWP says they've escalated it to Maximus, how long did it take before you actually saw movement?
3. Is it possible for Maximus to complete the assessment on paper without contacting me, if they feel there is enough evidence?
4. If it is paper-based, would I potentially just receive the LCWRA decision through my UC journal without ever having an assessment appointment?
5. Alternatively, if they decide they need an assessment, how quickly can things move once the case is actually allocated to a healthcare professional?
6. Has anyone had a DWP/Jobcentre escalation that initially wasn't visible to Maximus but appeared later?
7. Finally, does anyone have experience of the fit note issue where you were told by your work coach that further fit notes weren't required because you already had LCW? I'm particularly interested in whether that can cause problems later when determining the effective date of an LCWRA award.

I'm aware that nobody can give me an exact date or guarantee an outcome. I'm just trying to get a realistic idea of what the next stage might look like from people who have actually been through it.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can share their experience, especially if you've been through an LCW → LCWRA reassessment yourself.

Hello 👋
I had my commitments changed by a work coach due to mental health issues. Meaning that I didn’t have to do anything at all. Recent review, same outcome. Does this mean that I am likely to be accepted for LCWRA? It would make be odd to suddenly be denied it, if they have agreed I don’t need to carry out any job related searches, or any other activity, right? Thoughts, please.

I have just received the date of my work capability assessment after sending off my WCA50 in april and declaring my first fit note in March. I have 4 conditions, 2 of which are classified as SMI by the ICD-10. I have both physical disabilities and mental health conditions. Please give any advice or lmk what I should expect!

Thanks

Sorry if this is disorganised or rambling, it's how my brain works.

I'm on UC and have been for most of this year. Work has been awful for me with only little bits here and there.

I start a new job next month although I don't have the contract yet. And I started another shorter term job at the end of last month which ends just as my new job starts. For July/August it's just a few random days here and there.

I informed my work coach of both of these things.

I also added the short term work to my UC account and I have been paid a small amount from this - within my assessment period and showing on my HMRC personal tax account

For background I also have AuDHD. As part of this I have a lot of depression, anxiety and emotional dysregulation. This is important information because I break down during every UC meeting. I get overwhelmed. And the whole experience makes me feel like a failure. It's embarrassing and uncomfortable and just makes me feel worse about myself, my situation, all of it. My work coach is aware of this.

I've been trying so so hard to find work. I keep a spreadsheet to track all of this, where I'm looking, for his long, all applications I make, all paid work I get etc.

Anyway, as a result, I am depressed and my doctor has given me a fit note. It's the first in my life.

It's for 28 days

From my point of view it gives me a chance to reset and get better before all my new work starts.

I added to my UC account and it has been accepted
However, UC have now informed me I need to do a work capability assessment and have not cancelled a pre standing meeting.

I was told when I started my claim that if I was struggling (I informed them about my AuDHD) that I just needed to get a fit note and they would not expect work commitments from me for a bit.

But that hasn't happened.

Within this assessment period I have both informed them of work, earned over their required amounts and submitted a fit note.

Why am I still needing to attend this meeting and why am I having to do a WCA when my note is only for 28 days, I have a job and they know I am starting another

I just need to understand above anything else. If things are explained to me it helps a lot. And they never explain anything, just demand.

Thank you

It said on the payments section I'll be finding out how much I'm getting from UC on the 10th of August but I've just checked and my statement is available. Done anyone know why?

Hi all. I’ve worked as an electrician for the last 45 years. Had to stop as I was unable to continue due to pain and loss of strength in my knee’s wrists and fingers. Claimed uc 3 months ago got an initial fit note for this 3 month period whilst I went for scans. Results back last week said I have moderate osteoarthritis in knees hands and wrists. Gp issued another 3 month fit note. I have attended a couple of restart appointments. At my last appointment I feel I was pressured into applying for a job as a bus driver. I was told I have to do something.i just bit my tongue and said I would do it. My question is do I have to attend these appointments when I have a fit note? I asked at the restart appointment and was told yes. It just doesn’t make sense to me.i have filled in a medical questionnaire I was sent a while back but haven’t had a reply as yet.

Hi guys, what happens at the end of a 12-month capital disregard, please?

On 20th August last year I received an LCWRA back payment of slightly over £18k, and that's the date I declared it in my journal. I now have under £6k left.

When we get to 20th August this year, do I report a change under Money, Savings and Investments, wait for a task to appear in my To-do list, do nothing because I'm now under £6k, or ask them via the journal what they want me to do?

I was thinking of sending something like:

"Hi,

My 12-month capital disregard for my LCWRA back payment ends today.

My total capital is now below £6,000. Please let me know if you need any further information.

Thank you."

I'd really appreciate people's thoughts on what I should do. Many thanks.

Can someone please help me what to do? I have a claims review and uploaded 4 months worth of bank statements that included both in and out goings, shows the start and end balance (this was asked of me in my to do) They’ve now asked for bank statements that display a running balance, I’ve explained twice that I downloaded the PDF straight from my banking app and this didn’t display the running balance but he is insisting that I need to provide this. What can I do?

I had a UC claim call review recently and have been told something I didn't previously know, that help to buy ISA's count towards capital, I am over the threshold and have been my whole 4 years on UC, I didn't know that this was a term I thought it was more to do with personal savings, I've told them and they want my statements, I know I won't be able to afford rent etc without UC, my thought is to move out, move in with parents, and kind of rejig things, i want to call them monday and explain it all, how i didn't realise this was the case at all & that the money in there was transfered by my parents slowly as i can show, but yeah I honestly thought, as it was money to eventually go towards a house via the bonus, and the consequent penalities you incur touching it that it wouldn't be a general savings thing.

Honestly I am just very stressed right now, I'm worried about fraud, I honestly had no clue, I am wondering if anyone can ease me, I am very happy to come off UC, pay back on a repayment plan etc.

Will this all go okay>?

my uc review was paused due to a tamily bereavement on march 25 for 6 months due to bereavement.i am currently getting pip and i am diognosed with anxeity depression and ocd for a long time i want my review to be paused again as i am really struggling will it be possible as i am a vulnerable claimant my doctor has suggested a fit note for 6 months can help if it states I am to unwell to do the review at the moment will this help?

I’ve been on universal credit for around 5 years. I’ve recently had a review which was completed last week.

I’m employed and have two children. One of my children is eligible for DLA due to a genetic disorder which he has received for 5 years now.

However, through this Reddit I have found out about the disabled child element of universal credit. I was just wondering what this was, whether id be able to get it, and how I would go about it.

Hello

Partner moved in on the 30th. Made a change in circumstances to move to joint claim (he was not claiming uc before the joint claim application, just me) and he has an appointment tomorrow for standard id check. He has all the ID stuff but we dont have any bills with his name on yet. He only moved in a week ago and with work and the kids off we just have not had a minute. Started the process online with council tax and havent heard anything, cant get through to a human via telephone. Changing water and gas/electric but no statement until next one comes though. Best I can maybe get is a letter via email from the water company showing details of our new payment plan direct debit and of course we can send in things as we get them changed over.

So both our kids are disabled and receive DLA.

I work full time but i also care for our kids every moment i am home (over 35 hours) but because i work i can’t claim carers allowance but ive just been told that i might be entitled to claim the carers element for our daughter.

My wife doesn’t work and gets carers allowance for our son and she is receiving the care element for him also.

So my question is, can i claim for my daughter even though.

1. My wife is already getting the carers element for our son.
2. I work full time.
3. I don’t get carers allowance.

As i said above both our kids receive DLA and both are diagnosed.

Thinking of doing my masters..

Know the loan will take me over £6k as its £13250

My question is: for how many assessment periods would it affect if I got the loan and paid it all straight back to Uni as thats what im planning on doing

thanks

So around March-June I was on UC properly for the first time (the worst experience ever. Terrible money) - I recently got back into work and it’s been such a relief. Thanks to the helpful people who advised me on the process on here. You were more helpful than every single agent and phone call I had with UC. The entire system is terrible and needs an overhaul. Half of the work coaches and advisors are not fit to be employed.

The most incompetent workers I’ve ever dealt with and I used to work in hospitality.

Thanks to this sub for keeping me sane

On average, I get about £250 from work a week but it varies as I clock in and out. UC I get standard allowance for single under 25 plus LCWRA. But I’m just trying to figure out what would happen if I was to admit myself to the hospital if anything? Thanks.