Change the ‘whole month’ approach to change of circumstances in Universal Credit

Background

If a change in circumstance occurs at any point in the Universal Credit assessment period it counts for the whole month - which we think is unfair.

Additional details

It can mean people receive less than they had expected and budgeted for. We think any changes in entitlement should be pro-rata. For example if a child stops being a child 3 days before assessment period ends, the claimant is told they owe money for the whole month due to this change - not just the 3 days the child had stopped being a child. We feel the Government may push people in debt with this policy. We think it would be better if the Government calculated entitlement to the day.

Where it’s popular

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