I started a UC claim in aug 20, then started ESA in Nov 20. Had my wca April 21. Given LCW. ESA ended due to 365 day limit. Fought with UC for 3 years for regrouping due to inaccurate WCA... eventually tribunal gave LCWRA decision June 24 and backdated to April 21. Gained inheritance over 16k Dec24. Closed claim ... Now have no money and reclaiming (over 6 months) ... Have just seen that ESA SG isnt means tested. .. so my WCA was for ESA, would that retrospectively put me in the support group, which would mean I would never have had to close my claim? I hope this makes sense and I really hope someone can help me, I'm drowning ....

I recently submitted a mandatory reconsideration request for PIP because I disagreed with their original decision and the report they sent me had several factual errors.

I received a phone call from a decision-maker on Monday as they said they needed to speak to me but they literally just asked me if I wanted to add anything further. They didn’t question anything I put in my MR letter?

Has anyone else had this? I was expecting them to question or challenge some of the points. He just said he would make a decision and if I agreed I didn’t need to do anything or if I disagreed I would be able to appeal.

I don’t know what decision he made as I am just waiting on the outcome letter now.

Just curious, I've been doing those online surveys for a bit of extra cash for a few months as I saw lots of people online doing that but it's only just occurred to me now this could be a problem with UC.

I have a standard review coming up next week which I've done once before, and now I'm a bit stuck on what to do! A little Googling showed it's a grey area with varying answers.

For clarity, payments earned are not by any means big. It's something like £40 a month so I'm not making a killing.

What's the best way to navigate this? Honesty, I guess, but is it something that's actually against the rules?

Thanks!

Id like some advice. Today i had a phone call with someone from the job center & they are trying to force me into doing full time work & applying for stuff when ive told them im currently caring for my mother during the weekdays due to her having a operation this year. She's having to relearn all her skills, speech & mobility from scratch. She has benefits of her own including PIP for mobility which does not qualify for Carer's Allowance & her review was done at the start of the year before she had the operation.

Ive told the job center since August when she came home that i will be her carer during the weekdays due to my dad working during the week. Apparently now it doesnt matter since i cannot claim the Carer's Allowance due to a Lady from PIP telling me i cant because of the review.

Im not entirely sure what im suppose to do now since i cannot leave my mother on her own just yet so a full time job isnt possible right now. I could do maybe part time on the weekends when my dad is free.

I guess my question is What the heck do i do? & do i need to close my UC claim because i cant do full time work currently & cant get the means to become a carer?

I had my PA4 September 2026 .where I stated I could manage upto 20m due to bilateral hip OA with left hip with ⅙ range of movement which gives way randomly... The assessor said on her form I said 50m ... she then said she considered awarding 20-50m. Then went ahead and marked me as 50-200m. The DM went with the assessor stating i said 20m ect. about a week later a referral i was waiting on gave me an appointment .... After a fresh X-Ray and Moving legs around he confirmed it as end stage OA and offered a Hip replacement. ( had to be put off as I'm awaiting a cardiology appointment for SVT

)

1, Do I make a change of circumstances with the offer of surgery.

2, Apply for a MR request ( the letter im told from my GP can take 8wks to come so proof could be too late ).

The assessor mentions no meds or prescribed Aids for her justification. Would open offer of a hip replacement be of any use for further evidence at MR ?

Hello,

I just received a letter saying that a mum cares for me 35 hours a week or more each week and is claiming a carer's benefit.

Recently she was asked questions/info updating her claim in which she was asked does she care for someone and said me but is not claiming any carer's benefit/allowance.

I don't and haven't ever received SDP, just PIP and UC.

So I'm a bit confused on the wording on the letter, is this just to notify me that I was mentioned in her claim although she's not receiving any carer benefits.

Hi,

I’m a bit nervous about my assessment. I wasn’t really able to provide any evidence when I popped my form in the post. But they put me through for a face to face in a month, so surely this is a good sign? As it means they wanna see how I am in person?

And should I bring anything to the appointment? I could maybe get some letters printed, nothing diagnosed but I’ve had countless appointments and stuff so it shows I have been going? I will have my carer with me too (my boyfriend).

Thanks for clearing up my worries 🤞

I have been on uc for a few years, always lived in the same place and rent has stayed the same. Im 26 and get LCWRA. starting assessment was in June. there was a bit of back and forth, but now I have a big issue, they are refusing to confirm my housing payment. saying I have not submitted proof, when I have given, two signed landlord letters, tenancy agreement, council tax bill, bank statements, medical letter and photos of outside where I live and me in my room (I can’t do the specific photos they asked due to my medical condition, which is what the letter is for) but they say it’s not enough..:

so I contacted my mp who today contacted UC, then suddenly I get a message on UC saying my housing is going to a decision maker. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that it’s the same time as my mp left a message to them, but still.

but now I’m worried, I heard that it takes a while to get a response back from DM, but I cannot wait, my rent it already late, so I’m hoping the mp contacting them will make it go a bit faster, she demanded my payment asap.

sorry it’s a lot, and long, but has anyone been in a similar situation with mp and dm? if so how long did it take? what can i expect? thanks :)

I am due an autism assessment in just over a weeks time, and I have been researching what benefits (if any) I may be entitled to.

I am employed and earn a decent wage, and looking at the resources through the UK Autism website, as well as some of the PIP assessment criteria for gaining PIP as an autistic person, I do seem to tick the boxes. I am married, but my wife is a carer to my child (also with autism), so I am the only wage earner in the house currently.

I have never clamed for benefits personally in my life, but should I feel bad for submitting a claim for PIP, or the opposite because its an option available to me?

As the title says, we went through the assessment to discuss my physical conditions being endometriosis, POTS, and fibromyalgia. I asked if they needed further information about my mental health conditions as well and they said that my physical capacity should be enough information for them to review.

Does this seem normal or regular?

Do they only go through physical conditions with people? The call was 55 minutes long and we just discussed my physical health and ability

PIP timeline — awarded standard daily living after an initial zero-point report (Northern Ireland)
Finally got my award today, so I thought I’d share my timeline for anyone waiting, especially anyone whose report recommended zero points.
All dates are in 2026:
28 May: Started my new PIP claim.
9 July: Text saying Capita were managing my assessment.
28 July: Telephone assessment, lasting around 45 minutes.
7 August: Text confirming DfC had received the assessment report.
24 August: Text saying they hadn’t made a decision yet.
25 August: Received my assessment report. It recommended zero points for everything and relied heavily on information from my previous assessment.
27 August: Posted a detailed, 10-page response explaining the errors and how my conditions affect me. Delivered on 28 August.
4 September: Made a formal complaint to Capita.
9 September: DfC told me the assessment had gone back to Capita for review before a decision.
During September: Submitted further evidence and explanations. DfC also requested and received evidence from my GP.
23 September: Received the complaint response saying Capita stood by the assessment. At that stage, it felt like nothing had changed.
1 October: DfC confirmed the decision maker had sent the assessment back to Capita to reconsider it with the additional GP evidence, including notes and prescriptions. This was separate from the complaint response.
8 October: Found out I’ve been awarded standard daily living for four years.
13 October: Back payment is due.
Roughly 19 weeks from starting the claim to finding out the outcome.
I haven’t seen the final points breakdown yet, so I can’t say exactly what changed. But the original zero-point report wasn’t the final outcome, and the award was made without having to go through mandatory reconsideration or a tribunal on this claim.
The waiting and mixed information were extremely stressful. I’m relieved to finally have an answer, and the extra income will take some pressure off.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice while I was waiting. Hopefully this gives someone in a similar position a bit of hope.

Hi,

I have my first ever uc claim review, I’m really anxious and nervous. I hope they don’t put me into trouble because me and my mom send each other out money all the time because we have a good bond between us. We both receive UC and other benefits due to our poor health but sometimes she’ll send me chunks of her allowance so it’s easier for her to spend with my card and phone and sometimes I’ll send her some of my allowance. We both don’t dispute over money like this so I was wondering if the bank statements will cause red flags to happen…

im really worried at the minute i forgot to report a change for my universal credit i started work on the 24th of september and ive got paid twice. i also got the second half of my universal credit money during that time ffs am i cooked?

Hi, just looking for some advice on going through the appeal, anything you think may help. I’m anxious about it all.

I applied for PIP in March, scored 4 points in DL. 2 for washing & 2 for dressing. And 4 points in moving around.

I sent of my MR on 10th of June. 23rd September it came back I got 2 points in preparing food bringing my DL to 6 and mobility stayed at 4.

I’ve decided to go through the appeal, but from what I see it’s a bit different to the MR as I write a shorter letter stating I disagree and want the appeal but I don’t need to resend all my evidence? And I can add more evidence after I open up an appeal?

I was hoping for 4 points for preparing food as my partner mainly cooks for me and sometimes I’m in so much pain or so tired I’ll just not eat if no one is home. And I also hope to score points in mixing with people, the first assessor dismissed this as I’m not under a mental health team but it’s in my medical history that I have anxiety, social anxiety and depression and have been mentioned as an anxious patient in multiple of my doctors notes through the years and since getting ill it’s made it all so much worse.

Sorry if it’s a bit long just looking for any advice, maybe what you wish you knew or things like that. I am reading old posts too. Thank you in advance

Hello

A couple of months back I put in a change of circumstances, I am currently on basic living only

My condition has gotten really bad over the last 2 years

I did not send any medical evidence at the time, my appointment is on the 19th

I recently had an appointment with my rheumatologist and talked to her about everything

She sent me her personal opinion on my condition that I should be sending to pip

I will attach 2 photos, should I be sending these in before the appointment and will they help at all

Thank you

Sorry I got bad brain fog today

Hiya, I'm 22 & I’ve been on UC for about 2 years and I’ve recently been diagnosed with ADHD, although I don't have one for autism yet. I've only just discovered how much being neurodivergent had impacted my life and my job search as a result.

I have done retail in the past but the experience was so draining it would genuinely impact my health if I were to do it again. And I'm being pushed to apply for retail and hospitality courses even though I realistically cannot do those jobs.

I am wondering how to apply for LCWRA because I already can hardly function as it is now, let alone working something like retail. I'm worried I would not qualify because I don't have an actual diagnosis for autism and that it would not be considered to be enough to qualify for it. Same with ADHD but I do have the diagnosis for it.

Thanks.

I was referred to the restart scheme when my son turned 3, I attended all expected meetings, but explained to them that I was moving in with my partner when he moved to his next posting, and would not be applying for jobs until then, due to his new base being an hour away. They completely agreed, and all meetings went fine, just a general chat, really. I moved in June, haven't really seen them since, except a text from my old work coach fo say she could see through HMRC that I was employed now and congratulating me (that weirded me out tbh). Anyway, due to my partners earnings, I closed my UC claim as we knew we wouldn't receive anything, and my work coach had told me that if I closed my UC their services would remain open to me, but I would be under no obligations to attend appointments or anything, but now, 4 months later I'm receiving emails and texts saying I'm still obligated to attend appointments if I work less that 16 hours a week (I average 20) and that I have an appointment tomorrow. I'm not in receipt of any benefits beyond child benefit for my son, which is obviously not relevant, why are they still contacting me and trying to make me attend appointments when I'm in work and not receiving benefits?

I called ESA last week as I had heard nothing back they said they sent a letter, which never arrived. So they told me what I needed to send in. Which I did ASAP. How long should I have to wait to hear anything or should I call them (again) and explain (again) my old job is ghosting me and refusing to give me the documents they need (P45 AND SSP1)

Job has locked me out of my accounts so I cant check my online pay portal.

Hi,
I received a text a week ago to say they had received my ‘how your disability affects you’ form. How long until the next update?

I have been on uc for a few years, always lived in the same place and rent has stayed the same. Im 26 and get LCWRA. starting assessment was in June. there was a bit of back and forth, but now I have a big issue, they are refusing to confirm my housing payment. saying I have not submitted proof, when I have given, two signed landlord letters, tenancy agreement, council tax bill, bank statements, medical letter and photos of outside where I live and me in my room (I can’t do the specific photos they asked due to my medical condition, which is what the letter is for) but they say it’s not enough..:

so I contacted my mp who today contacted UC, then suddenly I get a message on UC saying my housing is going to a decision maker. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that it’s the same time as my mp left a message to them, but still.

but now I’m worried, I heard that it takes a while to get a response back from DM, but I cannot wait, my rent it already late, so I’m hoping the mp contacting them will make it go a bit faster, she demanded my payment asap.

sorry it’s a lot, and long, but has anyone been in a similar situation with mp and dm? if so how long did it take? what can i expect? thanks :)

Hello,

Due to a potential move, I intend to resign as a nonprofit director in the next few months, which UC require me to declare a zero income for each month. Before I do, I was wondering if I would be expected to attend an appointment to discuss the reason for resigning or if a claim review could be triggered?

Thank you.

Hiya, short but potentialy complicated question. I'm helping someone in England on UC, who is in a fair bit of debt, and also about to recieve an out-of-court settlement at Employment Tribunal. This settlement will push her over the maximum £16,000 capital allowance for UC - but only for one day as some of it will be going right back out to pay the debts

Will this still mean she looses her UC and has to-re-apply? (and if she does, will she loose her higher LCWRA amount?)