Universal-Credit-Guide-for-Private-Landlords - Manual / Resource - Page 11
Calculating Rent and
Universal Credit
Q. How will monthly rent be calculated if a
claimant’s rent is paid weekly?
Q. What is an assessment date and
assessment period?
UC is paid monthly. Weekly rents are
calculated using the formula: weekly rent
multiplied by 52 and divided by 12.
Each UC claimant has an ‘assessment date’
and a ‘payment date’. These are set when
the claim is first made. The customer’s
circumstances at the assessment date
(total amount of the claimant’s income/
earnings during the assessment period and
rent liability on the assessment date) are
used to work out their UC entitlement for
that month. The payment date of UC will be
7 days after the assessment date.
Q. What about other payment frequencies,
for example, four weekly?
Other payment frequencies are calculated
as follows:
four-weekly payments are multiplied
by 13 and divided by 12
three-monthly payments are multiplied
by 4 and divided by 12
annual payments are divided by 12
For example: if their first claim date is 11th
December. The assessment period is 11th
December to 10th January and the
assessment date is 10th January. The
payment date is seven days later on 17th
January. Their UC award is then reassessed every 10th of the month
thereafter and paid every 17th of the
month. The re-assessment will take into
account any wages actually received during
the month up to the assessment date and
any changes in circumstances notified
during the same monthly assessment
period.
Claimants with regular earnings will see a
regular UC payment each month but
claimants with fluctuating earnings will see
UC payments vary. This is because the total
earnings received within the month that
ends on the assessment date (the
assessment period) will be considered in
the calculation of the UC award. A higher
amount of earnings received in an
assessment period will reduce the UC
award. Similarly a lower amount of earnings
received may increase the UC award.
Continued ...
11
Universal Credit/Information for Landlords
April 2018
www.gov.uk/universal-credit
DWP service centre 0800 328 5644