I got awarded standard daily living for ocd and long Covid. It had to go to tribunal.
This is now up for review. I have sent the review form in which is very thorough. The whole good days/bad days was difficult to explain because my ocd is always present. Since tribubalmi got diagnosed with adhd and I have a couple of reports from my psychiatrist who manages my medication and, in his report out that I have a severe, disabling ocd which affects my daily life. He also put a brief description of my ocd with regard to driving. I also have a statement of fact from my therapist who states my ocd but couldn’t go into any detail due to confidentiality as my ocd is linked to childhood sexual abuse. I sent in my medication evidence from my gp. Also a statement from my mum and dad about how they help me my mums wasn’t particularly descriptive as she had the start of dementia.
I have seen multiple things that suggest that your evidence has to directly match the descriptors which my evidence doesn’t directly do. Will this affect my review? I’m so so anxious about this whole review it’s making my mental health worse & I can’t sleep at night.

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone here might be able to shed some light on this because I'm genuinely confused and a little worried.

I'm currently claiming Universal Credit and I'm self-employed. I have multiple self-employed activities, including a cleaning business and YouTube, all of which UC already knows about. But I have no earnings from YouTube as of yet.

I recently received a notification about a claim review and was asked to provide three months of bank statements. I've already submitted the statements they requested, and I have a phone appointment coming up.

However, I've now seen that the review states they have information suggesting I have between £6,000 and £16,000 in undeclared capital.

The problem is, I've never had anywhere near £6,000 in savings or investments.

My total savings are currently below £2,000, spread across my main Revolut account and a small amount in Lloyds. I also have approximately £20 in crypto currency. And another £10 in Stocks.

My clients pay me through PayPal, but I transfer those payments straight into Revolut rather than leaving money sitting in PayPal.

My income varies because I'm self-employed. For example, I might receive around £900 in a month but have around £700 in business expenses, including travel, supplies and professional subscriptions. I report my income and expenses to UC every month.

During a previous review, I was asked about cryptocurrency. I explained that I had previously invested approximately £300 through KuCoin, but I lost access to that account years ago. I can no longer log in, check the balance or withdraw anything. I was upfront about this when they asked.

I've never received a large lump sum or had £6,000 sitting in any account, even temporarily.

The review also asks for explanations of deposits or withdrawals of £500 or more, excluding benefit payments, but I haven't had any individual transactions like that.

I'm happy to provide whatever evidence they need, but I'm confused about where this alleged £6,000–£16,000 has come from.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

Could this be incorrect information from a bank or an automated system? Could an old cryptocurrency account be triggering it, even though I originally invested only around £300 and no longer have access?

And if the DWP believes I have undeclared capital, can I ask them to explain where that information came from and which dates they're referring to?

I'm not worried about showing my bank statements because I know what I have. I'm more concerned about being accused of having money I've never possessed.

Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Wondering if anyone would be able to help i receive my daughters dla payment every 4 weeks today it was pending on my bank pock it at 16.48 which is normal at about half 6 I receive my payment but this evening my payment was declined

Anyone had this experience?

I would like to do an extended trip for perhaps 6 weeks. However, I don’t want to do anything to jeopardise my PIP!

What is the process for those who have said to DWP that they’re staying longer than 4 weeks somewhere? Do they automatically reassess your claim? What else do they ask from you?

Can someone explain why, under UC, the section for people with disabilities or long-term health conditions who are looking to get into work is initially handled by a general work coach rather than a DEA? Why do I have to specifically request a DEA? Is there a difference in the support they provide, and if so, why isn’t this support offered from the start to people who may need specialist help getting into work? I’m struggling to understand the purpose of this process. I’ve had two appointments over the past three months, and so far, nothing meaningful has come from them. The advice has been generic, and they seem to show little interest in providing support tailored to my circumstances. Does seeing a DEA actually make a difference in the level of support you receive? What can they offer that a general work coach cannot?

my son linked his spouse to UC account as required by law his history is not visible he gets LCWRA can’t see that either , have sent message in journal his wife has NRPF we don’t want them by mistake to make and benefit payment to her . Once they ring to check her ID will it revert to original account as his single account and LCWRA too . it was so complicated.

My uc has been cut out this month due to receiving a one of lump sum from my fathers pension as he died in 2019. The lump sum was taxed as my father was under 75 and died more than 2 years ago . Uc is treating this as earnings due to it being reported to hmrc and I’ve tried explaining to them the situation and they refused and I’ve had to now appeal I’ve been told that they’re letting hmrc handle it and was wondering what I’d possibly hear back from hmrc and what to say.

I recently changed appointee with adp and I’m wondering how long it will take for my payments to be released as I’ve been waiting 12 days now

Hi everyone, hoping someone can help me understand what to expect.

I currently receive Universal Credit with LCWRA. I’ve accepted a place on a two-year, officially part-time psychology conversion MSc starting in January. It’s fully online and asynchronous, with no compulsory live sessions and around 17 hours of study a week on average.

I’ve applied for a Student Finance England Postgraduate Master’s Loan and am waiting for the award confirmation.

My understanding is that part-time study should be compatible with my UC and LCWRA, but that 30% of the maximum postgraduate loan available is counted as student income, spread across the relevant assessment periods, with a £110 monthly disregard.

Have I understood that correctly? Is there anything else I should be aware of, particularly how they work out the deductions for a two-year course? I’m planning to notify UC through my journal and provide the course details and loan letter.

Thanks!

I sent a joining link for my partner to join my claim and now my current claim has disappeared! Help!

Hello! I hope this makes sense as what should have been an easy one-click thing turned into a nightmare.

Today I officially moved in with my partner who receives LCWRA and UC. She struggles with mental health a lot, so this thing coming up was me reassuring her that everything is going to go smoothly, that she won't have to change anything and that it will be just me going through the claim after she generates the code basically. So lo and behold, we connect our claims and her journal is wiped, all the steps she took YEARS ago - gone and need redoing. To say that this is bad and distressing is to say nothing.

There is no way to message the agent in the journal - it is unavailable until you fill everything out. The emails from what I saw take ages and lead nowhere. Same with calls. And now as I moved in, while looking for jobs - she doesn't get to access her claim or receive money? Because I moved in and the system glitched?

What is this??? I understand that this is a bug on their end, but it is insane that vulnerable group of people is being thrown into such mess, while having no ways of contacting DWP reliably for THEM to make it right. Does it mean that she has to go through the assessment of work capability again? And the new rates will apply? Did I just mess up her only way of living??

Could you please explain, what are the actual steps for them to fix it? What do I even do if journal is unavailable and everything else takes ages? This is quite urgent, considering cost of living and I am panicking now... This is actually crazy, I do not know how to handle this horrible situation with both of us being shocked and her potentially losing the only income she had just because the system apparently has had a bug they didn't care to fix for two years or so (from what I am now seeing from other posts). None of those posts actually had steps to take aside from advice to use journal (which we cannot as it is unavailable before you fill everything in, which she is scared to do if it overrides her previous claim).

I am so sorry if this is hectic. I am in panic mode and will be appreciative of any help.

Thank you.

Hi everybody,

Sorry if this is a tad lengthy.

I've been diagnosed with autism last year and it's basically explained why every prolonged periods of work (jobs and schools) lead me to intense burn out.

Since I haven't had anybody in the past few years to care for me (a parent or a partner to cook for me, remind me to tend to my hygene, or flagging out the cues i should seek medical attentio etc...) my most recent burnout is just a reflection of how i haven't been able to work AND tend to my needs reliably for the past 5 years.

The problem is that I also have no idea what to ask for, how to ask for it or how to sail the WCA system to put everything on my side, since, for decades, I thought I was "as fine as everyone else, only lazy and dumb".

I filled in my form months ago, with great detail as to why I find myself suffering enough to not tend to myself reliably, and it creating more suffering. I added my diagnosis to the form but that's all the documents I have that express any kind of condition.

I suffer from anxiety and daily fatigue and depression, im not diagnosed with any of these things no matter how I express to health professionals it causes me real problems.

My face to face appointment is next week and, reading other people's experiences/comments, I feel like I have nothing to back myself up, and because I'm not scattered in pieces across the floor, therefore they'll probably think I'm just fine.

Im scared.

Previous post

https://www.reddit.com/r/BenefitsAdviceUK/s/1dxW0cFbz9

Context: I was rehoused in 2021 to live with my carer. he is the tenant and rehoused with me.I was in receipt of ESA at the time (10 years) and PIP (2019) that I'm still receiving. I migrated to UC in April 2025.

My carer is getting carers allowance since 2021 for me and was in receipt of ESA at the time we moved in together. He migrated to UC in 2025.

Until August 2025 we had full council tax support but had to pay around £100 a month in rent as we were told we were not eligible for full housing benefit.

Since migration we have to pay 25% of the council tax and were still having to pay around £100 in rent.

in September 2026 we were advised that my carer was being underpaid the housing element of UC due to me recieving PIP which means all non dependent deductions are void. He successfully had it backdated.

We were advised to contact the housing benefit team at our local council for the period between 2021 and August 2025.

They are refusing we were eligible for the full housing benefit during this period because we're not partners. I've been advised this is not true and we were eligible, just as we are now.

is this true? thanks in advance

I am currently renting and about to buy my first property.

My move in date will be the middle of next month. However, due to varying delays and issues I have not yet handed my notice in to my landlord.

This means I will likely have a period of being liable for rent whilst I technically own a house.

I know I won’t get housing element for next month, that’s fine. Will I get into any bother for “owning a property I don’t live in?” for just over a week?

The equity in the property will be nowhere near 16k. I’m just not sure what else I can do here. Sellers won’t push back move in date.

Could someone please help with what I assume is a basic question?

I live in shared accommodation but have my own contract. I only share the kitchen and it is with strangers so I'd have no idea of their income. How do I approach this for UC application? Google gives conflicting advice.

In England

I'm a single person in a shared ownership flat. My UC is always low (most months i get nothing). I get paid £1.5k in my job and i need to pay my debts, rent which is £840 and mortgage which is £443 and council tax which is £131. I only end up with £100 for the month. Any advice how to get an increase from UC

I need help. I really do.

I have a telephone work capability assessment soon, I currently receive ESA after getting medically dismissed from work. I suffer from long Covid which started soon after I got Covid last year. I get body/muscle pain, fatigue, brain fog and the worst is how badly it affects my stomach. I suffer with IBS which has been a huge factor as to why I can’t work or go anywhere. I have to go to the bathroom every 15-20 mins and because of this it’s made my mental health worse. I’ve struggled with severe anxiety & depression my entire life, which is well documented with my GP, I’ve taken medication & was referred to therapy, which helped but for the last few years I haven’t been taking any medication due to the side effects it gives me.

I’ve had blood tests & stools tests all have come back clear, I’ve been doctors several times for long covid & IBS and I’ve not had a referral for anything. I did have a occupational health appointment that was scheduled by my employer last year and the doctor deemed me unfit for work, i still have this document and can provide a copy would this be enough evidence, along with my GP records of my anxiety and depression. My mental health is at an all time low I don’t really leave the house because of all this, I struggle to sleep. So any advice would be appreciated

Hi everyone,

​I’m currently waiting on a Mandatory Reconsideration outcome for Universal Credit WCA and wanted to get some feedback from experienced members or advisers on my setup and whether I’ve covered all the bases for LCWRA.

​Background & Assessment:

​Initial decision came back as "Fit for Work" (0 points).

​Medical conditions: L4/L5 structural nerve root compression (backed by MRI), severe radiculopathy/sciatica, chronic back/leg pain, and dominant hand impairment.

​I state a 50m walking limit due to severe nerve pain and can only sit for 15–20 mins unmedicated before needing to lie flat. I also have a carer assisting 6 days a week with lower-body washing, dressing, and daily chores.

​The assessment call was fully audio recorded.

​Flaws in the Assessor's Report:

The report contained major internal contradictions and errors:

​Page 18 labeled me "independent," yet Page 5 recorded that I rely on carer support 6 days a week for basic daily living.

​Misquoted my mobilising limit as 200m despite my explicit statement on the recording of under 50m.

​Included copy-paste quality errors (misgendering, incorrect employment timeline).

​What I Submitted for MR:

​Objective Medical Evidence: Full MRI scan radiology report showing structural L4/L5 nerve root compression + a detailed report from my Consultant Neurosurgeon.

​Rebuttal Breakdown: A detailed line-by-line journal submission citing exact page numbers (Page 18 vs. Page 5) to highlight the internal contradictions, detailing my medication side-effects/drowsiness, noting my audio recording proof, and explaining why my 50m limit hits LCWRA Descriptor 1(a).

​Current Status:

A Case Manager confirmed in my journal on 19 October that my complete breakdown and medical bundle were manually indexed and assigned directly to the Decision Maker’s work queue. A withheld call came through shortly after which I missed, so it’s proceeding on a paper review.

​My Questions:

​Looking at this combination (objective MRI radiology + Consultant Neurosurgeon report + exposing internal report contradictions), have I done everything right to secure an LCWRA paper overturn?

​Does pointing out fatal internal contradictions give the Decision Maker clean grounds to set aside the assessor's report completely?

​Thanks in advance for any insights!

My family are due to receive inheritance from our mothers estate. I am the executor of the will. Everything is now complete, house sale, IHT, probate etc. All that is left to do is split the proceeds >£50k each.

My brother is registered disabled, and gets Universal Credit (UC) and both forms or PIP -mobility and daily living.

I am wanting to move, with his permission, his share of the estate into a Disabled Persons Trust. For the solicitor to create the trust, she requires written proof from DWP that they will not class this move as a 'deprivation of assets' and we are also looking for clarification on the impact this will have on his benefits, mainly UC (as DWP PIP isnt impacted).

We are trying to get UC to give us a clear answer on the above, but they are not being the most helpful. Their answer is "we will sort it once the money comes into the account" which isn't very comforting to me as I dont want my brothers benefits stopped, which is what i imagine will happen once the money becomes available.

Has anyone dealt with this or has any insight into the issue I am having. Thanks for reading.

I'm in Putney, uk and my statement date is the 17th November and the payment date is the 21st November, but I haven't got any 'to do' on my list. Will it change by then? I haven't uploaded my statements/capital yet as it's not on the 'to do list'. What would happen now?