rti error
Some claimants have difficulties when it comes to the wages information that Universal Credit uses and there can be various things that cause these problems.
When a claimant first contacts Universal Credit and says they disagree with the earnings figure, the first thing that they are asked to do is attend the job centre with wages slips and bank statements. Universal Credit will also raise an 'RTI dispute'.
99% of the time this an absolutely pointless activity. DWP need to use the info on the RTI feed. It is completely irrelevant what wage slips and bank accounts say. The RTI team will look at the same info they had initially and come back after a number of weeks and say the decision is unchanged.
The best thing anyone can do when they see there is an error is log on to HMRC site using government gateway and access the RTI feed them self to see what the employer has in fact reported.
When a claimant first contacts Universal Credit and says they disagree with the earnings figure, the first thing that they are asked to do is attend the job centre with wages slips and bank statements. Universal Credit will also raise an 'RTI dispute'.
99% of the time this an absolutely pointless activity. DWP need to use the info on the RTI feed. It is completely irrelevant what wage slips and bank accounts say. The RTI team will look at the same info they had initially and come back after a number of weeks and say the decision is unchanged.
The best thing anyone can do when they see there is an error is log on to HMRC site using government gateway and access the RTI feed them self to see what the employer has in fact reported.
Depending on what your RTI feed shows, will tell you what your next step should be.
If the RTI feed has errors in it
This is the information that your employer reported to HMRC. Every employer has a responsibility ensure that accurate information is sent through to HMRC in a timely manner and not doing so could result in your employer being fined heavily.
If the employer is reporting incorrect figures, then they should be submitting a correction as soon as possible and when this is done, your RTI feed will reflect this.
It is at this point, that you would ask DWP to open an RTI dispute and it could be helpful to present them with the information on your RTI feed now. If the earnings are again not corrected then write out a journal entry explaining HMRC hold the correct info and that you wish for it to be referred to a decision maker with a copy of your own RTI feed.
Universal Credit is notorious for saying “We can only go by what gets reported to us”. if your dispute comes back saying that Universal Credits are not going to change their minds then your next step is asking for a Mandatory Reconsideration, if this also fails your next step is going to a tribunal. If you need any help with this one of the admin team will be able to help you.
If the employer has reported your earnings late then this is more difficult as Universal Credit are to use the date they received the information and that is set out in legislation. We would normally advise at this point, that you speak to your employer and explain the consequences that their reporting is having on your finances and remind them that they have a duty to report on time.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-happens-if-you-dont-report-payroll-information-on-time
It really isn't a good idea to self report with the correct date, as the earnings will be duplicated when Universal Credit pull through the information.
Getting your MP involved can sometimes speed things up and get problems solved.
If the RTI feed is correct
Occassionally everything can be working fine between the employer and HMRC but there is a problem in Universal Credit receiving the information on an ongoing basis. The first thing to check is do HMRC have your correct address because Universal Credit may fail to pull through the information if the addresses don't match. Also check that HMRC and Universal Credit have the same spelling of your name, especially if any hyphens or apostrophes. In some situations though, everything can be correct and UC just fail to pull through the information every single month and this can cause a lot of stress to the claimant with self reporting each month and being notified the claim is closed until the information is received.
Normally at this point it can help to speak to a member of the admin team for advice or even speak to your MP and see what they can get done at the service centre for you.
Expenses and mileage being used as earnings
This would be due to the way your employer is reporting them through the RTI system. Non-taxable income should not be coming through to Universal Credit and if it is it means that your employer is making an error in their reporting. They should submit a correction and once this is correct then ask Universal Credit to raise an RTI dispute and follow up with a mandatory reconsideration and appeal if necessary.
If the RTI feed has errors in it
This is the information that your employer reported to HMRC. Every employer has a responsibility ensure that accurate information is sent through to HMRC in a timely manner and not doing so could result in your employer being fined heavily.
If the employer is reporting incorrect figures, then they should be submitting a correction as soon as possible and when this is done, your RTI feed will reflect this.
It is at this point, that you would ask DWP to open an RTI dispute and it could be helpful to present them with the information on your RTI feed now. If the earnings are again not corrected then write out a journal entry explaining HMRC hold the correct info and that you wish for it to be referred to a decision maker with a copy of your own RTI feed.
Universal Credit is notorious for saying “We can only go by what gets reported to us”. if your dispute comes back saying that Universal Credits are not going to change their minds then your next step is asking for a Mandatory Reconsideration, if this also fails your next step is going to a tribunal. If you need any help with this one of the admin team will be able to help you.
If the employer has reported your earnings late then this is more difficult as Universal Credit are to use the date they received the information and that is set out in legislation. We would normally advise at this point, that you speak to your employer and explain the consequences that their reporting is having on your finances and remind them that they have a duty to report on time.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-happens-if-you-dont-report-payroll-information-on-time
It really isn't a good idea to self report with the correct date, as the earnings will be duplicated when Universal Credit pull through the information.
Getting your MP involved can sometimes speed things up and get problems solved.
If the RTI feed is correct
Occassionally everything can be working fine between the employer and HMRC but there is a problem in Universal Credit receiving the information on an ongoing basis. The first thing to check is do HMRC have your correct address because Universal Credit may fail to pull through the information if the addresses don't match. Also check that HMRC and Universal Credit have the same spelling of your name, especially if any hyphens or apostrophes. In some situations though, everything can be correct and UC just fail to pull through the information every single month and this can cause a lot of stress to the claimant with self reporting each month and being notified the claim is closed until the information is received.
Normally at this point it can help to speak to a member of the admin team for advice or even speak to your MP and see what they can get done at the service centre for you.
Expenses and mileage being used as earnings
This would be due to the way your employer is reporting them through the RTI system. Non-taxable income should not be coming through to Universal Credit and if it is it means that your employer is making an error in their reporting. They should submit a correction and once this is correct then ask Universal Credit to raise an RTI dispute and follow up with a mandatory reconsideration and appeal if necessary.