{"id":43960,"date":"2023-11-06T11:59:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T11:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lethal-industry.com\/?p=43960"},"modified":"2023-11-06T11:59:01","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T11:59:01","slug":"millions-of-universal-credit-claimants-hit-by-payment-deductions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lethal-industry.com\/world-news\/millions-of-universal-credit-claimants-hit-by-payment-deductions\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions of Universal Credit claimants hit by payment deductions"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Millions of Universal Credit claimants saw their payments slashed this year to repay debts.<\/p>\n

Figures have revealed for the three months to May 2023, there were 2.3 million deductions across the UK. This is the equivalent of \u00a36.8million each month being deducted from payments.<\/p>\n

A common reason for a deduction is a person owing money such as for their rent, council tax or energy bills, with money taken directly from their benefits towards paying off the amount.<\/p>\n

A claimant will be informed if they face a deduction by a letter or an update in their Universal Credit journal.<\/p>\n

Government guidance states a person on Universal Credit will get a five percent deduction for each debt they owe. For debts for rent, this increases to a deduction between 10 and 20 percent.<\/p>\n

READ MORE <\/strong> Full list of DWP November payment dates for state pension and benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Claimants can also arrange for an extra amount to be deducted from their benefits to go towards paying their bills.<\/p>\n

To arrange this for gas and electricity bills, a claimant will need to contact their energy supplier to give their consent and agree the amount to be deducted.<\/p>\n

A person can stop deductions for ongoing bills at any time they wish, by contacting the office that pays their benefit.<\/p>\n

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To change the amount a person is paying from their benefits, they will need to contact the supplier. A person can also arrange for their benefits to be deducted to go towards paying water bills.<\/p>\n

For those on Universal Credit, deductions will stop once a person has repaid their debts. Those on other benefits can request to continue to pay their bills via deductions.<\/p>\n

A claimant may also get deductions from their Universal Credit payment if they are paying off an advance payment.<\/p>\n