Before you ask for an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA) Be aware that…

Hello,

In case you are thinking of asking for an APA for Universal Credit (UC)here is some feedback of what happened to me.
I found the payment staff very pleasant in granting me the fortnightly UC APA in my journal.

- I asked for an Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA) to receive my Universal Credit every two weeks instead of every month.

- I will not give my exact 4 weeks assessment period, ( your UC letter gives you your first 4 weeks assessment period and the monthly amount you are to get for 4 weeks, on week 5)

But lets say for a first time UC assessment period of 4 weeks from 1st January till 28 January,
if I did not have an APA I would be supposed to get my full monthly amount of UC,
1 week after the assessment period,
at the end of week 5
approximately on the 4th or 5th of February.
(I checked with CAB Help to Claim and UC Helpline and they both confirmed that without and APA I would have got paid my full monthly UC for Week 1, Wk2, Wk3 and Wk4 which is paid in arrears.).

However, because I asked for a fortnightly APA of my Universal Credit,
My UC assessment letter says that:
- at the end of Week 5 I get Half the monthly Universal Credit they worked out, getting paid for Week 1 and Week 2.)
(My monthly Universal Credit amount worked out by UC, is exactly the same amount Citizens Advice Bureau Help to Claim had worked out I was supposed to get in the letter they emailed me. I really recommend CAB Help to Claim.)
- and at the end of Week 7 & I get the remaining half for Week 3 and Week 4.

So I would have been better off not asking for my UC to be paid via an Alternative Payment Arrangement paid more frequently every 2 weeks, because it is paid more in arrears than if paid once a month.

Hence I requested them to cancel the APA and pay me monthly instead.

When I enquired about my UC assessment letter and APA, I found the person I talked to at CAB Help to Claim and UC helpline pleasant and keen to help me.

So without an APA we get paid Week 1, Wk2, Wk 3 and Wk 4 on Week 5.
With anAPA paid every 2 weeks, on Week 5 we only get paid Week 1 and Week 2.
And on Week 7 we get paid the remaining half, for Week 3 and Week 4 for the previous month.

I hope this feedback will be helpful to someone.

Best wishes