#TalkMoney week: Meet Income Officer Laura
Hi my name is Laura. I’ve been at Stonewater now for 12 years working in various departments and I joined the Income team last year.
One of the biggest concerns I hear our customers have is how to manage their Universal Credit (UC) payments as the housing element is paid direct. So, to clarify things I thought I’d provide all our residents who receive UC a brief outline on how it all works:
The DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) send us your information on our online portal. It is then our responsibility to make sure we confirm your correct details back to the DWP including; your rent amount and any service charges that may apply.
The DWP will ensure that the correct housing element of your UC payment is paid to you but this means it’s your responsibility to make sure the housing element you are paid is then paid direct to us.
When you start your Universal Credit application, you will receive an online journal. On there you will be able to view; your details, add any change of circumstances and ask questions about your claim. It’s important to check the second page of your journal as that is where you’ll see the breakdown of how much personal and housing element you will be receiving in your UC payment.
As soon as you have this information we always recommend that our customers call us to set up a direct debit for the housing element payment to be paid to us on the same date you are paid your Universal Credit. This ensures your rent account is always up to date.