The timing of benefit payments needs to be more flexible to fit the diverse needs of different families.
This is one of the recommendations from the Resolution Foundation’s report (pdf) on the Universal Credit (UC) system, in October 2017.
This report builds on the work of Resolution Foundation’s 2015 expert panel-led review of UC. It also updates the analysis that fed into the conclusions of that review.
The Resolution Foundation recommends:
- Removing the seven day wait for UC entitlement and strip down processing days to significantly reduce the six week wait for an initial payment
- Introducing faster payment, or at least faster assurance of payment of housing support, for out-of-work families beginning a UC claim
- Allow self-employed workers to report their income in line with the tax system, at present annually in arrears, and apply the MIF on the same basis.