How Do I Upload My CV To Universal Credit?

Universal Credit is a state benefit for UK citizens above the age of 18 and below the state pension age that aims to provide financial assistance to individuals who are either out of work or on a low income. Through this blog post, we will explain how to upload your CV on the Universal Credit portal so that you are able to find an appropriate job. We will also explore the process of uploading other relevant documents to the UC portal, discuss the eligibility criteria and analyse how a UC claimant should schedule their committed hours to search for a job.

How Do I Upload My CV To Universal Credit?

In order to upload your CV to your Universal Credit online account, you can use one of these options:

use the CV builder in Universal Jobmatch
upload your CV in MS Word or PDF format
copy and paste your CV from a device

It is advisable to keep your CV relevant and updated; as well as avoid unnecessary details such as your bank account details or national insurance number.

To upload documents in support of your CV and forthcoming job applications, claimants will need to use their UC user ID and password to login into their Universal Credit account. There, they will find a “to-do list” that indicates the names/titles of documents that are required to be uploaded along with a due date for task completion.

Here, you will find the option to click on a tab and upload a file. You can upload five files to the portal at the same time. If you need to change the document that has been uploaded, you can also delete it and upload another document. Once you are sure that you have uploaded all the necessary documents, you can click on “Done” and your documents will be submitted to your work coach.

Universal Credit has replaced six benefits, referred to as the “legacy benefits” by serving a single payment for households and helping them meet housing and childcare costs. These include the following:

Income Support
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Housing Benefit
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit

Additionally, it provides support for health conditions, disabilities or the role of a carer that prevents claimants from working full time or working at all.

What Is A PSN Number For Universal Credit?

A PSN number or a Personal Security Number is a 16 digit individual and confidential number assigned to claimants of Universal Credit after their first interview with their work coach. This is part of the Universal Credit claims process.

If you are about to make a claim for Universal Credit; either due to recent eligibility for the state benefit or if you are transferring from other benefits to Universal Credit, you will be required to apply online through the GOV.UK web portal. You will have to create an online account using a unique user identification and password. For this, you will need a phone number and an email address. If you are making a joint claim with a partner, you should keep UC account information to yourself.

If your relationship status falls under any of the following categories, you will be required to make a joint claim with your partner:

married
civil partnership
living together as a couple

Once your online account is created, you must keep these details safe as you will need them to receive and send updates regarding your Universal Credit claim. The DWP will ask you at this time whether you prefer to receive updates via text message, email or phone call.

You will still need a PSN number if you are unable to access the internet to create your Universal Credit account. In such cases, you may seek the help of a family member or inform the DWP of your situation. Reasons for lack of access to the internet can be anything from not being confident of using a smartphone to weak sight, a disability or that someone is unable to read or write.

Why Am I Having Problems With Universal Credit Identity Verification?

Sometimes new customers have problems with identity verification with Universal Credit due to one (or more) of the following reasons:

they don’t know how to use a computer
they don’t have access to a computer and/or free internet
they don’t have an email address
they don’t have a bank account
they don’t have a mobile number
they need support in completing their UC application

If you use Government Gateway, you will be able to secure your identity by creating a specific user id and password by providing documented information about yourself.

Yet, there may be times when there is no specific reason why you are having problems with your identity verification; however, chances are that you are a new customer and the process is taking time due to the system being shifted online in post-pandemic (covid-19) times.

When you apply for Universal Credit through their online portal your job centre is automatically notified of your online application. This means that even if you don’t receive an identity verification, you can expect to receive a call from the jobcentre to confirm your details. However, if you think that a reasonable time has passed between your application and the response time from your job centre, you can call on their toll-free number or email them to seek feedback.

What Do They Ask You In A Universal Credit Phone Appointment?

In addition to your personal identification details, you can be asked about any of the following areas of your life during a phone appointment with regards to the Universal Credit claim:

your identification details from your passport or driving license
your postcode
your NI number
your bank account, building society or credit union account number
your monthly rental payments
your landlord’s address
details of your savings and capital investments
details of your income and benefits
details of any child care payments made by you
child benefit reference numbers (if any)

Who Is Eligible For Universal Credit?

To qualify for Universal Credit, claimants must be able to fulfil the below eligibility criteria:

aged between 18 (in some cases it may be 16 or 17) and state pension age
unemployed or on low income
between the claimant and their partner, total savings are less than £6,000
experiencing high costs for childcare
suffering from a disability or health condition
caring for someone else

The amount of Universal Credit that an individual receives depends on their personal circumstances and income (if any). For instance, someone who is single and younger than 25 years of age will be eligible for Universal Credit amounting to around £257 per month. Meanwhile, this amount will rise to around £509 for someone who is living with a partner and either one of them or both of them are above the age of 25.

How Do You Spend 35 Hours In Job Search To Claim Universal Credit?

If you have agreed in your Claimant Commitment for Universal Credit that you will spend 35 hours per week working or looking for work, you will be required to keep up with this commitment to continue claiming Universal Credit payments. This includes the following activities:

drafting an appropriate CV and cover note
customising your CV and cover note to each job that you apply for
conducting research on employers and transport links
setting up online job alerts
creating an online employee profile
applying for suitable positions
following up on job applications
social networking with the intent to look for a job
preparing for your interview

You must record your activities in order to track your progress and share the results with your work coach. This will serve as evidence that you have managed to keep up with your Claimant Commitment of spending 35 hours looking for a job. Once you do start a job, you can keep the authorities updated on your working hours.

What Counts As Income For Universal Credit?

During your benefits calculation by the DWP, not only is your job-related income(s) taken into account, but the authorities will also consider unearned incomes. These are incomes that individuals receive without having to work.

Unearned incomes that affect your Universal Credit payments include the following:

Jobseeker’s Allowance (new style)
Employment and Support Allowance (new style)
Pension Income
Carer’s Allowance
State benefits that aren’t replaced by Universal Credit

For every £1 earned through any of the above means, £1 will be reduced from your Universal Credit payments.

When Do I Tell Universal Credit I Have A Job?

You should inform the Department for Work and Pensions immediately when you have a job, an increase in pay or any other change in circumstances that affect your eligibility criteria or the scale of payments that you receive in the form of Universal Credit (or any other state benefit).

In case of finding a job, you are required to provide the below information to the DWP:

who your employer is
the date when the job will start
the date by when your pay will increase

It is understandable that with a rise in income, you will face a reduction in your benefits. In the case of Universal Credit, for every £1 that you (or your partner earn), 55p will be counted as income during your Universal Credit calculation. While communicating a change to the DWP, you should state your disposable income in such cases, which is the take-home amount after your deduction of taxes, NIC and pension fund from your gross income.

Conclusion:

Through this article, we have learned how to upload your CV and other relevant documents to the Universal Credit portal as you search for a job. The process is a simple copy-paste function if your CV is saved on a device or you can take the help of the online CV builder option. You must keep your CV relevant and updated and make sure that the supporting documents that you upload with it are factual and relevant.

FAQs: How Do I Upload My CV To Universal Credit?

Can you upload documents to universal credit?

Yes, through the Full-Service online system, claimants of Universal Credit can upload their CV and other related documents.

Do I have to upload my CV to universal credit?

Yes, if your claimant commitment requires you to actively search for work, you are required to upload your CV to universal credit.

How do I upload documents to the gov. uk website?

To upload documents to the gov. uk website, claimants can simply click on upload, select the required files and click on submit. Sometimes, they will also need to provide their New Adviser Competence Statement if appropriate and also provide their first name, surname and email address.

Can you upload documents to HMRC?

Yes, if you have been asked to do so, you can upload documents to HMRC. It is mostly in the case of documents like licences or certificates of origin that your will need to do so.