UC review ongoing for 5 months with almost no communication.
Hi everyone,
I'm looking for some honest opinions from anyone who's been through a UC review or understands how they work.
My UC review started in February. I uploaded everything they requested in early March (way before the deadline), including bank statements and housing documents etc. To note I work full-time, rent privately and have 2 children.
I recently had a baby with my partner (2nd child). Before that, he was living elsewhere but had been helping me financially with preparing for the baby and household costs as I've moved into a larger property and general costs have increased. Since our baby was born, our circumstances have changed and he now lives with me and the children.
Because I wanted to make sure my claim was correct, I contacted UC myself during the review to explain that he had been financially supporting us and that our circumstances have changed. I asked whether I should now be making a joint claim because I wanted to make sure everything was correct and asked for guidance on what to do next.
Since then, I've received no guidance or updates. The only response I've had was when I asked to close my claim because I no longer believe I'd be entitled. They replied saying they couldn't close it because my claim is currently under review.
It's now been 5 months since the review started and apart from that one reply, I've heard nothing. No telephone appointment, no requests for further information and no indication of what stage the review is at.
My normal single claim has continued as I've had no response and the refusal to close it. I'm fully aware that an overpayment is probably on the cards, which i'm absolutely fine with and happy to sort and repay.
Has anyone experienced a review taking this long?
Does the length of the review usually mean anything or is it often just due to workload?
I'd really appreciate honest opinions from anyone who's been through something similar or who understands the review process.
Thanks.