Newsletter archive
September 2021
- See Universal Credit calculations with or without the £20 a week uplift.
- How we are influencing government to retain the £20 a week uplift
- We urge the Prime Minister not to cut Universal Credit
- How the Health and Social Care Levy will affect care workers
- Policy alternatives to the £20 cut to Universal Credit
July 2021
- Update: Improved user experience on mobiles and tablets
- Update: Improved accessibility
- Update: Improved results page
January 2021
- Update: SDP Gateway changes
- Update: Improvements to ‘use averages’ in the Budget section
- Update: Improved ‘manage users’ section
October 2020
- Update: Improved student income section
- Update: Add health insurance payments
- Update: Improved search for saved cases
- Update: Notifications within the calculator
September 2020
- Update: Create better internal reports with your calculator inputs and outputs
July 2020 update
Better Off Calculator gets an interface refresh:
- Easier to view calculation results and actions
- Easier to see important additional information on the results page
- Easier to view pop up advice
- Easier to see which page and scenario you’re working on
- Easier to see a summary of your case at a glance
- Your branding is now more evident throughout your calculator
June 2020 updates
- Update: New income source options
- Update: New COVID-19 Council Tax Support flagged
- Update: Easier application for new-style JSA/ESA and Pension Credit
- Update: Clearer display for Universal Credit claimants in temporary accommodation
- Update: Upgraded log in with Multi-Factor Authentication and Single Sign-On
- Free webinar: How to simplify the complexity of surplus earnings
- Free supports: Dedicated COVID-19 page
May 2020 updates
- Update: Surplus earnings and irregular earnings
- Update: Upgraded log in with multi-factor authentication and single sign-on
Late April 2020 updates
- Update: Results for working-age users now show Universal Credit by default
- Update: Contributory benefits default to Yes
- Update: Change to tax credit questions
- Update: The benefit cap ‘grace period’
- Update: Minimum Income Floor section for advisors
- Update: Simplified for pensioners
- Coming soon: Surplus earnings and irregular earnings
- Coming soon: Upgraded log in with multi-factor authentication and single sign-on
- Free support page on Your income and Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Free training dates for 2020
April 2020 updates
- Update: April uprating now live
- Update: Coronavirus COVID-19 changes
- Update: Changes to the Universal Credit Calendar clarify when money will be received
- New: Free support page on Your income and Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Coming soon: Your Better Off Calculator gets a makeover
- Coming soon: Upgraded log in with multi-factor authentication and single sign-on
- Free online training
March 2020 updates
- New functionality: Settled status questions, tooltips and alerts for EEA migrants
- Optional new feature: Discretionary Housing Payment tool for councils
- Update: Use your calculator to increase benefit take-up
- Free training: dates for 2020
November 2019 updates
- Update: Better tooltips
- New feature: Give advice for 16 – 18 year olds now
- New feature: Flag to show eligibility for Severe Disability Premium
- Optional new feature: Service charges can be added as a total amount
- Update: Transitional Protection calculations for Harrogate residents
August 2019 updates
- Update: Calculations are now more than a minute faster
- Update: Accuracy checks: working with the DWP and Citizens Advice
- Update: The ABI launch Percy: The Protection Calculator
July 2019 updates
- Update: Scotland and Northern Ireland welfare systems now included
- Update: ‘Change your earnings’ feature flags up a potential move to Universal Credit
- New questions: LHA rate, self-employment
- Coming up: Better Off Calculator Steering Group
February 2019 updates
- Update: What happened at our first Better Off Calculator user group
- Improved format: Council Tax Support results
- New feature: Standard Financial Statement Spending Guidelines
- New alert: Help to Save Account
- Please give your feedback (Customer survey)
- Update: removed alerts about Universal Credit live areas
November 2018 updates
- New notification: Work Allowance changes
- New feature: Minimum Income Floor and Council Tax Support
- New notification: Severe Disability Premium
- New feature: Recording debts secured on a property
- New notification: Offsetting pension income against contributory benefits
August 2018 updates
- Give accurate assessments for disabled customers
- Add notes on expenditure and budgeting
- Give accurate Council Tax support assessments
- Stay logged in for 30 days by clicking Remember me
- Latest free training dates
- Report bugs and suggest improvements
June 2018 updates
- Transitional protection for people getting Severe Disability Premium and people with savings of over £16,000 who have moved onto Universal Credit from tax credits
- New integrated local advice tool from Lasa
- Children of people who are non-dependant
- Better Off Calculator and GDPR compliance
- Latest free training dates
- Report bugs and suggest improvements
April 2018 updates
- Benefit advice for European Economic Area (EEA) migrants
- Benefit advice on the new Surplus Earnings rule
- Export management reports into MS Excel
- New benefit amounts valid from 6 April 2018
- Support for Mortgage Interest is now converted to a loan
- Information for Carers and Carers Allowance
- Show Council Tax support for banded schemes
- Free training
- Report bugs and suggest improvements
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March 2018 updates
- Temporary Housing and Universal Credit
- Improved case print outs
- Notifications about other benefits and services that may help
February 2018 updates
- Local Authority name automatically shown
- Age is important for correct calculations
- Overwrite pre-populated values
- Changes to some tooltip terminology
- Explain income changes in the Universal Credit payment calendar
- Determining eligibility for Universal Credit just got quicker
- We’ve boosted case security
- Collapsed case headings give an at-a-glance view
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January 2018 updates
- Helping couples maxmise their income just got easier
- View changed earnings by hour, week or month
- Save your scenarios