Universal Credit was designed to boost work incentives for people. Over a decade after its launch, this study explores the extent to which UC makes fluctuating work pay. Our analysis shows that one in three working households on UC face a significant change in income at least one month in a year. This has knock on effects for their eligibility for other national and local schemes to help with food costs, prescriptions and council tax which, in turn, weakens households' financial resilience and wellbeing while adding pressure to council's ability to support working residents.

Having income that changes from one month to the next makes it much harder to budget and plan ahead. Our new report on income volatility provides clear analysis to help people better predict their next Universal Credit payment while also highlighting key issues for policymakers. One of the most striking findings is just how much deductions contribute to income instability and how frequently people gain or lose access to passported benefits within a single year. The report sets out sensible, low cost steps the government can take to ensure Universal Credit remains simple in both policy and practice.

This quote from a social worker really sums up MAST: Ultimately for me and my colleagues, this will be a game changer. So often we do not know about things that have happened with our families. Sometimes schools are told, sometimes schools then tell us, sometimes no one knows for weeks. Not only would this save us time and effort, but it would allow us to make much better decisions for our priorities and interact better across the system.