Thousands of Universal Credit claimants will be put under pressure to find a job or boost their incomes as new rules are set to come into effect next month. For people receiving Universal Credit, there is what's called an Administration Earnings Threshold (AET).
Claimants with no earnings or with earnings below that threshold are placed in the Intensive Work Search regime. Such claimants, including those who have reported a health condition that does not affect their ability to work, are normally required to attend mandatory, face-to-face work search reviews.
When the AET rises in September, an estimated 114,000 will be plunged into the criteria for the Intensive Work Search regime, meaning they will have to attend weekly or fortnightly appointments at the job centre, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that from September, the AET will be raised from £355 to £494 a month for a single claimant, or from £567 to £782 a month for a couple.
Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the government's new approach will "help claimants get quickly back into the world of work while helping ensure employers get the people they and the economy needs."
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