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How A 'Design Flaw' In The Universal Credit Algorithm Is Forcing People To Go Hungry

Universal Credit claimants are being forced to go hungry, fall into debt and face psychological distress because of a “design flaw” in the benefit’s algorithm, a human rights charity said.

A new report by the Human Rights Watch claims the “poorly designed” system, which relies on an automated means-tested computer algorithm to calculate social security benefits to people out of work or on a low income, “threatens the rights of people most at risk of poverty”.

It has called on the UK government to implement a comprehensive redesign of the algorithm at a time when up to nine million workers risk facing redundancy with the end of the furlough scheme looming.

Universal Credit claimants are entitled to receive payments based on changes to earnings, but the charity claims the data only uses the wages people receive within a calendar month and ignores how frequently people are paid.

In cases where an individual is paid multiple times in one month (as is common among people in irregular or low-paid jobs), the algorithm can overestimate earnings and “drastically” shrink Universal Credit payments.

One claimant, who had been paid two sets of wages over an eight-week period, said he had been forced into rent arrears after receiving a lower-than-expected payment from the DWP.

“You’re banging your head on a brick wall with Universal Credit,” he said. “I like work … it gives me some pride but I just don’t understand how [the payments] work out. Doesn’t make sense, does it? I am worse off going to work.”

Another person described the payments she had received as being “random” and said she was “always on eggshells” after receiving £1,000 short of what she needed to pay the rent, bills and support her two children.

“I am living on whatever I can find in my cupboard at the moment,” she said. “I skip a meal so my children can eat and to ensure that the bills are paid.”

The DWP has estimated that a record 3.4 million people in the UK applied for Universal Credit between March and June.
The DWP has estimated that a record 3.4 million people in the UK applied for Universal Credit between March and June.

People are also having to wait five weeks for their first payment, which...

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