Universal Credit warning as your earnings can reduce payments

If a claimant or their partner is employed, their Universal Credit payment will reduce by 55p for every £1 they or their partner earns. There is no limit to how many hours a person can work and their Universal Credit will not stop if they work more than 16 hours a week.Those who are self-employed will receive their payment based on the earnings they report at the end of each monthly assessment period.An individual who is gainfully self-employed will get their payment calculated using an assumed level of earnings, known as a minimum income floor.This is based on what an employed person on minimum wage would earn in similar circumstances.Those who earn above this amount will receive their Universal Credit based on their actual earnings.READ MORE: Millions worse off if PIP and Attendance Allowance are means tested Universal Credit payments may be affected if a person is in employment (Image: GETTY)Claimants are obliged to report any changes in their employment situation. Examples of this include:Closing a businessStarting a different kind of businessTaking up a permanent jobBecoming unable to workDON’T MISSRishi Sunak pressed on state pension triple lock [UPDATE]Coventry Building Society offers up to 4.85% on new savings accounts [ALERT]Martin Lewis explains how you can avoid being taxed on savings [INSIGHT]70 health conditions qualify for PIP payments worth £627 a month [UPDATE] Universal Credit supports people on low incomes (Image: EXPRESS)This may be the case if a person is paid weekly, every two weeks or every four weeks, or if their monthly payment date changes.If a person’s monthly payment date changes, they can sign into their online account to check how much their next monthly payment will be.If an individual is concerned they are being paid too much or too little Universal Credit, they can ask their work coach to move their wages into another assessment period.If a person is paid weekly, or every two weeks or four weeks, they will be told if their earnings are too high and if they need to reapply for Universal Credit.The DWP will inform a claimant if their payment stops altogether because their earnings are too high, and if their earnings decrease again they can reapply for the benefit.