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Universal Credit can be claimed by anyone who has fallen on particularly difficult financial times. This includes the self-employed who in recent weeks have seen drastic changes made to

their claiming processes. Under normal circumstances, the government would use expected earnings to determine what amount of Universal Credit is paid. However, as coronavirus continued to be

a problem for the economy Rishi Sunak abolished the minimum income floor rules. This will be a relieving change for those it affects but it should be noted that some reporting duties are

required. The government still requires self-employed claimants to report their income and expenses every month, even if there is no income coming in. DON'T MISS: UNIVERSAL CREDIT

CHANGES: DWP LATEST ON PROCESS AS MILLIONS CLAIM The earnings must be reported of the last day of each assessment period. Thankfully, claimants will be provided with prompts to remind them

of it and keep them on track. A “Report your income and expenses to-do” will be posted on their Universal Credit account on the last day of each assessment period. If there is no income to

report, the claimant will simply need to report “no” when asked about self-employed earnings. Assessment period dates will likely be different for everyone but they will usually be

calculated from the day that a claim is submitted. They advise that self-employed claimants will need to keep a record of payments received into and paid out of the business which includes:

* the total amount the business received * how much the business spent on different types of expenses, such as travel costs, stock, equipment and tools, work clothing and office costs * how

much tax and National Insurance the claimant paid * any money the claimant paid into a pension It’s also possible that claimants may be asked for receipts for any expenses claimed. The

earnings from self-employment are calculated as the total amount the business received minus any payments made for certain permitted expenses, tax, national insurance or pension

contributions. On top of these reporting rules, the claimant must also notify the state of any changes in circumstances which can significantly affect the self-employed work. Examples of

this can include closing of the business or taking on certain caring responsibilities.