Universal credit and self employment

Universal Credit will provide a new single system of means-tested support for working-age people who are in or out of work. It will also change the way that self employed people are supported by the benefits system since it will require i) monthly self reporting of income, and ii) self employed claimants to attend gateway interviews to evidence their self employment. The purpose of this research was to develop an understanding of current self-employed tax credit claimants to support the development of the process and policy for self employed people under Universal Credit. It examined the ability of self-employed claimants to evidence their earnings and the genuineness of their self employment. It also investigated how respondents reacted to the policy, including how it would affect their behaviour and circumstances.