ucForward

ucForward is the first benefits advice tool that brings together an accurate, simple assessment of a client’s current entitlement to benefits and tax credits with an assessment of their situation under the new benefits schemes including Universal Credit and the new Pension Credits scheme; it even gives the precise date when Pension Credits will become payable.

The importance of understanding the individual impact of the changes on clients cannot be over-estimated, many people will be affected severely by changes which are being introduced over the next few years and need to understand the impacts now, in order to plan for them.

ucForward allows saving and loading of cases, to its own local storage or to a SQL database, and comes with all of the usual high level of content and support expected. It has an intelligent entry dialogue, detailed context sensitive help and add-on reckoners for common additional tasks are included.

An example reckoner, shown here, enables users to calculate the notional income from a pension fund. This will be taken into account as income for those people over Pension Credit age, for most means tested benefits.

Multiple formatted reports are provided and subscribers have access to the Ferret Helpline which provides support on benefits queries as well as program support. ucForward can be set for auto-updates where security settings permit or updates are sent, whenever changes to rules or rates require it, to subscribers.

People considering taking on commitments, such as a new property, or looking ahead to changes of circumstance, such as retirement, starting a family or looking at changing relationships, need to understand whether, and how, they are likely to be affected by the changes. The same is true for landlords, and others, who must understand the changing situation of their tenants and clients.