PLEASE can someone help me with Universal Credit, I am desperate

[UCHelpPlease]

Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I am getting really worried and think I have made a huge mistake. I started a Mental Health Nursing last week which will be full time + placement. I am a single mother of one dd who is in primary school. Because of the intensity of the course I have given up my full time job as this was Monday- Friday so couldn't work my hours around DD and uni.

I was receiving £47 a week in child tax credits plus child benefit. I am in a rented property and decided to apply for universal credit to get help with my housing costs. I was wary and at first decided against applying for UC due to all the horror stories I have heard. I worked out I could afford all my outgoings plus rent with a combination of my loan, maintenance (£100 ppm), child benefit and the tax credits but things would be a bit tight and have no room for things like xmas, car trouble etc.

(sorry if this is really long). So I applied for UC and have an appointment with the work coach next week. BUT I have been reading stories about what a nightmare universal credit is and now I am terrified I won't be entitled to anything as my maintenance is counted as income and they will deduct it from the UC claim which will leave me with nothing if that makes sense.

My loan consists of:
£13631.00
This is made up of £11962 Maintenance loan, £3680 special support (as I have DD) and a grant of £1669.00. The student loan letter states the £3680 will be disregarded and I am also assuming (maybe wrongly?) that the grant of £1669.00 will be disregarded as well.

The course is 12 months so the remaining about will then be divided by 12 which leaves my income at £690 pcm. Will I be entitled to anything on that? And does anyone know if I have calculated this right?

I am terrified I have made a huge mistake and I should never have applied for the universal credit. If they say I am not entitled to anything I won't even be able to afford rent and will probably have to quit uni weeks after I start. I should have just left it at tax credits and managed. I was so strict and worked out all the figures but in the spur of the moment applied for UC hoping that might make things a bit easier but now I am in a complete panic.

If you have got this far thank you so much for reading

Oh also I am going to ring them but I am not sure what they will tell me over the phone.

Have you tried inputting your figures into one of the online estimate calculators?

You see This is what angers me. The Government are always harping the fUck on about how single parents should get off their butt and make something of their lives and Yet The irony of it is you're trying to and now you're struggling. Sometimes It really doesn't pay the do the "right thing.
I don't have any advice but I'm rooting for you.

@CrochetBelle no I haven't, I tried to do it but as soon as I clicked on 'I'm a student' it said I couldn't use the estimator.

BabySpider thank you! I am really trying to better myself for me and my kid. I have worked since I was 15 and will hopefully be having a long career once I qualify but just need a little bit of help for the next few years but looks like I am not going to get it

What also annoys me is the loan is taken into account as income for UC even though it will be paid back!!

I m in a Facebook group called universal credit survival and they are usually good at working out your entitlement. Entitled to also has a n advice page on students and universal credit somewhere I think. I'm not on it yet but not looking forward to it!

I've had no trouble with it. Get citizens advice to help you with It, they know what they're doing.

Can I advise you to call the gingerbread helpline tomorrow? Have a look on their website, I think they open one evening a week for calls but you may have to sit in a queue for some time. I’m sorry, it’s a horrible situation to be in when you don’t know what the outcome will be. Can you do some sort of rapid reclaim for tax credits if universal credit doesn’t work in your favour?

You should have trusted your instincts not claimed UC. Has your tax credit claim been stopped yet?

would your uni help/advise you? check the student office

or student union!

My DD is one and I've been on universal credit, never anything else, I get £810 a month which covers my housing element, and all my other living costs including council tax, food etc and get £21 a week housing benefit, ever Monday. I've heard horror stories about UC and was dreading having to go on it, but have found it tbh okay, now I'm trying to find a job they've been nothing but helpful, they will help cover childcare costs and still put towards my money every month even if I'm working, maybe I just have a good office, but I've never had a problem with managing, being on dealing with UC , good luck xx

test

Universal credit essentials on Facebook are good. But I did a study on this for my MA and students with children are a group who have been seriously shafted by UC. All loans etc were disregarded for TC but not any more. The system has no long term planning at all as it is based on getting people into low paid crappy jobs now. The fact that a couple of years help to study or retrain may help that person earn far more and be less dependent on benefits is lost.

Care leavers will be doing work experience in Barnardos shops from next year.