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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask a universal credit question?

69 replies

BarcelonaBabes · 03/02/2013 15:57

To get benefits when it changes, if you are part of a couple, will you both have to be working? I'm confused

OP posts:
M0naLisa · 03/02/2013 16:00

I have sent my MP an email asking this and by the sounds even he doesnt know. he said he will find out and get back to me. So will let you know.

Fanjango · 03/02/2013 16:02

I thought that as a couple you would have to work 35 hours between you. It does not matter which/ both of you it is.

calandarbear · 03/02/2013 16:58

As I understood it a couple with no children have to work to earn the equivilent of 35 hrs at NMW each (70hrs at NMW in total)
A couple with children aged 5- 12 eqvilent of 35hrs at NMW for one parent and 24hrs at NMW for the parent nominated main child carer. (59hrs at NMW in total)
A couple with a child between 1 and 5 one must work 35hrs at NMW the other must atend keeping in touch interviews
A couple with a child under 1 one must work 35hes at NMW the other has no conditionality
I hope that helps

Sneezingwakesthebaby · 03/02/2013 16:59

I thought it depends on the age of your children or if you have any or not.

A couple with a child under 5 can nominate one person to be treated the same as a lone parent. This means they'll be treated the same way as a LP with work based interviews etc but their partner will have to work full time. I think this can be split as well with neither nominated but both working part time (20 hrs each) but not too sure. The same applies with a child under 12 but at that age the LP would work in school time so the nominated partner has to as well (other partner still full time). When there are no kids or kids above 12, both partners must work. One has to work full time and the other must work 20 hours. Buuuuut, if the full time partner earns more than minimum wage and their wage is the same as 55 hours minimum wage (so one full time and one part time person), the second person can choose whether to work or not.

No clue where I read that but I do remember reading it when I was going mad the other month looking into it all.

Sneezingwakesthebaby · 03/02/2013 17:01

Eek reading pp, I think I've got mine wrong maybe :O

StinkyWicket · 03/02/2013 17:01

So if I am working 35 hours at more than NMW and have three between 2-5, DH not working will we be entitled to anything?

I'm totally confused by it all but preparing for nothing Sad

calandarbear · 03/02/2013 17:05

Sneezing- I'm nowhere near certain that's just how I read the white paper.

Stinky- I think you would be able to claim as your children are young and one of you earns above the threshold.

OptimisticPessimist · 03/02/2013 17:07

I think I read somewhere that one of a couple can make on the full conditionality for the couple - for example if all the children are aged 5-12 then conditionality would be 35 hours and 24 hours at NMW which is £365 per week gross. If one partner earns that then neither of them would have to seek additional work. That's my understanding of it anyway.

OptimisticPessimist · 03/02/2013 17:08

that should say "can take on the full conditionality".

PearlyWhites · 03/02/2013 17:08

Stinky you will be entitled With no restrictions if you earn at least Nmw per hour multiplied by 59 (£369) a week per tax or if you don't earn enough dh will have to attend preparing for work meetings until your youngest dc is 5

MakingAnotherList · 03/02/2013 17:09

That's how I understand it too.

PearlyWhites · 03/02/2013 17:09

That's pre tax

vision123 · 03/02/2013 17:22

So if as a couple you work [one full time and one part time] and have a child aged 12 and you earn £369 a week together you will not be asked to work in poundland for free?

Original poster
BarcelonaBabes · 03/02/2013 17:28

What happens if neither of you have jobs and are job hunting?

OP posts:
vision123 · 03/02/2013 17:31

Which equals £19,188 a year.

So if as a couple you earn £19,188 or more you wont have to do free work.

Am I right or have I got it completely wrong.??

anniepanniepears · 03/02/2013 17:31

what about if your child is 15yrs

ssd · 03/02/2013 17:36

you know, I'm worrying about this too, but there doesnt seem to be any clear answers yet and threads like these might be causing worry when theres actually none there

we'll have to wait and see and panic then

vision123 · 03/02/2013 17:38

Agreed ssd............... I was not giving it a second thought until I read some stuff on here a couple of days ago.....

I should of kept to books and food.... ha ha

ssd · 03/02/2013 17:41

must admit I am panicking a bit but really dont know what to do for the best....I notice theres nothing about this sort of thing on the news till its too late, like the awful council tax benefit cuts coming in

vision123 · 03/02/2013 17:46

What concerns me about forums is I cannot find any really concrete details on the web, so where does everyone get their info from?

Viviennemary · 03/02/2013 17:49

I had a look on the government website and there are some articles you can download. I skimmed through a couple. Firstly it is being phased in until 2017 so not immediately for people already claiming. And for people who lose out if they are transferred on to UC and lose money that money will be made up until what they could claim under UC is the same as what they were getting before. Also at the moment people need to be working 16 hours before they can claim childcare costs. That's being removed.

But on the Housing Benefit side. It seems as if it will be up to the Local Authority what rules they will put in place. This doesn't seem very fair to me.

vision123 · 03/02/2013 17:52

viviennemary................... So if the money lost [if any] is going to be made up no one will lose anything.

It is being made to work somewhere without being paid which concerns me. Do you know anything about that?

Mrcrumpswife · 03/02/2013 17:53

This is the one i have read and is the simplest from the DWP.

www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/universal-credit-faqs.pdf

It should answer most questions.

Mrcrumpswife · 03/02/2013 17:56

When and how will Universal Credit be introduced?
Universal Credit will go live nationally in October 2013. However, from April 2013 a
Universal Credit ?Pathfinder? programme will take place in Tameside, Oldham, Wigan
and Warrington
The findings from the Pathfinder will be used to make changes (where necessary) to
ensure the new service is robust and reliable when Universal Credit goes live
nationally in October 2013.

More information
Pathfinder ? Press Release ? 24 May 2012
Universal Credit will start to take new claims from unemployed people in October
2013. For people in work this process will begin in April 2014.

The remainder of current claims will be moved to Universal Credit from 2014, with the
process being complete by 2017

The way i read this is that everyone who works now will be shifted onto UC from April 2014?

Sneezingwakesthebaby · 03/02/2013 17:58

I thought housing benefit is being merged in with the universal credit? The only thing that the local authorities deal with individually is the council tax benefit change. I think most councils have an explanation of what they are thinking of doing available on their websites now (well, apart from 12 of them, including mine grrr).

Also, if you are both job hunting on universal credit its like JSA now but I think its going to be stricter with more work programmes and stuff.

The only people who really need to worry right now are the ones in the four pilot councils. I think they are the only ones who have UC in April. The rest of us get it gradually from September.