To ask about universal credit

[Satansgourd]

Not a bashing thread, just purely fact searching.

Would you qualify with one child over 18 and having voluntarily left a job?

Asking as a friend has asked to borrow money until they kick in. But I’m not sure they even qualify

TIA

I don't know, but you could run what you know of her circumstances through a benefits calculator and see what it says.

Child over 18 is not a child surely?
And you wouldn't have received old fashioned benefits if you voluntarily became unemployed, so doubt UC is any different

Quitting work could lead to a sanction of 3 months.

The child over 18 isn't considered relevant except in that they are deemed to be contributing to the household, even if they aren't IYSWIM.

So it reduces the entitlement.

UC has 'sanctions', if you resign you can be made ineligible for up to 91 days. That would be from the date of resigning, so if you resigned on 1st June and claimed on 1st July, then the 30 days already elapsed would be knocked off that.

But in general you should apply anyway, because it's obviously not 100% that they would sanction you.

Is the child in full time education still ? If they are working then there is no non dependent deduction on the rent element until the young person turns 21.

No, the child isn’t working.

So sanctioned if you resigned voluntarily. I did suspect as much.

Thank you

Sorry, to clarify - the 18 year old is finishing up A levels and will be heading to uni

You said over 18, make your mind up.

First of all of you have a 18 year old child unless you are on a high income then you should be on tax credits, not universal credit.

And then the change in circumstances would trigger a move to UC.

And then the sanction is the amount of the standard allowance, which is £250/month.

So you would still be entitled to UC you just wouldn't get the full amount.

In other words it's a maximum of £750.

But you wouldn't get anything if you had savings in any case.

I mean to say you should be on tax credits long term if you have a child, unless you earn too much, in which case you get neither tax credits nor universal credit.

Not that high earners can get UC.

TC are no longer available for new claimants, and you'd potentially end up on UC given a change in circumstances.

The big difference between TCs and UCs is that millionaires could (and did) contain tax credits , but with UC theres a strict savings limit