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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask if anyone be knows about mature student and universal credit

23 replies

Everytimeiseeher · 17/09/2019 17:10

As above title explains I’m a 44yo mature full time student and working 1.5 days. My Partner works 24 hours a week and is also studying.

Including my student loan our combined household income is £1200 per month. It’s really tight and getting unmanageable to pay bills. I can earn more than my partner so I’m thinking of giving up my studies, which will kill me, but financially we can’t cope.
My partner is not a uk citizen and has no recourse to public funds. I’m on the understanding that if I claim UC I’m classed as single but with the income of both of us.
Does anyone know if I’d be entitled to anything? As far as I can see students cant claim at all. Student support were not helpful and offered for me to apply for a one off discretionary grant which would help out in the interim but I need to know where I am month to month.

I have 2 dc ages 15 and 13.

Ps I have applied but it will take to mid October for a decision

OP posts:

TripleASays · 17/09/2019 17:34

Check out the Turn2Us benefit calculator for an indication of how much UC you might be entitled to.

Well done for studying and working, OP. I know from experience how challenging it can be x

Musereader · 17/09/2019 17:46

Nobody can do the calculation or tell you as there is not enough info given.

Yes, you would be counted as single allowance only, so 317.82 + 277.08 for first dc and 217 for second is 811 entitlement

If combined income for earning is exactly £1200/month then 756 would be taken off you means at least £55.00 without any housing taken into account. But student maintenance is taken off in full not at 63% like earnings. So without knowing how much is earnings and how much is student loan couldnt tell you. Cant say how much work allowance as you have not said if you rent or not

Housing allowance would be paid if you rent and you would get rent you pay up to the max amount for a 2 or 3 bedroom house in your area. (Dc expected to share if same gender).

Turn2us has a good calculator that you can get an accurate figure from.

UC is calculated at the end of the calender month you applied (so 17th to 16th of each month if applied today) using real time figures for earnings so no upfront calculation can be done as earnings cannot be preempted.

chuttypicks · 17/09/2019 17:48

Surely students can't claim benefits?? You're choosing to be a student. Why should the taxpayer fund you? And also I'm pretty sure you can't claim as a single person if you're not single. Again, not the taxpayers fault that your DP is foreign and a student and not eligible to benefits...

CatToddlerUprising · 17/09/2019 17:51

This will give most of the explanation- data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2019-0465/Students_Eligibility_conditionality_and_student_income_v14.0.pdf

TrollTheRespawnJeremy · 17/09/2019 17:52

Students aren't applicable for benefits. Speak to student services and see if there's any help you can get - if you have kids there can be an additional element paid.

Otherwise maybe a part time job?

CatToddlerUprising · 17/09/2019 17:53

The eligibility is done when you’re sitting in an appointment- you’ll need to take in your course letter and student finance letters. Your partner will have to do the same

Musereader · 17/09/2019 17:56

@cluttypicks no need to be horrible. Students cant usually get benefit as student loan should cover expenses but only as a single person with dc students may be able to get benefit.

Op would be on a couple claim and his income taken into account but would only receive single rate as dp is ineligible.

Babyroobs · 17/09/2019 18:03

I think you can only claim if you have dependent children. Student loan is deducted pound for pound but some things are disregarded. Student loan is divided between the number of months it's designed to cover. As others have said if your dh has no recourse to public funds it would be a single claim but his income would be counted and would reduce your Uc by 63 p for each pound he earns unless you have kids and get a work allowance.

joblotbubble · 17/09/2019 18:11

Why would you be classed as single when you have a partner?

SaskiaRembrandt · 17/09/2019 18:21

Yes, you can only claim if you have dependent children (or a disability), and then you only get the child element, not the full amount. Able bodied students with no dependents are expected to make up any shortfall with a job. It's a bit late for you now, but most of my fellow students use the loan for term time supplemented with part time work, then work full time in the summer.

SaskiaRembrandt · 17/09/2019 18:23

Why would you be classed as single when you have a partner?

I think the OP was saying that because her partner is from overseas they won't be eligible for the rate of UC a couple would get, they'll only get the single adult amount - although they won't get that because as a student the OP isn't eligible for it.

SaskiaRembrandt · 17/09/2019 18:24

OP, are you getting just the single person amount of student finance? Or do you also claim the extra amount for having dependents? If not, that's definitely worth looking into.

Original poster

Everytimeiseeher · 17/09/2019 18:41

Thanks everyone.
I get 350 student funding and the rest is my partner and I’s earnings. The rent for our home is £398 LA house.
For the record chuttypicks I have worked constantly since I left school. I supported my exH through his training and he got a very well paid job, he used me as a punchbag and left me for someone else. I had a beautiful home and good job but have lost my home and had to go into homeless accommodation with my kids. My confidence is gone and I had to leave my job 5 years ago. College is helping me rebuild myself to get the old me back. For the record dc dad pays CM but very minimum he can (says he is self employed) so please don’t judge me as being a scrounger and using tax payers. I’m trying to do my best.

OP posts:

SaskiaRembrandt · 17/09/2019 18:45

What is the course you're studying? I'm asking because £350 doesn't match what you would get with a student loan, but the kind of course you are on makes a difference to the kind of help that is available.

SaskiaRembrandt · 17/09/2019 18:46

Sorry, that's a bit garbled - what I mean is, if you were studying for a degree, you won't able to claim beyond what was outlined above. if it's some other kind of qualification you might.

Original poster

Everytimeiseeher · 17/09/2019 18:55

The course is an HND in law. I did wonder about my student loan. I made a mistake on my application form and it apparently was updated and corrected before the award was made. I thought I’d have got around £500.

OP posts:

narkedinNI · 17/09/2019 18:55

I think it would be so much better if you could get benefits whilst studying. It would mobilise so many women in particular who perhaps are claiming benefits because they cannot find school hours employment and increase their chances of earning a living wage. I think he Scandi countries allow for this and they have some of the lowest unemployment rates.

Giraffesinscarves · 17/09/2019 18:56

can you get weekend work?

Well done for studying against the odds.

what career are you aiming for?

Original poster

Everytimeiseeher · 17/09/2019 19:08

The course is in the next city to where I live so days there are long including the commute so I can’t work those days. I’m off a wed so work then and I do a Friday morning (I need to collect the kids from school on a Friday) but I do work a Friday afternoon if I can. I also work a sat morning if I can too.
The coursework is quite heavy and I do need to read over my notes and study for continuous assessments. I honestly feel like giving up and going back to work full time, but I dont want to be a bad example to the kids now that I’ve started it.

OP posts:

swingofthings · 17/09/2019 19:17

Don't you get maintenance from your ex?

Original poster

Everytimeiseeher · 17/09/2019 19:22

Ex does pay maintenance, he pays less than he is supposed to and knows that CMS won’t do anything until they threaten to do a deduction of earning order. He either then pays me what he owes by an arrangement with them £10/15 extra per month. Or he lets it get to the deductions route and knows I cancel it because I can’t afford to go without the money for up to 3 months (as per cms who said it takes 3 months for the arrested wages to get to me)

OP posts:

Spaceprincess · 17/09/2019 20:08

Could you work at the evenings or weekends? I did a healthcare degree a while ago, it was full time with hospital placements etc, I had 3 DC at home at the time, I worked 8-8 two nights a week as a one to one carer and did a fair bit of course work while the people I cared for slept (was waking nights).
It was hard but better than dropping out.

SaskiaRembrandt · 18/09/2019 09:36

Law will require a lot of self-directed studying, I can see why you feel like you're juggling a lot of things. As far as I'm aware, as a full time HND student (I'm guessing you are in England) you should be getting the full student loan - it's not a huge amount but more than you are getting now. Maybe give Student Finance a ring and ask if you have been assessed correctly - mistakes do happen.

If everything is correct, the only thing I can suggest is to stick it out. I know it's awful when you're constantly hard up, but assuming you're going into your final year, you'll be finished by next June, then can look for a full time job. Also, I'd recommend looking for full time temp work during the holidays - especially Christmas when there tend to be lots of vacancies.

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