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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Benefit for 18yr old son

133 replies

cosmobrown · 21/07/2020 00:33

HI. I'm just wondering what benefit, if any, my son should be applying for. He is having a year out before uni, and so far has not managed to get a job at all.
Does UC count our savings, as he lives with us? Or just what he has?
If he could contribute to the household, it would really help at the moment.

OP posts:
eaglejulesk · 21/07/2020 02:55

Christ on a bike. Sometimes I get very down and despairing when I come on here. Straight off the starting block posters who are snippy and judgemental and haven't even read the effing OP properly.

I agree with this comment. There really are some horrible people on MN, whose sole ambition in life seems to be to put everyone down.

MaderiaCycle · 21/07/2020 03:21

I’d encourage him to see if he can get his uni place this year. Nothing is going to be happening jobs wise anytime soon.

Saracen · 21/07/2020 06:01

Sice he's an adult and not in full-time education, he isn't considered part of your household.

I think this can be hard to get our heads round because if they ARE in education they count as your responsibility for longer. At his age, if he were at college still while living with you, then he would be considered your dependent and you would get higher benefits as a result. Likewise if he were at uni his parents' income affects the grants he can get.

But over-18s who aren't in education are separate from household for benefits purposes. I have been supporting my chronically ill 20yo for several years while she was only able to manage part-time education. We weren't claiming benefits for her as she wasn't studying full-time. She recently looked into benefits for herself, and the advisor was very surprised she hadn't been on them since 18. It just didn't occur to us!

Lockdownlooks · 21/07/2020 06:12

Your DS can claim universal credit online. He will have help with CVs and job hunting. As you are related very unlikely to get anything in housing element. Your savings would not affect his claim. The standard allowance for someone under 25 is £342.72. (This was raised until April 2021 due to Covid 19)

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/starting-your-universal-credit-claim/

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/on-universal-credit/check-how-much-universal-credit-youll-get/#h-1-look-up-your-standard-amount

TW2013 · 21/07/2020 06:20

As universities might be expecting fewer students due to international students dropping out I would encourage him to see if they can take him this year. Saves a year on the dole.

Kat92 · 21/07/2020 06:29

I hope he's able to find a job soon. It must be really hard at the moment.

Bluemoooon · 21/07/2020 06:34

Whoa! I knew MN was judgemental, but steady on!

I wouldn't say judgemental I would say stupid!

Obviously don't look beyond their fb pages, or listen to news progs.

Unbelievable.
And poor DCs heading for uni which is paying through the nose to have crap online learning - good idea to take a year out.

Boomclaps · 21/07/2020 06:38

Hi @cosmobrown
He can apply for £342 of UC PCM, this will take 5 weeks from applying to come through, so is not quick. It is also important to note however at his age he will be put in the intense work search group, here He will have a work coach who he will have to be in regular contact with either via telephone or his UC journal, & he will have to spend 35 hours a week looking for work or searching for work.
He will unfortunately not get to be selective about the kind of work he does & will have to justify not choosing to do particular jobs if wanted.

SnuggyBuggy · 21/07/2020 06:39

Have I stumbled in to the Daily Mail comments by mistake?

LastRoloIsMine · 21/07/2020 06:45

Just to echo what some other posters have said.

He can claim UC.
Your income and savings are not taken in to account.
He will not recieve housings costs he is classed as a non dependant not a lodger.

tttigress · 21/07/2020 06:48

Has you son considered taking his university place?

He may end up just basically wasting "a year out" by not being able to get a job and not being able to do traveling etc.

ivfdreaming · 21/07/2020 06:57

He'd be better of using the year to volunteer abroad on one of those charity projects building schools etc - prospective employers would look more favourably on that than someone who lounged on benefits for the year. We all KNOW the job market is awful at the moment. He can come back in a year when university is starting and hopefully the economy is starting to recover and will have learnt more valuable skills than is available to him right now

burninglikefire · 21/07/2020 07:10

I would agree with other pp that he could consider going to university this Autumn instead of deferring his place.

HowLongCanICallitBabyWeight · 21/07/2020 07:24

He can contact the university to see if he can change his mind about deferring given the circumstances, if it's going to be of no benefit to him. I took a year out worked full time plus a bar job to save money for university. Living on a small amount of universal credit for a year is going to be pretty rubbish for him.

bookmum08 · 21/07/2020 07:31

ivfdreaming how is he going to volunteer abroad if he's hasn't any money? Costs a lot of money to do that. My niece had to raise almost £3000 to go to India to volunteer for just three weeks. It took about 3 years of intensive raising money (personally I think it was a bit of a scam but don't tell her mum I said that).

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 21/07/2020 07:37

My 18yo is looking for work too. The problem with UC may be that you have to try for any job that’s going. Around here, there are plenty of jobs in care homes.

If spending a year working in a care home is not what your son had planned, it might be worth trying to move his uni place. He can have a look on UCAS clearing to see if his course is still offering places this year (clearing is open, but don’t join it - it’s just a quick way to see if they’re likely to allow him to bring his start date forward).

Not all unis are doing online learning this year, and those that are, are mostly only doing the large lectures online - seminars and practicals are still face-to-face. So also worth checking what his uni is offering.

TheLegendOfZelda · 21/07/2020 07:39

@milkysmum

Yes your money will be counted if he lives in your household. He needs to get a job not claim benefit for a year.
No it isn't
THisbackwithavengeance · 21/07/2020 07:40

Has he considered a working holiday in Australia, NZ or Canada?

As others have said, if he claims UC he will have to spend all his time applying for any job going. They are strict about this (rightly so). Seems a bit of a waste of a year out to be sat at home churning out applications for McDonalds and the like.

Alloverthegrapevine · 21/07/2020 07:45

Has no one heard that the young are by far the worst affected by the recent huge increase in job losses and unemployment?

The boy has left school and can't get a job. What he plans to do next year is irrelevant. It's a horrible situation that far too many young people are in, of course he should apply for benefits, whilst continuing to apply for jobs, that's exactly what they're for.

CopperBeeches · 21/07/2020 07:45

UC. And why shouldn't he? The work coach will help him, he will have to keep his journal, he will be made aware of jobs - and give him a sense of responsibility. We are talking about £300 a month or so - some of which he should give to you as a contribution to living expenses. He should also keep trying for jobs.

Charleyhorses · 21/07/2020 07:46

Good luck to your son. I hope he finds something suitable. What type of placement/industry is he looking for? Is he on LinkedIn? Does he know anyone in that line of work?

00100001 · 21/07/2020 07:47

Does he consider applying for jobs his full time job right now?

How many hours has he spent looking for and applying for jobs this past week?

Piffle11 · 21/07/2020 07:49

Get him to contact UC asap. They used to take claims from the day you contacted them and very rarely backdate them.

dancingthroughthedark · 21/07/2020 07:49

Ds has just finished his degree. He has applied daily for every job he can find but with no luck at all. For those saying anyone can get a jobin Maccie Dees have you actually tried ? He has worked alongside his studies since he was 15. He has 6 years of work experience but he cant even get an interview for tbe local supermarket where he worked for 3 years. The Manager says all applications have to come through Indeed and thete are 100s applying for every vacancy. Despite not wanting to claim He has now signed up for UC in tne hope off finding something via the new kick start scheme as you have to be claiming to be considered. Some PP really have no idea how hard it is to find work right now.

00100001 · 21/07/2020 07:51

It's just I have a friend who's been unemployed for 6 months, claims "there's no jobs". Has applied for 5 jobs. FIVE. In all that time.

I spent 20 minutes looking for him and found 8 jobs to apply for in his chosen area.... Not counting the other jobs he could have applied for.

Of one of the jobs, he refused to apply, because he and applied for another role x. 3 years ago, and then is offended that they didn't bother responding to his application... 🙄