How do I find out exactly how our benefits will change if we have a major life change,

53 replies

SocialserviceswillTheyhelp · 01/05/2023 20:13

For example, if DH were to give up work for a year.

We currently both work full time and are entitled to anything between 0-£100 a month UC, it's usually about £30.

Some of you may have seen my recent post but we are really really struggling with our son who has ADHD, he currently gets mid rate DLA and will do until he is 16.

After a 3 hour awful, violent meltdown from him last night which did not end until 3am and had me call 999 3 times (they did fuck all exact words "what do you expect us to do, he's 11" and "there's nothing we can do he is 11" despite me saying that he was attacking my husband, threatening to stab us, smashing the house up and my 4 year old was shaking with fear, I digress).

I am at the end of my tether, working full time in a stressful job, whilst sorting all the kids, juggling meetings with DS's school, fighting for an EHCP and so on and so forth.

I asked DH to take time off for a year, he works long hours and can't drop tools to see DS at school for a meeting and DS only attends 2 hours a day.

He would claim carers allowance and balance out the work/life load especially for me. Something has to give.

If I have worked out UC correctly, we will just about afford it.
But how do I check for sure before we make the leap and get it wrong?

OP posts:

Original poster

SocialserviceswillTheyhelp · 01/05/2023 21:39

Babyroobs · 01/05/2023 21:24

Uc is an easy enough calculation to do yourself.
Total up the elements you are eligible for - I can't see your full statement but if you have childcare costs on there and won't be using childcare once dh finishes work then take the childcare element off and assume you will be getting the carers element of £185.86. I assume you have a mortgage rather than renting as I can't see a rent element on there.
So you would have
Couples over 25 element of £578.82
Children's elements £584.58
Lower disabled child element £146.31
Carers element £185.86
Total UC = £1495.57 ( calculated at new increased rates).
Then you take your net earnings for the month, minus £631 work allowance ( assuming you have a mortgage ), then multiply by 0.55. This will give you the deduction for your earnings from your total UC.
If dh wants to claim carers allowance then he gets paid that separately and it is deducted from your UC.

This is exactly what I've done tonight so I'm glad to see I'm not going to far wrong, thank you!

OP posts:

Lizzt2007 · 01/05/2023 21:43

SocialserviceswillTheyhelp · 01/05/2023 20:39

In his name? The kids are both of us, surely it's in both our names? We claim together, we live together it's all one, surely,

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Not the universal credit, the child benefit. Child benefit is paid to one parent , there's no such thing as a joint claim, you can choose who the payment is made to. Parents in receipt of child benefit get national insurance credits for any years they don't work or don't work enough to reach the threshold. So making your hubs the payee would protect hot future state pension whilst he's not working.

Kaffiene · 01/05/2023 22:40

Fingers crossed the carer element gets sorted quickly.

so child benefit is claimed by one parent - traditionally the mum. Usually mum would stop working to care for the kids so the CB would go into her account and also cover her NI contributions towards her state pension until her youngest child was 12.

So to protect your husbands NI contributions (assuming you pay NI as you work full time) while he isn’t working you could change the CB into his name and he will get his NI paid until youngest is 12 or by claiming Carers Allowance he will get his NI paid for the full time he is caring.

He can also work earning up to £130ish (I don’t have the exact new figures to hand) NET not gross and after half his pension and childcare costs have been taken off so depending on what he does he may be able to work part time to keep his hand in and still claim CA.

Hope that makes sense

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