AIBU to encourage my 18-year-old daughter to claim Universal Credit?

[ThisTealWarrior]

My daughter is 18 and no longer in education. She currently as a job (7.5 hours per week) and is waiting to start another job pending DBS checks. I advised her to make a claim for UC at the beginning of September before she was offered this position. She had to go to a meeting at the job centre this morning to start the claim and weekly check in video calls until she starts the job. This won’t be fixed hours as it is a bank staff role.
She has made such a fuss about it saying it is pointless basically acting like claiming is beneath her! We don’t charge her any board and don’t intend to after she earns more either but I have explained that technically we could. I just think it’s important to claim if she is eligible and also explained about NI contributions for when she gets older. I have explained that at some point the hope will be that she is earning enough that she doesn’t need to claim but for now she should.
Am I being unreasonable?

You were correct

Show DD this

It will show each year of National Insurance paid

Goes towards state pension & other benefits

https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

Also this

https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance

Or it could go the opposite way and she becomes comfortable working 7 hours a week and having the rest topped up on benefits and decides what's the point in looking for another job. Yabu she has no bills.

We don’t charge her any board and don’t intend to after she earns more either but I have explained that technically we could.

And this is why she's acting like benefits are beneath her, because you're teaching her life is a free ride at home and as long as she lives there, she doesn't have to make even a token contribution.

Not a great way to raise a young adult I'm afraid.

YANBU. My 18 year old signed up for Universal Credit at the beginning of September, having finished his A levels and not having had any job offers despite over 60 applications. It’s money they’re entitled to while job hunting and it’s not their fault the job market is so dire for young people right now. My son got an apprenticeship offer shortly afterwards so will probably only get one UC payment before he starts work, but it will help a lot with buying work clothes.

She wouldn't be allowed to do this. She'd be expected to work 35 hours

You don't get National insurance credits automatically by claiming UC. You do if you claim Jobseekers Allowance but if it's just UC she would need to look at claiming credits separately.

What do we do then? She is saying that is the only reason we want her to claim, so that we can take it off her. I have tried to explain that we are no longer legally obliged to provide for her and she would be paying out a lot more money if she didn’t live here.

Yes the work coach she met with earlier explained the terms and the expectation to look for full time hours. She also has to have a check in with him weekly.

At 18, she has loads of time to build her NI years. That's almost irrelevant in these circumstances.

Ok that’s good to know. The system is a bit confusing.

My brief experience (6 months post redundancy) of receiving benefits led to 2 years of them over paying despite my calls then demanding £3k back as if I stole it. I put it to one side so could pay it back but I’d be very resistant to claim again, especially for such a short period when she knows she’s going to be earning but amount is unpredictable.

Is she going to continue looking for a full time job or just work the new job for awhile?

My immediate thought is she doesn’t want to claim and be forced into looking for full time work.

Yeah I guess so, I was just trying to put another angle about it across to her without her thinking we just want it for ourselves.

Explain that running a household is expensive.

Point out that if she were to leave tomorrow, she'd have the expense of living on her own.

Then point out the things she wouldn't be able to have and then ask her if she thinks a contribution is unfair.

However, at her age she shouldn't need this pointing out.

You're not 'taking it off her', SHE is contributing to her living costs now that she is no longer a child.

She sounds like a brat, you should probably start charging her board to help her learn to be less entitled. Is she at least covering her own phone bill and clothes, food, entertainment etc? If not stop subbing her for that and she will soon claim

She is hoping that the new job will likely lead to more hours as they have implied that, although nothing definite yet.

I still pay for phone bill and said I will until contract runs out in a few months then she can take over.
Clothes, going out and haircuts she does cover herself.

This is all new to us as she is the oldest child. I don’t want the state to fund her. I will encourage her to cancel her claim then.

I would start charging board, our son paid us £200 a month. They're adults, they need to learn to pay their way. The cost to support her doesn't go away if she doesn't claim UC, so I'd be charging regardless, it's up to her how she funds it.

I'm 51 and only started looking at this seriously at most 10 years ago. I'm afraid it will probably go in one ear and out the other of an 18 year old.

Don’t worry, under 24s get less UC to reflect the fact the government expects all of them to have loving safe homes.

Yanbu OP. I would have her save the money for transport to job interviews and a potential move to take up a job. I would not be taking any money off her unless she is incapable of saving.