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?

She should hold out for her DBS and start working asap. No, she shouldn’t claim.

Yanbu.
Dc is currently looking for a job post sixth form, to earn some money while deciding on next steps. He has applied for over 30 jobs this month and has got only two interviews out of all those applications. He just wants to work to earn some money.
If he is unsuccessful with the upcoming interviews, I will suggest a universal credit claim.
The amount for a single 18 year old is tiny. £300 (ish) a month certainly wouldn't be enough money for most people to think oh I needn't bother with a job now. You'd get more than that working less than 12 hours a week. But you have to get a job in the first place, it's difficult.

It was meant hypothetically.

The claim was originally made before the job which requires the DBS was applied for. No set hours given, it could be one shift a week.

Good luck to your son with his interviews, I hope that he does well.

That’s your job to provide not the tax payers.

I honestly don't understand this view. If she's eligible and entitled to the money, why on earth wouldn't she claim it? The OP's DD claiming the money has no impact on others who are also eligible also being able to claim if they wish. She already has one part time job and another hopefully due to start soon, so it's not as if claiming a few hundred £ of UC - again, assuming she is actually entitled to it - is some kind of gateway drug to - shock horror - a life on benefits.

I am a tax payer!

But she’s your child.

But why not, if she's entitled to a bit of extra money in the meantime?

Legally she is an adult and so any claim she is making is in her own right not as a dependent.

She is still your 18 year old child.

I can’t wrap my head around someone wanting their 18 year old child to claim benefits over just continuing the same support you offered her when she was 17.

Exactly my point, thank you.
I have always claimed what we are entitled to such as 30 hours free childcare and child benefit. By some people’s regards on here I shouldn’t have claimed those as I don’t need them apparently.

I don't see why the taxpayer should be giving her money when she has no bills

I hate this entitlement culture

Just ignore it op.
Bottom line is that 18 year olds who are unemployed/ struggling to find work can claim a small amount of uc.

She has no bills and lives with adults rent free. It is an abuse of entitlement.
I lived at home with my parents after end of DV marriage with only £100 to my name. But rent free and bill free until I got full time employment. I did Bank work at the hospital for 3 months before being made perm full time hours. I did not claim a penny from anyone.

Yes and she is still supported very much so. She does not go without. Seems we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

Why should my taxes buy YOUR child clothes or YOUR child a train ticket. You as parents need to sub her, then she can pay you back once she’s employed.

That was your choice. If you were legally eligible to claim for benefits during that time, you could have chosen to do so with an entirely clear conscience. It doesn't make you morally superior because you chose not to imo.

Well you did, your parents.

I'm curious on this? The government hasn't made any recent changes to the GCSE requirements for further study.

I tend to think of "entitlement culture" as people thinking they're entitled to all sorts of stuff that they're not. But in this case the DD is legitimately allowed to claim UC so I don't think the situation fits this description.

No not the recent changes, I think it was brought in some years ago. She took maths and English three times and couldn’t get the required 4 so couldn’t carry on to do level 3 of her chosen subject.

If all the young people struggling to get a job and are entitled to UC claim it then the government might feel more motivated to do something about the issue.

At the moment parents paying for their adult offspring just masks the problem

This. Parents should support their kids into their first job, not expect taxpayers to do it.