Just really needing some advice as I can't find the answer online. My DP and I are in the process of separating and I will need to put in a claim for universal credit until I can find a higher paid job (I only work part time at the moment but I am currently applying for full time roles) Myself and our children (age just turned 18, 13, 11 and 7) will be staying in our home which I jointly own with DP. I have asked my DP to pay child maintenance as I will be the main carer but he said he wants to continue to pay the mortgage and a couple of bills out of his account instead and for me to take over everything else (which I should be able to do with Universal Credit or the full time job when i get one) My oldest child has just left school and is currently also looking for work so im guessing that would also affect UC for me in some way when he finds a job. From what I have read online, child maintenance if it was paid to me isn't included in the assessment criteria but if he was to pay the joint mortgage and our utility bill instead, how would this affect things? He will be moving out and will be on a different council tax but I was more thinking about us being financially tied to him still (although I will be anyway as I definitely cant afford to buy him out and it is a joint mortgage) I have never claimed benefits before so I'm not sure how it works. Feeling clueless how to go about this, thanks in advance.