Does anybody know about that funny bit when an 18-year-old leaves full time education but is still entitled to child benefit...

[toadflax]

...tax credits are cut immediately, as is housing benefit, is there something I am missing or are we supposed to struggle for a bit? Also, I am not sure where we stand with dental treatment/prescriptions. Many thanks.

Isn't the idea that once not in education they're either earning or entitled to benefits in their own right and therefore contributing to the household income that way?

I didn't get anything after ours left ft education but ds1 was 20 by this time.
Ds2 was 19, it depends when their birthday falls.
You are expected to struggle for a lot
Oce they are working obviously it gets better but until then you will need to support them to enable them to become employed.

PrivateJourney, employment would be great but until that happens it appears they cannot claim benefits in their own right until the child benefit stops.
morethanpotatoprints, I suppose it's a sudden blast into the real world, bit hard on the parents though!

So if it's either child benefit or their own benefits, what's the problem? Or are you saying cb stops then tjey put in a claim, so there is a gap?

Are you still entitled to Child benefit though? I thought it stopped when they left school/college if over 16. When did she leave? If it was at the end of last term, payments should have stopped 31 Aug.

I was paid for my DD (18) up until 1st Sept, both CB and child tax credits.

You can still get cb up to age 20 if they are in full time education studying up to and including level 3 / A levels.

After they leave full time education post 16 every benefit stops.
Your ds will be entitled to jsa until he finds work. Until he finds work it is jsa and help from you if he needs more.

It is a difficult time as it does cost money to job seek, especially transport, maybe some smart clothes for interview, producing your cv, etc.

He left education about 10 days ago, child benefit carries on until start of December, so JSA cannot be claimed until then. Still awaiting paperwork but I think tax credits are down by more than 40 a week. I don't know yet how much housing benefit will be affected. I work but I'm not a high earner. Child benefit alone is not enough to feed a person, about 80 a month for an 18-year-old. Just wondering if I have missed something.