Universal credit and jobseekers allowance

[Shhe]

I’m on Jobseeker’s Allowance and working part time, I get paid my jsa different every 2 weeks now based on what my payslip is every month as I’m on a zero hours contract and only work 8hours a week. I am planning to go abroad not in the uk for just about over a week. I was advised at the job centre that if I do decide to go then my jsa will stop and I have to apply for universal credit after I come back. She also said that I could apply for universal credit now if I want and then when I go abroad whenever it will be okay as you are allowed 4 weeks abroad 2 weeks at a time. I’m a bit confused about universal credit whether I’m better off or not. As there is an option to apply for jsa still online, so I could just let my benefit stop and come back and re apply for jsa as I’m not sure if I want universal credit but it doesn’t guarantee that I will get it, they might tell me to apply for universal anyway. Is anyone on universal credit who was on jsa working part time that can comment of whether u lose money on UC. I’m a single mum, I get child benefit and child tax credit and jsa, no rent as I live with family and friends and am still looking for a property. Thanks

If you go abroad your jsa will close, you will not have an option to claim jsa in your return, it will be universal credit, it includes, working tax credit and child benefit, you will not be worse off on universal credit. The 16 hour rule does not apply on UC, you can also request an advance in UC as soon as your claim is verified.

The Jsa allowance is the same personal allowance as UC, if you work the first £190 per month of earnings is disregarded and then 63p in every £1 over the £190 threshold is deducted.

Some wrong information being given here. if you live with family as you do and don't claim the rent element of Uc then the work allowance is actually £409 per month so you could earn £409 without any deductions. The £198 work allowance is only for people who rent and have kids and/ or Limited capability for work.

Thank you all for all these messages. I have managed to see this information online when I researched personal allowance after your messages. I do plan to rent at some point in the future. Its so hard to work out because the ice will include child tax credit and jsa but I was told it doesn’t affect my child tax credit. Now I’m so confused as if I do rent and my allowance goes down to £190 doesn’t that mean I’m not better off as only my tax credits are £62.50 a week which is £250 a month. I’m bit sure if I make sense here 🙈

Uc not ice typo error in the above message

if you started to rent you would also get a rent element in your UC amount so for example your rent is £400 and Uc gave you full rent element you would get that extra.
So for example your total Uc award could be £317.82 standard element ( if you are over 25), £277 child element ( if your child was born before april 2017), rent element of £400. This total comes to £1094.82 total UC per month. if for example you then earned £300 in your UC monthly assessment period, the first £198 of your wages is disregarded ( lower work allowance for people renting) and anything above that reduces your total Uc by 63p in the pound.
You also need to be aware that work allowances are going up significantly at the start of April, but so is minimum wage. Also they may not cover your full rent element depending if it social housing or private or if private if your rent exceeds the local authority allowance for the number of bedrooms you are deemed to need ( so it would be 2 bed in your situation). Child benefit and council tax reduction is separate to UC.