Universal Credits and Student Loan help?

[BogOffWinter]

Sorry if this isn’t the place for this, was unsure where else to put it! I attend a FE college in Scotland.

I’ve got 3DC, single parent and lost my job just before maternity leave (but did get maternity pay thankfully!) ex and I split up just as my maternity pay ended so I had been put on income support. After less than a year on it and no luck finding a job I decided to go to college and started my NQ last August. I was told that I wouldn’t be able to claim income support while at college so cancelled my claim and currently get a bursary of £418 per month plus tax credits for older two and CB for all 3. Out of this I pay £140 childcare a month (as there’s a deficit in my child care fees) plus council tax etc so money is extremely tight.

I’ve continued to job hunt with 0 success and the closer it gets to summer the more I am panicking about how I’ll manage on just tax credits and CB for 3 (ish) months. I was told I’d be eligible for UC, but I’m unsure how this would work with SAAS funding for the next few years? Heard some awful horror stories about UC and would really rather not apply for it if it’s going to leave me worse off financially.

So please, does anyone have any experience of UC while being at college and claiming a student loan?!

Sorry if that sounds garbled btw, currently feeling sick to my stomach with a UTI and temp so not focusing right!

Hopeful bump

Not so hopeful bump?

Could you ask MNHQ to move your thread to Money Matters? You might get some answers there.

Sorry I don't know the answer to your question.

I wish I could help. I did all of this before UC.

Have you got a student welfare officer, ours were fantastic at helping.

@Bringmewineandcake there’s an idea, thanks! Forgot about that topic.

@batsBATSbatsBATSbats I’m unsure about a student welfare officer, not heard one mentioned before. We’ve got a finance department but as lovely as they are in there, they don’t actually know much about student finance outside of student bursary, travel costs and childcare and advised me to speak to the job centre (who then advised they don’t deal with UC!)

Sorry just bumping to see if anyone in this section knows anything about it

Bumping for you. Also have you tried the turn 2 us calculator?

@Oswin I have but the benefits calculators don’t do calculations for students unfortunately. Everything I find on the gov website says they disregard a portion of a student loan but doesn’t tell me what happens during summer holidays/how much they disregard, if I’m liable for full rent and council tax etc. Never before has money stressed me out so much, absolutely hate being out of work!

I think the student loan isn’t supposed to cover to summer holidays so you would get full UC then . However you would also be expected to job search for permanent jobs despite the plan to return to uni after the summer.

From the amount you have said, I'm assuming that you are only claiming the (non-repayable) bursaries. You should be eligible for student loans as well, is there a reason you aren't taking these?

If you are on UC, the first £3800 (approx) of student finance is ignored, then after that it is deducted pound for pound. However, I believe that if you are choosing not to take the student finance, it is treated as though you are receiving it, so would still have the deductions anyway.

As a full time student, you are exempt from paying council tax, and you can still get the housing element of UC because you've got dependent children.

Just seen that you are paying council tax, your student services can give you a form to send to your council so that you don't need to pay any more.