Universal credits

[Rhian1991]

Hi everyone!

My partner takes home £1050 per month and I am on SMP. Do you think it's worth me applying for universal credits? I'm not sure if we will be eligible or not?! Any advice will be gratefully received.

Thank you in advance

Entitled.to has a calculator you can use to estimate your entitlement

Is this your first child or do you already have children?

Do you rent or own your home?

It's worth applying, and also looking into a council tax rebate via your local council.

Yes you'd be eligible.

This is my first and only child and we also have a mortgage. I'm just interested in if I'd be eligible and how much I would get.

@Rhian1991

This is my first and only child and we also have a mortgage. I'm just interested in if I'd be eligible and how much I would get.

It depends how much your smp is and how often you get paid. You might get a little bit if one of you is over 25, but it wont be much at all. Assuming one of you is over 25 you would get £594.04 couples element and £235.83 child element so a total of £829.92. Then any wages and smp paid during your monthly assessment period is added together, the first £512 disregarded then each pound above the £512 reduces your total Uc by 63p. So it really depends whether smp is paid weekly or monthly.

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I believe SMP is paid monthly. Is there anyway of working out how much I may or may not get?

Google entitled to it has a calculator

You might get some. My partner earns £1300 we have a mortgage and two kids and we got 0. (But I was on MA rather than SMP).

@Fressia123

You might get some. My partner earns £1300 we have a mortgage and two kids and we got 0. (But I was on MA rather than SMP).

It is quite different because maternity allowance is deducted from Uc pound for pound wheras SMP is treated the same as wages.

@Rhian1991

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I believe SMP is paid monthly. Is there anyway of working out how much I may or may not get?

If one of you is over 25, your total Uc entitlement is £829.87 ( standard over 25 couples element and child element for a child born recently ). You then need to know the total of yours and your partners wages/ smp and add those together. So it's the total of your wages minus £512 multiplied by 0.63 = ? This figure is then deducted from your total UC. I worked it out to about £150 a month but do go onto a calculator to check. Once you go back to work you would also get a childcare element added but obviously your wages would go up to.

My calculation also assumes you are just getting smp and not any contractual maternity pay as well.

Which is why I said she might get some. If I don't work and don't receive the MA I'd get around £300. But I have two kids. It really depends on the number of children.

@Rhian1991 don’t use entitled to, their calculator is very inaccurate for UC. Join this group they are a charity.

Thank you. What is this Facebook group?

Thank you. You have been very helpful. I will find out next month.

@Rhian1991 yes it’s a Facebook group they are a registered charity though.

[quote AldiAisleofCrap]@Rhian1991 don’t use entitled to, their calculator is very inaccurate for UC. Join this group they are a charity.[/quote]
Is it? They gave me a result in line with the one Turn2Us gave, and both were in line with the by-hand calculation I did using the guidance. What do the charity you suggest say is wrong with Entitled To's method of calculating?

Entitled to are accurate for me too. Pretty much to the penny

@TheFormerPorpentinaScamander do you have at least two of these factors LCWRA , weekly pay, a disabled child ,SMP, ESA, MA , a student loan, self employed? If not, then yes your claim will probably be accurate.

Entitled.to was accurate for me to the penny as well which is why I suggested it.

@MummytoCSJH and you have more than one of the above factors?

@AldiAisleOfCrap I do actually, I have a student loan, however I learned how to calculate that bit myself so I was able to do the normal calculation which was 100% correct in regards to my entitlement and then minus my deductions for term time from it! Meaning it was also to the penny correct for summer time payments since I get the full entitlement due to lone parents not being classed as a student in the summer :)

My child is also disabled by the way so yes more than 1 factor.