Working tax credit/universal credit, will I get it?

[NewMum2021x]

Hello everyone, I'm expecting our first child in 2021. My partner is in the military so we will hopefully be getting accommodation with him after the baby is born. As I'm going to be moving 2 hours away to his battalion, I won't be able to work straight away (no judgement please I've always worked hard in the recruitment sector) but due to covid lost my recent job offer (which I left my previous job for!)

My partners salary is £20,000. Very little and not really enough to support us both... can anyone tell me what I/us would be entitled too by the government? I've never claimed anything from the government/neither of us have. But as I'm not going to be working surely we would be entitled to something? We've tried to input our details onto a "entitled calculator" and the estimate we got was £21 weekly child benefit and £50 a week universal credit. My friend did tell me he would be entitled to working tax credit. Which I'm confused at as I thought universal credit was for people out of work and seeking work? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :)

I don't think you can put in a new claim for tax credits any more so it would be UC.
Im not sure if being in the military affects what you can claim though.

First you need to check that you are eligible for military housing as ususally you have to be married. Then, when you know what your housing situation is get on the entitled to website and put all your details in.

@StephenBelafontethank you for your reply! I've done it a few times with a ew different scenarios and it's so confusing!

If we lived in housing association, me not working and him still working etc with our baby, says £1900 a month? Which is high?

But if it's private rent (which I just put as military accommodation) it's only £500 a month? So I'm just mega confused with it all really! I'm not asking for much - just a little help would be nice so I can budget our future outgoings!😂haha

Working tax credits have been replaced for almost all new claimants by universal credit. (Exception is sone disabled claimants).

You really need to know about housing costs and whether they would be covered by universal credit to do an accurate calculation. (I don’t know rules if in army accommodation).

Once you have a child universal credit will include a work allowance - so disregard part of wages before the universal credit is reduced. If you get housing element on universal credit work allowance of £292 per month, if no housing element then £512 is disregarded. Figures are for this financial year (see you are moving later)

This is about how it is calculated
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/on-universal-credit/check-how-much-universal-credit-youll-get/

As above there are no new claims for working tax credits anymore, you would need to make a joint claim for UC.
You would get a standard couples element which will depend on your ages, a child element once the baby is born and a rent element. as above the first £292 of wages is disregarded, after that each pound earned reduces your total Uc by 63p.

@StephenBelafonte

First you need to check that you are eligible for military housing as ususally you have to be married. Then, when you know what your housing situation is get on the entitled to website and put all your details in.

Not true anymore. DP and I live in quarters (RAF) and we aren't married. Non-married couples can apply for surplus housing.

@Downtheplath only thing is we can't prove long term relationship even though we've been together 4 years! Haven't got a joint bank account (which needs to be had for a year) and haven't got proof of financial help via bank transfer as we've never needed to do that. So annoying as we have photos and boarding passes from holidays from 2018 that they won't accept! But it is what it is

£1900 is above the benefit cap so something has gone wrong there. Perhaps that includes dh's income.

How much is the rent through military and the alternative rent? You may not get housing association accommodation depending on where in the country you are.

The benefit cap doesn't apply if you are working does it?

Sorry, OP - name change fail so I deleted the post.

But, anyway, my DH was talking to someone in a very similar position the other day (both in a long distance relationship, no proof either, but she's also pregnant) and they've been told by the RAF that once they can provide a birth certificate, with both their names on, that's enough proof to be available for surplus.

Have you asked about that at all?

@WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo

The benefit cap doesn't apply if you are working does it?

No. Poorly worded answer by me. Just meant that the 1900 surely had to include the salary but the 500 certainly didn't? Need all the figures to do the calculations though.