CTC plus Child Benefit v’s young adult claiming their own UC ?

[NoProblem123]

Ok - daughter has just turned 18
I receive £245 CTC (no WTC due to income) plus the £84 child benefit.

Apparently an 18 year old in full time education, with little likelihood of meaningful work (enhanced PIP) can make their own UC claim. I’ve done the basic calculator online and she can get £645 herself.

Am I missing something or is this something I should action right away ?

From what I can see she would only be able to claim if any of the following apply, as long as she is in full time education (up to 19 or 20?) she is still classed as your dependant which is why you can still claim child benefit.

If you’re 18 or over and in training or studying full-time
You can make a new claim for Universal Credit if any of the following apply:
• you live with your partner and they’re eligible for Universal Credit
• you’re responsible for a child, either as a single person or as a couple
• you’re in further educationn_, are 21 or under and do not have parental support, for example you’re estranged from your parents and you’re not under local authority care

This is from the gov website. It doesn't mention anything about PIP. Does she have a contact regarding the PIP that she could ask about this - it may be she can't claim UC alongside it until she is out of education. There are lots of more knowledgeable people here, so sorry if I'm wrong ! @babyroobs @LakieLady have helped me in the past, they might know!

Thanks for reply ! Hopefully I’ll hear from the others

I’m going off a reply I received on another thread :

NoProblem123 an 18yo in full time education who is in receipt of PIP and has a limited capacity for work can apply for UC. However, you can no longer claim child benefit, CTC/UC for them, so have to weigh up what is best for you

You're right, she can claim, but there a couple of things to be mindful of.

Firstly, there's currently a £20 per week covid payment on the UC amount. That's due to end soon.
Secondly, she'll need an assessment to determine that she's in the limited capability for work and work related activity group. That's roughly a 3 month wait after the initial 5 weeks. In the meantime, she'll only get the £340 (single, under 25 rate). The difference is not backdated if they determine her unfit for work.

Ultimately she'll be better off claiming UC, but it'll take a while to build up to the full amount so initially it'll be a similar amount. Any savings she has may affect the amount though (anything over £6k) so be wary of that.

@Hallyup6 thanks for your reply I appreciate it. I’ve arranged an appointment with someone from benefits to see the best way forward for her

[quote NoProblem123]@Hallyup6 thanks for your reply I appreciate it. I’ve arranged an appointment with someone from benefits to see the best way forward for her [/quote]
That's great, you're always better off getting proper advice. Good luck with the process, it's as stressful as getting pip, but it'll be better once it's all sorted!!