Working, carers allowance and universal credit deductions

[Uccaearnings]

Can’t believe I’ve worked my arse off to get to where I am and still I’m sat here on a Saturday night worrying about this - have changed my name but I am a long standing member and have posted on here before and had great responses from benefits advisors/people who know far more than me so hopefully someone can help again!

I have been receiving carers allowance for DS who gets high rate DLA for over a year now and have just taken a great part time job as he is a bit older and better at dealing with being with other adults (result!). UC have been really helpful RE returning to work costs like travel and a few clothes, and I have always been fully aware that my salary amount means I won’t receive CA anymore, but the problem is between starting and getting paid I am waiting 5 weeks and I literally can’t afford to lose my carers allowance in the mean time. I mean it’s 5 weeks worth which I receive weekly so just under £340 which I literally just don’t have available to lose, if I don’t get it I can’t pay my bills that go out before I get paid. My electric and gas will be cut off and so many direct debits will bounce. I will be in serious trouble. Every penny of my money is accounted for in my day-to-day life, hence getting a job! My UC comes in at a similar time of month to my wage so that’s not very helpful either, I literally started work the day my UC went in last month. I did ring CA helpline and speak to someone, they weren’t super helpful and wouldn’t put anything in writing which worried me but said as long as I ring them when I get paid, change it straight away and offer to pay the money back straight away (which I can afford to do from my wage when I actually get it!) there won’t be a problem on their end. My problem/question is - UC currently deduct my CA pound for pound as unearned income - when I pay this back on pay day will they remove it from my previous statement as if it was never paid or will I effectively be paying it back twice? This is really worrying me as it’s roughly £290 I get taken off my UC to account for the CA, so I will pay the money I’ve received back but then still be classed as having that extra income even though I wasn’t entitled to it (and they know this) and then have received less UC as if I’ve still got it in my bank for to spend for the month. Does anyone know if they will change it? I don’t know what I will do if this is the case as I really can’t afford to pay it back twice but I can’t afford to lose it in the meantime either :( I don’t have anyone I can lend from and my credit card is maxed out already. Getting a job will help us so much financially in the long run but I’m really struggling right now. Thanks in advance

I think if you do what you are asking, it will just come up on your Uc as an overpayment and they will take it back gradually from your standard allowance. You can work and continue to get the carers element of UC.

Yes, the carers element is fine. The problem is that the carers allowance won’t end before my next statement is produced, so will be deducted once from my next UC statement, but then I’ll be paying it back as well so it’s as if I never actually received it (which I shouldn’t really but like I said, literally can’t afford not to until I’m paid).

UC won’t remove the info that I am not receiving unearned income from carers allowance until I actually am not receiving it (obviously) but will they then go back in and change the statement so that it shows I did not receive that money (which I won’t have as I’ll have paid it back)? I don’t want to repay it gradually I already have loads of overpayments from tax credits they messed up when I worked previously. I just want to pay it back and receive the amount of UC I should have received, had I correctly ended my CA claim when I started work.

Ok so if carers allowance have said you need to pay back the carers allowance from when you started work, then Uc will owe you the £292 back. How long it takes them to pay it back is anyone's guess though. think you would just have to ask on your journal.

Just a suggestion but could you apply for a budgeting loan to tide you over to avoid this ? You may need to make up a reason why you need it like a new washer or something. If you've had no earnings for the last 6 months you will qualify.

Hi, may I ask what you’re earning per week? You have several options. Up to £126 per week you can claim carers allowance. On universal credit this will be deducted from your UC payment but you’d get your weekly carers, however you could earn more than this and be entitled to carers element on UC, which would not be deducted from your monthly UC payment.

Another option is anything over £126 p/W goes into a pension pot so you can keep claiming carers allowance, you’d still get the carers deducted from your total UC but you’d receive the weekly carers payments and this would mean your stamp contributions are still made by the government.

You could be entitled to carers credit, which would cover any gaps in your national insurance payments and is not affected by your earnings.

I would suggest you check out entitled to, which would advise on any help and benefits you can receive. www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=e4b9753f-1512-47ff-964f-e81a641bcd6c

@Babyroobs yes, if they do that it’s completely fine. I just don’t want them saying well technically you did receive it as income… if that makes sense. I’m not eligible for any kind of advance unfortunately, I did look into it. I am already paying a budgeting advance back from last year (which actually was for a washer ) until June but I also did work a seasonal job over Christmas so wouldn’t qualify now anyway. @Seasidevibes thank you I appreciate the advice but I earn over double that and already putting a decent amount in pension. I will still get carers element yes. I could have not bothered working and just kept claiming CA if it wasn’t for the extra money, and the job is going to lead to full time when DS is ready and is in my degree industry so pretty much perfect for us, it’s literally just this 1 issue this month I’m worried about.

Oh and I was earning under the limit during the seasonal job so carried on claiming CA, there will be no gaps in my NI record as I’m going straight from claiming into working and paying NI contributions.

That’s all fantastic regarding your job, I’m stuck in low wage limbo and not using my degree as I can’t afford the child care to look after my daughter who’s got very complex needs. Terrified of being old and poor whilst caring for my daughter

@Seasidevibes it’s an absolute nightmare isn’t it :( it’s taken me a long time to find something suitable like this. Childcare costs are extortionate I know. Just in case it’s worth you asking - during the 5 weeks until I get paid UC are funding the extra childcare I need to work, so that when I do pay out of my first wage I’m in front rather than in arrears (not paying 2x and then having to claim it back from them later). I don’t have to pay it back, it’s not like normal monthly UC where I put the proof in and then they pay it, there’s a separate form for it that my childcare provider has filled in and it gets paid directly to them. You could ask about this if it’s one of the main barriers to you finding higher paid work though I know that sometimes it’s a case of actually finding a suitable provider with children like ours :(

You jut the nail on the head, it’s not just the cost, it’s the difficulty finding a suitable carer. I had a personal budget for my daughter granted by the local council to find a respite carer and I was unsuccessful for three years as the hours were only 4 per week. I had posters up in the college in the childcare and nursing areas, hospital and care home staff rooms, the local sen school staff rooms too. In the end I had to ask for the work to be done by an agency