Universal credit carers allowance and maternity

[Michellelou86]

Me and my partner are due our 3rd soon so I'll be going on maternity.
Currently claim universal credit carers element and disabled child (eldest) we also get DLA. Will I need to change anything on our claim once on maternity? Will our money go down as my earnings are less. Can we still claim carers element?

Will I need to change anything on our claim once on maternity? Not directly, but you should know that SMP is treated as earnings so it's reduced by 55%, but Maternity Allowance is treated as income, so it's reduced by 100%. If you claim Maternity Allowance you need to tell them.

Will our money go down as my earnings are less. Yes. Every £1 you get deducts £0.55 in UC. Every £1 you lose only increases UC by £0.45. E.g. if you earn £10 (after tax, NI, etc., deductions), you get £5.50 deducted from UC, so you're £4.50 better off. If you earn £9, you only get £4.95 deducted from UC, but you only started with £9, so you are £4.05 better off.

Can we still claim carers element? Yes, as long as you are providing 35 hours care or more each week.