Have lost ALL of my Universal Credit Award now partner moved in

[Fedupofthestruggle]

I have lived on my own with my disabled son for 18 months and had universal credit awarded including disabled element and carer element. I am his sole carer.

My partner has now moved in and we told universal credit. They of course needed to know his salary and any assets. He owns a flat (tiny, so we couldn't move in as there's no space for a family and disabled child). Universal credit have said since it's worth over 16k we no longer are able to receive any money.

However my question is shouldn't I still receive carers and disabled element since I can't work to look after my son? I will go back to universal credit to confirm if this is correct but wanted advice from anyone in similar position. Thanks very much.

Thank you very much, I will apply for it today.

You could also ask for it to be backdated to when you stopped receiving UC.

Is he splitting the rent for your place with you then - does that not make up for the loss of UC at all? It’s not clear where the money is going!

Sorry, I misread. But she can still apply if son gets PIP or DLA.

I think quite often in this situation people start refusing to provide care and insist on more support perhaps residential accommodation with carers. It costs much more to the state but would enable you to go out and work.

Just also wanted to point out that if you don’t work it’s really important to claim carers allowance as it gives you a National insurance stamp towards your state pension. So many people don’t realise this.

I did not know this, thank you very much

You didn't know about carers allowance and did not appear to do any research before you moved your boyfriend in, there may be other things you can claim. Could you go to the citizens advice?

You can receive dla/pip and carers allowance, but disabled and carers element to uc are means tested on household income. If you were to get higher pip and carers that’s about 700 a month

Never will I have my son go into residential. Ever. No one can give him the care I do. Why on earth should I be apart from him?

Did you not look into this before he moved in? Why didn't he wait till he had sold his flat? Personally if I were you I would send him back to his flat until it sells but it may be a good thing if it allows you to get back to work if your partner will do childcare.

Are you claiming all that you're entitled to from your child's father?

So does child benifit up to about 12

Is there no schooling he can have - even for the most disabled, I am sure there is appropriate learning available? Would this be something you could look into (and I don’t mean he is a resident)

You shouldn’t have moved him in. You should have had all this figured out beforehand. You’ve left yourself dependent on a man now when you have a disabled child to care for. I just can’t fathom why you would do that?

Move him back out again and be more diligent in future.

If he's trying to sell it UC should be able to disregard it, UC Regs 2013 Sch 10 para 6.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/376/schedule/10

Advise UC of that Regulation, provide evidence of the steps taken to sell it and ask for the claim closure to be reviewed.

It may of course be that if he's working household income will be too high but that's something that should have been evident before you decided to live together.

Sorry OP this is a huge shock but to expect to move someone in who owns their own place already and clearly has money - and keep a means tested benefit - is just too much.

If he were to sell his flat do you believe that that money should just be yours and his disposable to the income from UC?

Move him back out again.

Sorry I thought he was an adult. At 6 I’d expect him to be supported within an educational environment. Is there nothing like that on the horizon? I think if you were to work nights and then care all day you’ll burn out and make yourself ill.

In all honesty it might be better to live seperately for the moment and make informed plans before you consider next stages.

I agree.

There's no way a boyfriend is going to sell his assets (flat) to fully and solely fund his girlfriends sons care for the rest of his life.

You've left yourself in a really vulnerable position.

Oh OP. This has been a hard lesson in pre planning and looking into all this prior to moving him in.

How much have you lost in UC each month?
If he is paying the rent and a share of the bills, how much does that make up and how much are you still short?

I’ve seen so many women get totally fucked over doing this. It is really worth your financial independence to live with a boyfriend? You’d be much better off living separately.

It seems unfair, but it's the rules and probably discourages people from being honest about their living situation because it ends up that new partners are expected to support other people's DC. If he earns over £60k he will need to pay extra tax due to you receiving CB too.

Also be aware that if you're looking for work there's a cut off for carer's allowance entitlement that hasn't kept up with NMW so the hours you can work before you lose CA is now really quite low and probably makes it not worth working unless you're only doing a very small amount of hours, or working pretty much full time so you're much better off than what CA pays.

Does he not contribute to household finances, a contribution you didn't have before?

Definitely apply for Carers Allowance. It's not a huge amount but it adds to the pot.
He needs to be renting out his flat asap and the rent from that also goes into the family pot.

Rubbish. Of course people can live together but they need to understand that (quite rightly) UC is means tested and any assessment will apply to the household not the individual.