Confused about UC when one person in a couple is unable to work

[KosBard]

Me and dh are currently claiming UC. Until recently, we were both working enough hours/ earning enough to meet the AET.
Unfortunately, dh has now been signed off work and is being assessed to claim disability. He was the main earner so I now earn just below the AET for a single claimant.

Im unsure what this will mean for me. Will I be classed as a single claimant and have to earn more? Or will we still be classed as a couple? If we are still a couple how will the AET be calculated?

If anyone can tell me what may happen I would really appreciate it.

If your husband is assessed as having LCWRA he will be exempt from work requirements then your AET is assessed as an individual, not a couple. So you would need to hit the £952 per assessment period.

Thank you, I thought that would be the case.
I am the main carer for our children and currently working the maximum I can. Do you think they will expect me to pick up more hours instantly? It would probably mean I need to get a second job for a couple of hours a week which I don’t think will be easy to find.

How old are your children?

Is your DH able to care for them instead so you can work full time?

I was under the assumption that even if one of you can't work you must still always claim as a couple? Your DH won't have any work requirements if he is assessed and determined to be disabled. But your monthly top up (if eligible) would still be calculated using both of you. This is the case for me and my OH, I cannot work and she works full time. It's still a joint claim. I might be wrong, but that's how I think it works.

It’s not, it’s still a joint claim but if one person is disabled with no work requirements then the other is assessed against a single person AET- so £952 rather than the couples AET which is £1534

How old are your children? As if young that could reduce your requirement.

You will be expected to meet the AET if you want to continue receiving top up yes, you’d be classed as falling under intensive work search if you were not making the £952

Youngest child is 5.

Ah okay then yes you will be expected to meet the single person AET.

So youngest is school aged surely you can go full time and your husband can take care of them outside of school hours

If at any point your dh qualifies for PIP daily living then you could claim the carers element of UC if you provide 35 hours of care per week. Then you would have no work commitments so could earn as little as you like.

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Dh has both a physical and mental disability and has recently been advised to avoid stress! ( I did ask if the consultant knew we had children )
Therefore, he will not be able to watch the children alone for long periods, for example during school holidays.
I will be staying as the main carer for our children.

OP could do this but would be worse off financially for doing this.

Or get childcare like a single parent would have to. UC would pay towards this too.

Most working parents use childcare / holiday clubs / their annual leave to cover school holidays.

Aw this makes more sense! I thought I might be wrong, thank you for the info very helpful x

Yes I agree - OP needs to work more hours, and use a child minder or similar if they have to

DH stopped work due to disability and gets LCWRA and PIP. I claim Carers Allowance and the carers element of UC and we have no work commitments (I subsequently stopped work as we also have a disabled dc and the demands of caring for disabled DH and dc was too much). Financially we are not much worse off due to getting DH's PIP and DLA for the dcs.
I'm not clear what you mean by being assessed for disability (PIP is a disability benefit but some people talk about LCWRA as disability). I think you only get no work commitments with the PIP, not LCWRA. But LCWRA will be the one that affects the AET.

How would they be worse off by claiming a carers element? i wasn't suggesting she give up work,just that being a carer would mean she would be exempt from having to work a certain number of hours.