Do all 18 years old go on UC if they cannot find a job

[Crystalovertherainbow]

Do the family needs to show their income or the new adult is considered their own financial unit now , even if they live with the parents and their UC is given them

Watching with interest

Mine claimed UC until they found jobs. My income wasn't taken into account, but they couldn't claim for housing. Just the basic £300 ish per month.

My income wasn’t taken into account when my 18 year old daughter claimed UC.

No, all 18 year olds do not. Mine wanted a gap year and was expected to find a job - any job - but claiming UC was not an option.

If your 18 old didn't have a job (through no fault of their own) would you have paid for their food/clothes/phone etc?

They can claim it from the September after finishing school (when child benefit ends) but they have to be actively searching for work to claim and cannot claim housing

Would I stop paying for my 18 year old to eat if they couldn't pay for their own food? Really?

@Crystalovertherainbow back in the 90s my mum took me down to the Job Centre practically the day after my A-levels finished to "sign on" until I got a full time job (which actually was just a few months later).
I had a Saturday job plus I then got a small bit of Job Seekers Allowance as it was then.
My parents didn't get benefits but were on a low income so me having my own money certainly would have helped the family finances.
I don't know if that was what most families did.

Well it was an option. not much you could have done to stop them. Maybe they did claim 🤷‍♀️

All? No, it won’t be told to my dds as an option. I accept that’s privilege, but just to refute the ‘all’. I don’t like the idea at all, and will pay myself for their food if need be.

It won’t be told to your DDs?! If your DDs are able to get to 18 and not do basic financial research on the internet, you’ve failed them as a parent. They won’t need to be “told”.

I’m stunned that it’s seen as the norm by some that dc living at home would claim UC while looking for a job. Benefits are a safety net.

That's what I am asking you.
You said claiming UC "wasn't an option" so what would you have done if your 18 year old didn't find a job?
Obviously if you can afford to feed/clothe etc then that's fine but the point is many families lose some household income when their child turns 18.

But if the family income drops by a person turning 18 then the household might still need help.

I agree. I’d no idea this was possible.

I think the uk is currently heading for financial disaster with the current attitudes towards benefits. Let’s face it, an 18 year can get a job. They can wash pots. They can put notes in peoples doors to mow their lawn. They can babysit. They do not need to go on benefits. I don’t want my dc to be googling ‘how much money can someone else give me if I don’t get a job’ so it’s not something I would ever chat to them about .

Theres always the army.

Mine did and it was actually really useful. She had to add every job she applied for on her online diary so it pushed her into looking for more jobs. It’s quite relentless just applying and applying and being rejected so at least there was some structure and accountability as she had to tell her ‘coach’ what she had been doing that week.

Also she had sessions with a woman from the National Careers service who helped her with her CV and gave her loads of advice.

This. We are doomed.

I think a lot on here don't realise how hard it for some 18 years olds to get jobs at the moment.
There are areas in the UK with no jobs.
It's not great.
It's all very well saying "wash pots" - but where? In all those pubs/restaurants that are going bust and closing down?

What age do you think a child living at home should start to become independent, or put it another way, up to what age do you think parents should be supporting their children?
As long as the young adult is trying to find work (which they will have to show evidence of if they want to claim UC), why should they not claim what they are entitled to? It's not much (if they are housed), but will enable them to have some independence - travel to interviews, pay for training, buy interview clothes, contribute towards the household. It's for people who are unable to work, looking for work or on low incomes.

Not all families can afford to financially support adults.

Universal credit is a last ditch resort, not a lifestyle choice. If my child decided to claim benefits than apply for every single job going, or deciding to continue with education, I'd be very disappointed. When mine took a gap year 2 years ago she knew she had to get a job because I wasn't funding her doing nothing and nor was the state.

What if the parents are on a low income and claiming UC themselves?

Of course it's reasonable for them to claim, while engaging proactively with the process of seeking work.