Not going to Uni - Claim UC?

[wherehaveallthegoodfolkgone]

Hello,
DD is turning 19 this year and has just finished A levels. Decided not to go to uni - she was unwell during her college years and wants to spend time nurturing herself and multiple ways and I support her decision.
She has a tiny PT job that pays her £30 a week and she gets £80 a month from me and same from her dad (I'm single) .

It'll be about 6 months before she applies for jobs - meanwhile can she claim some income support or UC?
Would it hinder her chances of finding work later?
How does she go about it?
Thanks for any advice

Income support no longer exists so it would be universal credit. UC doesn't exist for people to nurture themselves. She will have very strict job search commitments and regular meetings, if I'm honest it's demoralizing and soul destroying so if she can survive without its probably better for her sake.

To claim UC she would need to be job seeking. She has to fill in job diaries and prove she’s applying and going to interviews etc
So she’ll need to wait 6 months

My son is on UC. He has to attend weekly appointments and prove he is applying for jobs.

If she is ill, that’s one thing. If she simply doesn’t want to work, that’s another. Someone I lived with at uni over twenty years ago signed on the summer we finished our degrees. She was a lazy cow gaming the system and I lost all respect for her (I knew her family too, zero need for it at all).

How does she plan to do the “ nurturing”?

Why should taxpayers pay for her to have 6 months to nurture herself?

My nephew applies it and “nurtures” himself every day on his PlayStation. Because he has “mental elf” they do tend to leave him alone. He rarely has appointments.

For god's sake, so I have to pay high taxes so your daughter can lie around "nurturing" herself? Is this ragebait?

i despair about the youth of today. “Nurture herself”, my arse.

No she should not claim it to nurture herself. She should either live within her means or apply for full time work.

Oh bless her. Yes I’m happy for our taxes being spent on her nurturing journey.

🤔🙄

No, she can’t claim UC to ‘nurture herself’ can’t she get a full time job?

How about she nurture herself in the evenings and at weekends like normal working folk?

Since you support her decision, why don’t you pay for it too?

Thats not what UC is for - it’s meant to be a short term help for people who are genuinely looking for work and doing all they can to find paid employment.

If you’re happy to sponsor her time off then great but it shouldn’t be at taxpayers’ expense.

OP says her daughter had been unwell.

If you and her DF are happy to finance her self nurture, go ahead. But UC will tell her to get a job.

If she lives with you and doesn't pay rent or bills and she is getting £280 a month that is surely plenty for spending money

”Nurture herself” on the taxpayer? What if everyone decided to that?

This is exactly what UC is for.
I hope your DD makes a full recovery, this must be a worrying time for you.

No she can’t. Once she leaves school she is expected to support herself or be supported by family. It’s not what the benefits system is for. Most people would love and genuinely benefit from 6 months off to nurture themselves but it’s not a thing.

Perhaps she could nurture more than 2 hours a week work, and that might help her health issues too?

If you want to support her in this nurturing stuff you’ll need to support her. Telling her to sign on isn’t you supporting her, it’s expecting other people who have to work for their money to do so.

I'm glad your daughter is taking care of her wellbeing after being unwell. It's a really positive decision and one that I hope will serve her well long term. Health is everything and if she needs a pause good on her. Society doesn't encourage it and that's why we have a mental and physical health crisis.

Unfortunately, as others have pointed out bluntly, universal credit will expect your daughter to work or else apply for health related reasons. As it sounds like she wants to work later on, she would be better either bringing forward her plans or relying on other sources of income such as from you or upping her current hours.

Not looking for jobs, not entitled to benefits. If you encourage her to claim benefits at this stage she will never learn to look after herself