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

‘Nuture’ herself? No she needs a job

I don't think anyone is being nasty but maybe you misunderstood what UC is for. It's not extra pocket money for those who don't want to work. She will be expected to find a job, apply for jobs etc during that time. And I think your post wound alot of people up (tax payers). You also didn't really give much context so hard for anyone to advise.

If she's genuinely to ill to work. She needs to get a doctor's note before claiming uc.

And this is one tiny clue as to why our Welfare bill is rising rapidly and crippling the country.

I went to a top university and did a long, difficult course. At the end, we were told to apply for benefits as soon as we graduated until we found a job in our field. I was shocked and disgusted frankly. Young, able people being encouraged to go on the dole until their dream job comes along.

I appreciate stacking shelves in Tesco or waiting tables tends to get in the way while you’re trying to find a graduate job or yourself, but surely that’s just life. It’s different if you’re trying but can’t find any job. Then people should apply and get support.

So if your daughter does end up applying for UC, will she tell them that she receives other income from yourself and her dad?

Will she tell them the income she receives from her part time job? (The job sounds like a cash in hand arrangement to me)

Somehow, I imagine she'll accidently on purpose fail to mention she's getting income from other sources, and you should be encouraging her to get out there and work, and not to rely on everyone else paying for your daughter to sit back and relax.

Should she be claiming ESA & maybe also PIP?

I just came on to say just this

A 19yo leaving education is unlikely to have enough NI contributions for ESA.

That is why everyone is talking about Universal Credit which is the correct one she could apply for.

She's eligible for UC but it's not a king's ransom for anyone never mind at the lower rate for under 25s.

If she's claiming on basis of looking for work then she'll have strict conditions as to the time/effort devoted to the task.

If there are health issues they'll need to be evidenced with a fit note and a Work Capability Assessment.

I’m sorry to hear this and sorry for the response. If she has a diagnosis and is genuinely to sick to work, she could try claiming the sick entitlement of us but I believe it does take a couple of months to actually be accepted

UC are strict and expect regular interviews and want evidence of applying for jobs and attending interviews. Some interviews are set up by them to test candidates turn up.

She can apply online and/or go to visit local job centre plus. make an appt.
Uc will give her NI credits which maybe her 30 £ a week job will not.
But she will be expected to meetwith work coach explain her situation etc
But maybe it gets her into support programnes to help her.
If she is ill or unwell long term impacting her abilityvtobwork or study then she needs to get advice first about what and how to apply she should make an appt at local CAB
What about part time course?

Dont apologise on my behalf!
I am a vile hate-filled [edited to add...nasty, judgemental ] taxpayer reading a message from a parent who wont support her child and is pushing the financial burden on to me. Suddenly the kid needs money to recover? At home? 🙄

🤣🤣🤣

Some people expend more energy clueing themselves up on benefits than they clearly ever did pursuing a career.
Ffs!

And here we find ourselves, in 2026 Britain, with an unsustainable welfare bill that Labour doesn't have the spine to deal with.

Was she unwell and is now better or is she still unwell! That makes a massive difference

I would love more time and money to nurture myself and my chronic condition but as I am well enough to work, I have to fit the nurturing in around work.

At 19, her £30 a week job must only be about 2 1/2 hours. Is she really not able to do any more than that?

If she is signing on for UC then I hope she gets the support she needs to become a productive member of society. There are some great courses and she’s available- they obviously vary between areas and countries but hopefully there’s something appropriate in your area.

For what exactly? OP said she was unwell during college. She now wants to spend some time ‘nuturing’ herself. That is not what ESA or PIP are for. I see severely disabled people being refused and having to fight through tribunals for their PIP every single day. The idea that PIP is for OPDD is fucking ridiculous, it is indicative of how entitled some people really are.

Without dependents or housing costs, even on UC, the amount she’d receive would be small, about £400 pm according to a PP.

She could earn that working a NMW job for about 8 hours a week, so one day or two half days, with no requirements to engage with further job hunting. She’d still have plenty of time to ‘nurture herself’.

Op did say her daughter had been very unwell and that she intended to look for full time work in 6 months. That doesn't sound like a young girl who can't be bothered.

Im so sorry everyone was being so harsh. I think there are benefits your daughter can claim. How about PIp?

The lack of compassion on this thread really highlights why there's a mental health crisis now. The op stated that her daughter had been ill and now it transpires that she's been left with medical issues. Good on her for taking time to rest and just work a few hours before looking for full time work. If more people took care of their wellbeing we would have more people able to work in the first place!

Most people do this and don’t expect the taxpayers to fund it. She should use savings or family money for this gap 6 months like others do for this

I actually don't know now. When I was young you could sign on at 17, which I did for a few months til I got ft work.

But now it's not as easy. He should definitely speak to someone at UC/DWP and try and claim if he's a job seeker, but even if he can it's not much money.