Universal credit

[Depressedmum77]

Hi just want some advice, currently me & my husband have our own bank accounts & therefore I get tax credits & he gets his benefits however I was looking at reapplying to move home & he piped up that if we moved we would have to go onto universal credit & it would be paid into one of our accounts unless we got a joint one. My question is, is universal credit broken down into different benefits or is it one lump sum? I don't trust my husband with money(he was in rent arrears when we met) so I pay the bills. I just don't want to feel financially tied to him as our relationship is not great & it would make leaving harder. Just want some advice please

It’s paid monthly and you can wait up to 5 weeks on it being sorted if your planning on moving again.

You can ask for it to be paid to you though

plus if moving go alone if that’s an option and then you won’t be tied to him anymore.

When you report a change of circumstances to the tax credits help line they will tell you that they will close your claim and that you will have to apply for Universal Credit. As far as I know, a married couple living together as a couple will have to make a joint claim and you can’t make 2 separate claims. Tax credits will be ending for everyone at some point anyway and you will have to move to UC. Given your circumstances, it sounds as if you would be happier single anyway. Please speak to a benefits advisor, although I suspect your husband is probably correct in what he says.

Yes it is 1 lump sum so any housing benefit, child tax equivalent, childcare plus any income support, job seeker's or working tax equivalent are paid into 1 account once a month

Oh sorry meant to add that it will have to be a joint claim if you live together

Setup a joint account and have the UC paid in there. Pay all the household bills from there (both of you top the joint account up on whatever split you agree on). But have a firm agreement that neither of you will dip into it for any personal purchases. If he can't stick to that then have all the UC paid into your personal account.

You say you currently pay all the bills, while he is in receipt of benefits of his own? Does he work? Does he contribute financially at all?

Just to add, the five weeks wait is correct but you can get one month's UC paid immediately if you need it. You pay it back by small sums over the next 6 months.

Just a simple change of address will not trigger a claim to Universal credit. I’m assuming you already live together and no other changes.

A change of address will only trigger a UC claim if you move local authorities and you need your housing costs paid.
If you're living together at the moment your benefits should be calculated according to your joint income anyway.
You can have UC split to pay you both but this can be quite difficult to get.

Wait, assuming you're living together how are you claiming separate benefits? Is that legal?

@PinkButtercups

I was wondering this too!!

@IGotItInTheSales me too!!

I assumed the tax credits claim was a joint one, but all paid into her account. and he is in receipt of some other personal benefits (JSA, PIP/DLA etc). Or possibly it's a joint tax credits claim, but tax credits itemises the separate elements, so maybe it was possible to have them paid into separate accounts. With UC, everything is just lumped in together in the calculation, and you only get told the combined total.

I do wonder what their personal circumstances are that make them both eligible for all these benefits. How many kids do they have living with them - are they kids they've had together or from previous relationships. It's practically impossible to qualify for working tax credits since the min wage has increased and the thresholds haven't, so can only think is unemployed, disabled and unable to work, or has kids living with them from previous relationship.

They can have separate claims for contribution based benefits, but these would be deducted from the couple applicable amount.

As Simone said up thread, a house move within the same local authority, would not prompt a claim for UC, but you will get LA’s that don’t understand that and will tell you to claim UC- push back on it.

No idea who Simone is- *some one

You're very right to be cautious. Do not get a joint account with him or live with him. In fact break up with him but we usually don't until it's too late, as in when there are children involved.

When I was with my loser I moved into his council home in favour of any security around living arrangements, in fact I knew we would split up and I wanted to be able to leave instead of having to kick him out.

When I did leave I took a baby because hindsight is 20/20. When I look back at the years I spent with him I have nothing but disdain for myself,.

Get out now and live a life that you can enjoy instead of being with someone incompetent.

Given the financial vulnerabilities and your UN it sounds like you should think about your relationship before thinking about moving?