Personal Travel Budgets and Universal Credit

[TheZoomies]

I have 3 DC with sen; two of them attend special schools (different ones) and I drive them to and from school. I receive a travel budget for each child from our authority.

I also receive UC but after reading the leaflet from my council when I first applied for the travel budgets, it specifically says in there that the budget does not affect any other benefits. I also did some research in to regulations for UC and found that LA payments were disregarded.

However, it seems that this disregard is only for a period of 12 months. Is this correct?

As the leaflet said that the travel budget does not affect benefits, I declared the bank account it goes in to on the UC claim (which has a £0 balance), but I did not register the travel budget as I understood that it wasn’t classed as income. Now after seeing the 12 month limit, I’m worried I’ve got it wrong.

I pay for the fuel in my car every week to take my DC to school. The travel budget goes in to my other account every month and I transfer it in to the family account where it goes on any bills that come out that week (because I’ve already covered fuel for that week). Is this ok?

I’m not sure if I’m worrying over nothing or if I’ve made a mistake.

It isn’t classed as income or capital for UC. It is not your money. It is DC’s money paid to you on their behalf in order to fulfil to LA’s duty to meet DC’s needs due to their disability. It is money instead of the LA commissioning such provision directly. Each amount paid will be used within 12 months so that isn’t relevant, don’t worry about that.

@EndlessLight thank you that’s a huge relief. Do you know if I have to tell UC about it? Stupidly (or not?) I didn’t think I needed to as I was told it was not relevant to UC.

@EndlessLight Is the way I’m using the fuel money also ok? I’m adding it in to the family pot but obviously I am covering all fuel costs, it may just not be with that specific payment because I pay for fuel also out of the family pot?

As long as you are spending the amount of money on fuel for the school run, it is fine. You should keep proof just in case.

I advise informing UC. It will probably lead to questions in the short term (not all at UC understand the UC regulations) but it could same even more questions/investigations later down the line if UC incorrectly think you have another income stream/undeclared capital over the limit.

@EndlessLight Thank you for your advice; I was so worried about getting things wrong.