Career break / Universal Credit

[Lou22000]

Evening all,
Just after some advice if anyone can help. I'm currently off work my mat leave finished and using my last years annual leave up till end of November so not back yet but due back to work very soon. Anyway I'm thinking of not going back and staying home with my little one for another year or so with the cost of nursed fees etc.
So have been thinking about taking a career break which work do offer I work for the nhs! Anyway my question is me and my partner claim universal credit don't get much but a little is something these days! If I go for a career break for a year will universal credit allow this to happen and will they top me up what I loose from work?

Hi, i am kind of in the same position as you right now, really worried i might not get childcare and considering options (NHS also) did you happen to take the career break and if so did you get UC?

many thanks

I would of presumed that they would want you working if possible ?

You want take a voluntary career break and have the tax payer pay for it? Sorry no, you make your choice and manage the consequences (less money) like the rest of us.

If you’re eligible they may pay for some of the childcare. In some areas nursery places are difficult to come by at the moment though.

Sorry just realised the age of the thread.

Depends how old your dc are as well. If they are school age, they'll want you working as close to full time as possible.
I've worked since split up with h 8 years ago but when I finished for the summer holidays for a month (I work in school and didn't get paid holidays at the time but was starting back in September), they were straight on my case. 3 dc in school and no childcare. They'll be asking you to go in for job centre appointments and be checking you are looking for work constantly.

Personally, I could not now and be on UC without working. I feel bad enough getting the little top up I get working f/t.
I don't claim any housing or get any other help.

That is an old one, even I missed that.

Whoops! Maybe it will help second poster though.

Lots of people who can't afford childcare will end up quitting and del on their partners wages / their situ will get benefit top ups, yes. Would you prefer people who can't afford childcare leave their kids unattended or unfed? At least this way 2nd poster is looking at just a year and then going back

True

If you're entitled to any UC then you'll get 85% of childcare costs up to a maximum of £950 for one child, £1630 for two or more, per month, to cover the hours that you work plus reasonable travel.
You can look up whether you'd be entitled with a benefit calculator - eg. Entitled To or Turn2Us.

For the first question which I know is old, there are no work related requirements until your youngest child is one year old so yes you could take a career break and still get UC. At the moment you could continue not working but have increasing week related activities (but not work itself) until your youngest is three years old. The rules around this are being tightened up currently and I wouldn't he surprised if there were further increases in requirements to do some kind of work in the pipeline.

increasing "work" related activities
Autocorrect getting in the way again though I really should proofread my posts 😕

@Keepingthingsinteresting
I don't want to take a career break but where i live there is a really lack of childcare options, initially there was more but since having baby a major childcare service has been shutdown and i'm on all the childminder waiting lists this is me just exploring my options and hoping to get back into work as soon as possible.

Your award will be higher due to having no wages deducted but it will not make up for loss of wages.
but yes you will be ok to do this as you don’t have work commitments till your youngest is 3.

Childcare is a massive problem. Not just the costs but actually finding it. I've had no choice but to work in school until now on a crappy wage which wouldn't even cover childcare for my 3 dc.
This is why so many women have to give up decent jobs and careers to work crappy minimum wage jobs. It's great being able to claim childcare IF you can't find it!

I am currently doing this.
On a career break but coming to an end on the 6th of December and going back full time when baby turns 2 on the 23rd November.

Our UC has been £0 for the past 2 months as I still received a bonus pay from work. But next month I'll be entitiled to about £30...

Can I claim 85% of my daughters nursery fees for December? And her settling in days in November?

What about the flexible support fund?

I am down as employed with £0 pay.

I won't be entitiled once I get my first full pay end of Dec.

Hi! Sorry I know this post is old.
im currently looking into my options aswell,
i would like to take a career break too but would I receive UC as well? I would be receiving nothing at all from my employer

Hi!! I ended up getting some uc which gave me entitlement to childcare because I was going back to work and earning.

If you are on maternity now and taking a career break yes you will be entitiled. You have to put you are still employed but earning £0

😊

I worked for NHS and was off for a year with post natal depression (inc my maternity leave) my mental health still wasn't right by the time I was due back at work so they offered me a sabbatical, I didn't get paid but I did receive ESA as it was then and child tax credit it didn't cover my wages but I had no childcare to pay for because I was off so I was £500 better off just not putting my baby into nursery also because my mental health was the reason I took the time off the insurance i had to take out when i got my mortgage (in case i was ill and couldn't pay my mortgage) kicked in and that topped my wages up nicely so I didn't struggle for money in the end