Going back to work- UC, LCWRA, HOUSING?

pennu

Hi all

I’m just looking for a bit of advice. I’ve been on LCWRA for about a year now due to my mental health but recently I’ve been feeling somewhat ready to get back into work, and have managed to get an offer for a role in my dream sector. It’s a dental nurse role and I’ll be a trainee so I assume it’s apprenticeship wage, I’m not sure tho but it’s something I have to ask about, but I’m just wondering if I’m right in saying that if I accept this job I will no longer receive my LCWRA/ UC award? 
I understand if I do lose the LCWRA element, I know there’s a work allowance but I’m not sure how it works so if anyone here knows and can explain it to me I’d be so grateful, 

Main worry is that I currently receive help with my housing costs and as I live alone I only qualify for the shared living rate so I put money towards my rent (from my uc/lc payments). I am really worried that if I accept this job, and the pay is of course gonna be understandably quite low to begin with as I’m a trainee, will I lose the money I receive for my housing? I’m in a situation where if I lose my home, I won’t have anywhere to live as I can’t go back to live with my parents as my old room is now being used by my sister who has just moved back home . 

My flat has been the biggest help in improving my mental health too, and because of that it has put me in a position where I feel ready to get my life back on track but I’m just absolutely terrified of losing my home if I struggle to afford it on my trainee wage. 

I’m feeling torn because I want to accept this job, it’s something I love and have interest in and I know the practice is fantastic so the environment is lovely. I fell into addiction issues during the lowest point of my MH so I’m so afraid of going back to that and stress is often the reason why I go so downhill but I’m aware I can’t just sit back and not face anything due to fear because I’ll be missing out on my dream opportunities, like this one! I suppose I’m scared that if this all goes wrong and I can’t handle it, I’ll be in a worse position than before as I’d lose everything including my home, the money, everything. I’ll need to pay for daily travel too as I don’t drive, I need to take trains as the workplace is in another town so I’ve been weighing up all the pros and cons and truthfully the main thing that terrifies me is losing the comfort that I have right now, my home, not being able to pay bills etc. 

I haven’t really got anyone to discuss this with either so I think I just need a realistic point of view to help me understand how everything works. If anyone has any advice I’d really appreciate it! Sorry this is a long one!

Thank you :) 

Rosie_Scope

Hi @pennu, welcome to the community. It sounds really positive that you're considering going for your dream role 😊

You can work and claim LCWRA at the same time. The only thing that might change that is whether your job contradicts the reasons that you're claiming LCWRA, so that's something to bear in mind.

You can also work if you're put into the Limited Capability for Work (LCW) group, but you wouldn't get the extra top-up that LCWRA brings.

UC can continue while you're working, it'll just be adjusted as you earn. If you're in the LCW or LCWRA groups you can earn up to £404 before they start adjusting your payments around your earnings. There's a bit of information about how they do that here:

How Your Earnings Affect Universal Credit | Turn2us

If you know roughly what you'd be earning, you could try using a benefits calculator to see if it might be possible to keep yourself balanced:

Turn2us Benefits Calculator

I hope you're able to go for it, it sounds like it would be a great opportunity 😊

JonnycJonny

Though not subject to the 'permitted work' rules of ESA, LCWRA is - by definition - an out of work benefit - so by entering work you risk triggering a health reassessment. As Rosie states, you could earn up to your allowance limit before your UC would be reduced but alarm bells would sound if the work you do contradicts the reason why you were entitled to the LCWRA element.

Well done for contemplating work - an achievement in itself - but please be mindful of the potential impact it could have on your finances.

Very best wishes