Sons my carer on uc question about working

skyladawn

my 19yr old son is my carer and gets UC with the carers element he’s been offered a temporary part time job of 12 hours a week so can still care for me, how will this affect his claim?

poppy123456

Once he starts working he must log into his journal, if he has access to one and click "report a change of circumstances" then click "work and earnings" any earning he receives each month will reduce his UC by 55%, so for every £1 of earnings his UC will reduce by 55p.

For example, if his earnings are £400 per month then his UC will reduce by £220. (£400 x 0.55 = £220)

skyladawn

thank you Do they take into account the carers element when deducting the 55p?

poppy123456

Yes, earnings will reduce the whole of their UC. If he lives at home with you then his maximum UC entitlement as a single person will be £509.99/month. (before deductions)

Using the example figures I gave above his UC will then be £289.99/month. Then he will have his earnings on top of that.

Please be aware that entitlement is based on earnings received each month, so if earnings increase his UC will decrease, if they decease UC will increase.

Kimi87

Try putting in his UC award + 12 hours wage into one of the benefits calculators.

https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

skyladawn

thank you both

By my calculations it’s going to be over what he gets already and that’s fine as he would be better off, it’s only temporary though could his claim be left open or would he need to close it?

Kimi87

The only circumstances that would close his UC claim, is over 6 months of high enough wages to reduce the award to zero each month.

poppy123456

If he's working 12 hours a week @ national minimum wage (NMW) then it's unlikely that his UC would reduce to zero. With a maximum UC entitlement of £509/month he would need to earn about £930/month before his UC reduces to zero.

He doesn't need to close his claim, just report the changes. If his payments are reduced to zero the claim remains open for 6 months anyway. Once the job ends he just reports the changes again.

skyladawn

oh ok he’s going to be earning 12.02 an hour

It’s just confusing me tbh

poppy123456

Yes, it's confusing. The most important thing is that he reports the changes once he starts work but make sure he doesn't request for his claim to be closed.

I can only assume that if you filled out the benefits calculator you did it incorrectly.

skyladawn

I think I did lol

Thanks again

poppy123456

That's very easy to do. A benefits calculator is only as good as the information you put into it. You're welcome.