Universal Credit LCWRA Moving in with student partner

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beacats94

Hi, I was hoping for some advice as the information online is overwhelming.

I am currently living with my parents, I claim universal credit and have the extra income for LCWRA. I also get the advanced rates of both mobility and daily living for pip.

I am about to move out with my boyfriend into a rental property. He is going to be a full time student studying a masters degree.

Is this going to affect how much universal credit I receive? I am confused as everywhere says we will need to claim as a couple, but that there are exemptions for students.

Many TIA

Rosie_Scope

Hi @beacats94, welcome to the community.

I'm afraid I don't have much experience with this, but from what I understand, you would still need to have a joint claim for your Universal Credit and you should continue to receive what you're eligible for.

Your incomes would need to be looked at together and the money would likely be adjusted slightly from a normal joint claim to account for him being a student. If your partner has any loans or grants for his studies these may also affect what you receive as a couple.

As it's a slightly unusual joint claim, you might like to speak to a benefits adviser for some more solid advice. There's a search tool on Turn2Us if that's something you'd like to look into:

Turn2Us - AdviceFinder