Hi, my name is curious101! How could my partner starting work affect our UC claim?

curious101

I have a current UC with my partner who has already been awarded lcwra, this is because of his mental health- depression and anxiety and struggling to deal with and interact with people, also because he struggles to look after himself so I help care for him. Due to the current cost of living crisis, he is now wanting to look for work, he has applied to a couple of supermarkets for night work and cleaning roles, essentially trying to find a job with as much alone time as possible, will he lose the lcWra element? I currently work part-time 20 hours as I am also a part-time student but our UC claim is joint. If he did lose he LCWRA and ended up working 24 hours a week, would we still get UC or does he have be on lcwra? 

poppy123456

There's no maximum amount of hours you can work while receiving the LCWRA element. If the work he does contradicts the reasons why he was found to have LCWRA then it could go against him when he has his next review.

If he starts work he needs to report a change of circumstances and tell them he's working.

You already have the work allowance, any earnings outside of this will reduce your UC by 55%. If in the future he was found fit for work, unless you have children on your claim then you will lose the work allowance and all earnings received during your assessment period will reduce your UC by 55%.

If he does work 24 hours per week, whether there will be any entitlement to UC will depend on your joint circumstances.

Use a benefits calculator and put in various figures to see the difference. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=faf3178b-3f6a-49b1-a670-0d9fb6f50732

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @curious101  

I hope that poppy123456's comment has helped to clear that up for you. If you have any further questions, please do let us know. 

I'm sure he's not the only one considering entering employment due to the cost of living crisis, despite living with ill health, which I'm sorry to hear. 

Is he receiving support to help him manage his anxiety and depression at the moment? If he hasn't spoken to his GP lately, I'd encourage him to do so. 

If he'd like some support with finding suitable work, he might like to access one of our friendly employment services.

I can imagine that you must have a lot on your plate, with working, studying, and taking on caring responsibilities. How's your wellbeing at the moment?