UC, LWCRA, Moving on in life …

magentablossom
magentablossom Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
in Universal Credit (UC)

Hi everybody!

I decided to sign up for the forum after seeing some posts online through my searches. It looks great :)


So I had a couple of burning questions which I was hoping someone would be able to help me clarify/answer. But I should probably give some context before asking!

I’m a disabled person within the 25-45 age group. I currently receive UC standard allowance along with help with rent and the LCWRA element.

I am in a relationship with someone who lives in their own place and doesn’t receive any form of government support. They earn £28K plus.

We live separately, but would one day like to move in together:

  1. What would happen if they moved in with me? Would I lose all both the UC standard allowance, help with rent, and my LCWRA?

Following on from that, I would maybe like to try working at some point too.

Someone approached me from an educational institution to offer 2 hours of work a week tutoring. This is something I’m passionate about, and would love to do in order to maintain autonomy, but also a sense of social wellbeing:

2. Would I be reassessed? If so, how soon would that take (roughly)?


I’m worried constantly about the future and what I’m going to be able and allowed to do.
If I one day decided to cancel my LCWRA and UC claim:

3. Would I ever be allowed to reapply for UC & LCWRA again in the future if I was the one to close the claim?

I’m sorry for the long winded message, and do genuinely appreciate anyone taking the time to read.

Thank you! :)

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,036 Championing
    edited July 2024

    If you moved in with a partner then you would need to report a change of circumstances by logging into your journal, assuming you have one. You will then be sent a linking code.

    Your partner will then need to start a claim theirself and use the linking code to join both claims together. Your UC entitlement will then be based on your joint circumstances.

    As you have LCWRA you and a partner will have the work allowance. This means that you can receive a certain amount of earnings each month before any deductions apply. If at that time you're still claiming for help with the rent your work allowance will be £404/month, if no help with the rent is claimed then it will be £673/month. For every £1 of earnings received over those amounts then your UC will reduce by 55p.

    Your UC will include standard allowance (couples) LCWRA element and housing element (if renting)

    However, if your partner has more than £16,000 in capital/savings then you will both be excluded from claiming.

    Whether there would be any entitlement will depend on what your maximum UC entitlement is and what their monthly net earnings are. Annual earnings are irrelevant.

    Yes, you can work, if you start work you must report a change of circumstances and tell them. As I advised above you will have the work allowance so earnings of up to those amounts are ignored.

    Please also note that the work allowance is per claim and not per person so a joint claim will still only have 1 work allowance.

    The above work allowance figures are this years rates and those do increase each April.

    Edit to add, if at anytime you decide to end your UC claim then yes you can claim again in the future.

  • magentablossom
    magentablossom Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/893134#Comment_893134

    Hi Poppy,


    Thanks for taking the time to read through all of that and respond.

    So, we can still claim, but depending on the financial circumstances e.g., how much they earn, we may not be entitled to UC. Would this be inclusive of the LCWRA component too or just big standard UC standard allowance/help with rent?

    Similarly, if I closed UC (inc. LCWRA), I can apply again for BOTH UC & LCWRA in the future if we broke up, for example? I’m asking because I was told that you aren’t allowed to reapply with the same previous conditions e.g., If I was awarded it the first time for arthritis, then I could list arthritis again in the reapplication.

    Sorry if that doesn’t quite make sense!

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 11,727 Online Community Programme Lead

    Hello @magentablossom

    If your UC claim closed because you were no longer entitled due to household income or savings, and your circumstances changed (such as the example you gave of you breaking up), then yes you could apply again for UC. You would need to be reassessed for LCWRA through handing in fit notes and undertaking another work capability assessment.

  • magentablossom
    magentablossom Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener

    @Adrian_Scope

    Thanks for responding to my post!

    You said that if it turned out that I was no longer entitled to UC that I could apply again in the future if, for example, we broke up.

    However, would all of that also apply if I decided to close the claim instead? Ideally, I’d rather just close the claim and not feel constantly anxious.

    I’m just trying to make an informed decision that doesn’t leave me stranded in the future if things don’t work out.

    I hope that makes sense.

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,036 Championing

    You can reapply anytime in the future. You also said this in a previous comment…

     I’m asking because I was told that you aren’t allowed to reapply with the same previous conditions e.g., If I was awarded it the first time for arthritis, then I could list arthritis again in the reapplication.

    You were advised incorrectly. This is not correct, you can apply again in the future, even for the same condition.

    What you were advised there applies to someone that's found fit for work. They wouldn't be able to apply again for the same condition, unless it's for a significant worsening of an existing condition or a completely new condition. You weren't found fit for work so it doesn't apply.

  • Meg24
    Meg24 Online Community Member Posts: 369 Trailblazing

    Poppy would it be the case that if they reapplied in the future that they would have the 3 month wait for payment of the LCWRA element?

    Also I have seen a lot about people having a UC entitlement based on their LCWRA, but having a £0 payment due to savings or income, yet the claim stays open in order to passport them to other benefits such as prescriptions. Is this for contributory benefits rather than income related?

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,036 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/893867#Comment_893867

    If they reapplied then the waiting period will apply. If their UC is reduced to zero because of earnings then their claim remains open for 6 months, after that time of zero earnings the claim closes.

    It doesn't remain open because of entitlement to NHS treatment such as prescriptions because there's only entitlement to that if earnings are below a certain amount in your previous assessment period.

    Entitlement to those would be if your earnings are less than £935 in the last assessment period, if you have a child on your claim or you have either LCW/LCWRA. Or £435 in your last assessment period if none of those apply. If earnings or more than those amounts there's no entitlement.

    The reason it stays open is to save the hassle of having to reclaim again if earnings do reduce it to zero.

    If savings/capital go over £16,000 then your claim closes, it doesn't remain open for 6 months.

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