Confused & a little Frustrated.

JoJoIsTired
JoJoIsTired Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener

hi im new here!
i started calming UC a few months back after transferring from old benefits , i am a full time carer for my adult son who has autism & a few other things. The last 2 months iv added a sick not to my UC account, first month my payment came in at £591.76 they hadn’t deducted my carers allowance i assume this was the sick note, this month my payment has come in at £236.86 with the sick note, iv asked them multiple times to please explain this so i can plan for the month but they just direct me to a page with no information at all. Im so confused. We don’t get enough money a month to live on between us we get just over £900 so every penny we get i have to account for & there of no help at all!

Comments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,735 Championing

    Carers Allowance is deducted in full from your UC award (£353.17).

    What elements are on your UC claim?

    Does your son receive any benefits in his own name?

  • JoJoIsTired
    JoJoIsTired Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener

    hi,

    I claim the standard allowance & carer component, my son receives PIP higher rates but we now have a mobility car as i have to take him to his special college placement which is a hour away so he only gets the care component in money.

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,735 Championing
    edited March 12

    At the moment that is probably your full entitlement, do you feel like you would meet the threshold for LCWRA?

    https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/universal-credit-uc/uc-faq/limited-capability-for-work-related-activity

    If your claim was successful you'd get (at current rates) £416.19 and that would replace the Carers Element (the same person cannot get both), so financially you'd be better off by £217.88 a month.

    How old is your son, is his study full time or part time?

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 9,784 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Hey there @JoJoIsTired and welcome to the community.

    I can see you're already getting help, so I dont want to step in, I just wanted to say a quick hi.

  • JoJoIsTired
    JoJoIsTired Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener

    i think i would meet the threshold for LCWRA, my mental health & physically health suffer greatly. My son is 21 he is studying full time at college but also spends time in a autism unit so goes to college 4days a week he has been there 4years so far because of his needs, we have moved local authorities so no longer get the travel fund we used to get. This is his last year. I dont know what i do with him after this year, financially i need to work but that would mean putting him in some find of adult care

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,735 Championing

    Students and UC are a complex area, so I'd recommend consulting local welfare rights for advice

    https://advicelocal.uk/welfare-benefits

    He should at some point qualify for UC in his own right (unless he has more than £16,000 in the bank).

    At current rates he should be entitled to Standard Allowance & LCWRA which pay £809.64 a month.

  • JoJoIsTired
    JoJoIsTired Online Community Member Posts: 4 Listener

    is that including his PIP? Iv had lots of conversations on my UC journal & they have added him to my account.but only in name. Im not his signer so he has to do everything himself , i only made it like that because i was hoping he would be able to do some of it but he can’t & has meltdowns when i try to get him to engage with it so i have to do it all for him. He has very little in his bank so that wouldn’t effect it.
    thanks for all your help i will look into it.

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 5,735 Championing

    No PIP and UC are separate.

    The amount I mentioned is for UC Standard Allowance & UC LCWRA.

    If not already you can apply to be his appointee

    https://www.gov.uk/become-appointee-for-someone-claiming-benefits

    He would be on your UC claim as a non dependant but can qualify for UC payments in his own right.