Universal credit LCWRA when returning to work

stan_drew

Hello everyone

I am after a bit of help with universal credit.

I have been out of work for a while due to mental health issues (depression and social anxiety). I am 46 and It has been a bit of a bolt out of the blue for me because I have been in work since I was 16 and had never suffered with these kind of issues before.

I have been claiming universal credit for 18 months now and was placed in the LCWRA group.

I feel I have now come out the other side and have been actively looking for work. I have now been offered a job but it would mean relocating to another area. I am happy with this and find the move exciting.

However, my query is this. While I am happy that I am able to go back to work what would happen if the symptoms returned? If I found after a couple of months I couldn't cope and was forced to leave the job what would be the situation with universal credit? Would I, in effect, be starting a new claim in a new area and need a new assessment if applying for LCWRA again. Or would I just automatically go back on to my current benefits?

If I understand it right, once I start work you don't automatically stop UC, you just don't receive anything while you are above a certain threshold. So, if after a couple of months I had to leave my job so never received any money for the subsequent qualifying period, do I just start receiving UC again?

Obviously hoping none of this will apply but just trying to think ahead.

Thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks