Universal credit with my partner working

tarynsm

Morning all.

Bit of back story. When me and my husband were first put on UC, I was in soft touch as he was working and I didn't have to go to the job center. We split up last September so I changed it to single claim and I was looking for work and doing voluntary work while our children were in school. We got back together in March so claim went back to joint.

So, my job coach is insisting now that I find a full time job, even though my husband is earning £80 a day take home. I said to him that before the split that I was on soft touch due to husbands wages but the job coach is saying I won't go onto light touch unless we are receiving absolutely nothing from UC even though we have children that are 7 and 10. Is that right?
I would also like to know how to go abouts changing my job coach. Long story short, I was sexually abused as a child and sometimes have trouble being near men that are not family. I tried changing before and he got very arsy about it saying he thought he had done amazing by helping me so much.

Thank you in advance.

calcotti

You might want to read through this https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Universal-Credit/Claimant-Commitment-Conditionality

From the last two paragraphs
“If you are a couple and earning less than your joint earnings threshold but more than £541 per month, you will be subject to all work-related requirements, except for looking for work. You will still have to be ready to take up more work, to do the things your job coach asks you to and to go to work-focused interviews.

If you are a couple and earning less than £541 per month, you will be subject to all work-related requirements.”

At £80/day your partner is earning well over this administrative threshold and you should not be subject to all work related search requirements.

There is also information here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/what-youll-need-to-do-on-universal-credit/claimant-commitment-what-group/

To get into the light touch group you need to have earnings above the earnings threshold which for a couple is normally 2 x 35 x NMW x 52/12 = £2,490/month. In your case, because of your children, it would be reasonable to reduce your expected hours of work to fit around school hours so your threshold should be set lower than this. Again at £80/day (£2,433/month) your joint earnings are therefore above the earnings threshold and you should be in the No work related requirements group. It will depend on the actually earnings received within the assessment period by your partner.

I suggest you refer your work coach to DWP Advice for Decision Makers https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/728459/admj2.pdf

See paragraphs J2080 onwards. See paragraph J2088 which refers specifically to couples.

See paragraph J2086 about reduced working hours expectation for primary carer of a child. If we take expected hours of work for partner as 35 and for you as 25 this brings the earnings threshold to 60 x NMW (£8.21) x 52 / 12 = £2,134.60/month.

WhenIam64

@Calcotti

What a star. Do you actually read this stuff in bed at night?

calcotti

WhenIam64 wrote: »

@Calcotti

What a star. Do you actually read this stuff in bed at night?

Not quite that mad - yet!

A lot of this is about knowing places to look for answers.

tomtom256

What commitments do you have as this will indicate what you need to do.

You should meet the AET/CET and be eithe in light touch - not working or No work related requirements - earning enough. Both would make you work coachless and not required to attend appointments.

I would circumvent the Work Coach and ring the service centre and ask them what labour market regime you are in.

Unless you are in Work Prep, work focused or intensive work search you should not be required to attend appointments.

Kentish_Dave

Could you not find a term-time job?

atlantis187

[QUOTE

From the last two paragraphs
“If you are a couple and earning less than your joint earnings threshold but more than £541 per month, you will be subject to all work-related requirements, except for looking for work. You will still have to be ready to take up more work, to do the things your job coach asks you to and to go to work-focused interviews.

If you are a couple and earning less than £541 per month, you will be subject to all work-related requirements.”



To get into the light touch group you need to have earnings above the earnings threshold which for a couple is normally 2 x 35 x NMW x 52/12 = £2,490/month. In your case, because of your children, it would be reasonable to reduce your expected hours of work to fit around school hours so your threshold should be set lower than this. Again at £80/day (£2,433/month) your joint earnings are therefore above the earnings threshold and you should be in the No work related requirements group. It will depend on the actually earnings received within the assessment period by your partner.
[/QUOTE]

These 2 paragraphs contradict each other so does the OP and her partner as a couple need to be earning more than £541 a month or £2490 a month for one of them to be put into the light touch group???

calcotti

atlantis187 wrote: »

These 2 paragraphs contradict each other so does the OP and her partner as a couple need to be earning more than £541 a month or £2490 a month for one of them to be put into the light touch group???

As I understand it, there are two different thresholds, the (lower) administrative threshold, and the higher (earnings) threshold.

Below the administrative threshold full work search requirements apply.

Above the earnings threshold no work search requirements apply.

Below the earnings threshold but above the administrative threshold there is a requirement to be available for work, prepare for work but not actually to look for work (the Work focused interview requirement and work preparation requirement group). This, I think, is what is commonly referred to as 'light touch' but I don't think 'light touch' is an official term. In this group there will be a requirement to meet with a work coach.

In the case of the OP it seems clear that they should at least be in the 'light touch' regime but also looks as if they should possibly be in the 'no work related requirements' group. In this group there will be no contact with a work coach.

If anyone else can confirm this that would be great because I agree it's confusing.

https://www.uceplus.co.uk/light-touch-regime.html

paddedjohn

£80 a day is only about £1700 a month so well below £2490

calcotti

paddedjohn wrote: »

£80 a day is only about £1700 a month so well below £2490

Quite right - with insufficient thought I did my calculation on 365 days of workwhich would be totally ridiculous! My mistake, apologies all round. ‘Light touch’ regime should apply, assuming 5 days work/week (but then there may be holidays etc - does depend on actual monthly earnings within assessment period).