Universal credit, carers allowance, lcwra

Allblue

Hi all, 3 questions.
1. I'm currently working on a temp 0 hour contract. It's due to finish next month. My wife has just been awarded lcwra. My son has just been awarded DLA. I have added the carer element on UC. Will it effect my UC or get a sanction if I stop work early to become his full time carer? My wife is struggling and with school starting again I can't see any other alternative.
2. My wife put in an application for carers allowance. The DLA claim was started back in may and this was before my wife was given lcwra. Will carers be allowed backdated from the start of the DLA claim to the start of when she gets the lcwra element? Or will it be flat out refused? This month will be the first lcwra addition.
3. Obviously she now has lcwra so either when my contract ends or when I stop work I will be putting in a claim for carers allowance. Do we have to wait for my wife's decision before we update it or do we wait for a decision and then I apply?
Thanks for your help.

calcotti

1) If you are a carer you have no work search requirements and therefore will not be sanctioned for stopping work. However you cannot be the responsible carer for your son if your wife is claiming Carer’s Allowance for looking after him.
2) I suggest that your wife withdraws her claim for Carer’s Allowance on the grounds that her own health now prevents her from fulfilling this role. She can still ask to be paid for the period from when she asked her CA claim to start up to the date you told UC you are the carer.
3) There is no financial gain claiming Carer’s Allowance. It is deducted in full from any UC award. You do not need to claim CA to get the Carer’s element included in UC. If you are able to do any work then any CA entitlement is lost for any week in which you earn more than £123/week. There is no earnings restriction on the UC carer element.

Allblue

Thank you very much for the prompt reply. This is all a minefield and as someone who has worked all my life I'm struggling to make head and tail out if it!

Icequeen99

calcotti wrote: »

1) If you are a carer you have no work search requirements and therefore will not be sanctioned for stopping work. However you cannot be the responsible carer for your son if your wife is claiming Carer’s Allowance for looking after him.
2) I suggest that your wife withdraws her claim for Carer’s Allowance on the grounds that her own health now prevents her from fulfilling this role. She can still ask to be paid for the period from when she asked her CA claim to start up to the date you told UC you are the carer.
3) There is no financial gain claiming Carer’s Allowance. It is deducted in full from any UC award. You do not need to claim CA to get the Carer’s element included in UC. If you are able to do any work then any CA entitlement is lost for any week in which you earn more than £123/week. There is no earnings restriction on the UC carer element.

On point 3 - there is one advantage of claiming CA and that is you are credited with Class 1 NIC contributions whereas UC only gets you class 3.

calcotti

Icequeen99 wrote: »

On point 3 - there is one advantage of claiming CA and that is you are credited with Class 1 NIC contributions whereas UC only gets you class 3.

Agreed. To expand
Class 3 - these count towards your State Pension only
Class 1 - these count towards your State Pension and may help you qualify for some other benefits, for example new style Jobseeker’s Allowance and new tyle Employment Support Allowance

Also worth pointing out that if getting CA and UC there are two payment cycles in operation. UC will always be paid monthly, CA is usually paid every 4 weeks (although it is possible to request more frequent payments).