Universal Credit + Carers Element for a joint claim

Duckygoose

Hi everyone,

I need some information about a universal credit claim myself and my partner wanted to make.

I hope you can help please.

We both care for his father, we split the caring duties between us evenly and there are some things I do which my partner cannot and there are some things only my partner can help his father with.

I’ve come to know that only one of us can go down as the main carer, so my question is will the other be made to look for work? In this situation it isn’t possible for either one of us to work as we will need to fit work around my partners fathers needs and our caring duties as my partners father cannot afford either one of us forfeiting caring duties to him.

What are our options in regards to universal credit? I did ring universal credit but all they say is to make a claim and see what happens and we need a clearer picture because we cannot sign a commitment stating one of needs to look for work when in reality the both of us are needed around the clock.

Is there anyone out there who is claiming UC as a couple and caring for someone and the both of you are not being made to look for work?

Thank you

Rubyroobs

yes one will most likely need to look for work but I guess they could ask for work searching commitments to be reduced due to the situation. It would be at the discretion of the work coach I think whether any easements could happen.

Duckygoose

Thanks for responding rubyroobs, do you know for a fact that one of us will be made to look for work? I only say this because I’m aware of a relative on my partners side where both the husband and wife care for their son. The husband actually quit his job of 20 years to take on caring duties for his son.

When they went for the appointment at the job centre, they advisor told them one of them has to go down as the main carer so they chose the husband, however the wife doesn’t have any claimant commitments (any work search related commitments etc).

So that tells me it is perhaps possible but I’d like to know of other peoples experience if possible. We don’t want to go through with a universal credit application if one of us is made to look for work because it just isn’t an option for us at the moment and we’ll end up breaking the terms of the commitment.

Rubyroobs

What benefits are you currently claiming and why do you want to switch to UC?

calcotti

It is possible that you would be both accepted to have caring responsibilities although only one of you can be the primary carer for whom the carer element will be included. It will be for the work coach to exercise discretion so there isn’t a definite answer. To get the carer element the primary carer needs to be providing 35 hours of care/week.

If you are not claiming any benefits at the moment and UC is your only option you have nothing to lose by claiming. If you are unable to accept the claimant commitment your claim will be closed.

If you are claiming benefits already that is a different matter.

Duckygoose

We are currently not claiming any benefits and this will be the first time we’ll be claiming universal credit. I was caring for my partners father whilst my partner was working but he then had to quit his job to help out as it’s too much for one person to handle hence why I said we’re both caring for him.

My partners father is elderly and very eccentric and unpredictable at times, he is also a stroke patient and needs physical help with bathing/changing and all those things.

Due to my partners relatives situation where they are both carers for the same person and neither of them having to look for work, I just thought that the same would apply to us due to our very similar situations.

poppy12345

Does the father claim a qualifying benefit such as DLA mid/high rate care or Attendance Allowance?


If so, do they live alone? If they live alone someone claiming the carers element could affect the benefits they are claiming. If they are claiming the severe disability premium, they would no longer be entitled to claim this, which could also affect any other benefits he's claiming. I'd advise you to check what benefits he's claiming before claiming UC carers element.

Duckygoose

Hi,

He has recently made a successful claim for PIP (daily living + mobility) which was actually made by his son whom he lives with, I believe that this is a qualifying benefit that would enable someone to make a claim for the carers element, and since my partner and I care for him then that would probably be us as his son (who he lives with) is working full time running his own business.

Because he doesn’t live alone he doesn’t get the severe disability premium so us claiming carers element won’t affect his PIP at all.

Do you have any idea as to whether or not the people at universal credit would expect us both as his carer and not force us to look for work? Even if it is judged and decided on a case by case basis - is it completely unheard of that a couple in a joint claim can both be a carer to the same person (even though the carers element will only be paid to one person) and neither will be made to look for work?

The general consensus seems to be that one part of the couple will definitely be asked to look for employment and it’s impossible to find anything online.

huckster

Yes UC would only treat one person as carer and the other would have to look for work.

Although it would be one claim as a couple, it only places the carer in the no work related requirements group. The other person would not be able to have joint caring verified and would have a work search requirement.

Duckygoose

Thanks Huckster, however, as I’ve mentioned previously, I do know of a relative in law who absolutely does claim the carers element and their wife doesn’t have any work related commitments whatsoever. Initially they were both down as carers but once seen by the job centre staff, they were told to select only one as the main carer. So the husband put himself down as the main carer and the wife to this day still isn’t required to look for work as it was explained that they both share the caring duties for their mentally incapacitated son.

Could it be that it’s judged on a case by case basis? Looking after an ill person can become very draining and exhausting and sometimes too much for one person to bear, surely the system isn’t so rigid so as to completely ignore this fact? It must surely take individual circumstances into account?

poppy12345

As calcotti said in post #5 it's the work coaches discretion whether they turn work searches off for the person that isnt down as the main carer. This would be case by case because there's no definite answer.