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Universal Credit and mature Student Loan for Masters
MrsDay
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hi - I wonder if anyone can help me on this:
My husband and I (both self employed musicians) made the decision to apply for UC at the beginning of the pandemic. Before this we had been getting Child Tax Credits for a few years, not a huge amount but a bit.
As part of a total overhaul of our working lives he has now enrolled in a Masters, and paid the fees with our savings.
I have 2 questions, neither of which have been answered by UC via phone or journal.
1. Can he claim any or all of the tuition fees against his self employment income? The Masters is professional development/career advancement. It's not totally unrelated to his job of the last 30 years. He has paid them up front without a loan.
2. The bods at UC are saying that if he is eligible for a student loan for living expenses - even if he doesn't apply - they will assume he is getting this as income and our UC will be deducted accordingly. Can they force us to take on this debt? Would this, in fact, be a better option?
For background, we have 3 children aged 11 and under, and a mortgage. Other than that we are in as good financial shape as you would imagine having lost all our work for 18 months. We lived off UC & our SEISS and things are picking up now. I took a different job, but we still need UC as a back up some months.
Sorry it's a long post. Any clues from you lovely lot?
My husband and I (both self employed musicians) made the decision to apply for UC at the beginning of the pandemic. Before this we had been getting Child Tax Credits for a few years, not a huge amount but a bit.
As part of a total overhaul of our working lives he has now enrolled in a Masters, and paid the fees with our savings.
I have 2 questions, neither of which have been answered by UC via phone or journal.
1. Can he claim any or all of the tuition fees against his self employment income? The Masters is professional development/career advancement. It's not totally unrelated to his job of the last 30 years. He has paid them up front without a loan.
2. The bods at UC are saying that if he is eligible for a student loan for living expenses - even if he doesn't apply - they will assume he is getting this as income and our UC will be deducted accordingly. Can they force us to take on this debt? Would this, in fact, be a better option?
For background, we have 3 children aged 11 and under, and a mortgage. Other than that we are in as good financial shape as you would imagine having lost all our work for 18 months. We lived off UC & our SEISS and things are picking up now. I took a different job, but we still need UC as a back up some months.
Sorry it's a long post. Any clues from you lovely lot?
0
Comments
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https://www.gov.uk/expenses-if-youre-self-employed/training-courses
Your husband would apply for a Master's Loan
https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan
0 -
1) No, I doubt that UC would treat the tuition fees in this way. But you can always challenge a UC decision, and get another DWP decision maker to review that decision.
2) Yes, it will be deducted from your UC (regardless of whether you take the loan or not).
For a Post-grad loan 30% of the loan is assumed to be living costs for the UC calculations.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907998/admh6.pdf
H6134 & H6135.Alice Holt Forest situated some 4 miles south of Farnham forms the most northerly gateway to the South Downs National Park.2
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