Retraining on UC 20 September 2022 at 6:54AM in Benefits & tax credits 2 replies 121 views

oweincook

and I am starting a 1 day a week college course to begin to retrain and start my own business. We currently get Universal Credit and my question is, would I be able to leave my ful time job to take a part time job whilst I retrain without Universal Credit being taken away or us be sanctioned in any way?
Would they see this as an acceptable reason?
Many thanks 

Alice_Holt

  Might depend on whether your part time monthly earnings put you in the 'Light touch regime', or in the  Conditionality Earnings Threshold (CET), You could google these for more info, i.e: 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/numbers-moved-to-universal-credits-intensive-work-search-regime-because-of-the-increase-in-the-administrative-earnings-threshold/numbers-moved-to-universal-credits-intensive-work-search-regime-because-of-the-increase-in-the-administrative-earnings-threshold

https://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2021-0349/2_Administrative_and_Conditionality_Earnings_Thresholds_v6_0.pdf

But, I suppose it will be down to a DWP decision maker to decide.

NedS

Giving up work to go into education, and in the process making yourself dependent (or more dependent) upon the state is generally not considered good reason, so you could potentially be sanctioned for leaving voluntarily or giving up paid work voluntarily.

If your (or your household) earnings are enough keep you in the Light Touch or Working Enough regimes, then you would not face a sanction.