Claiming Universal Credit during the unpaid part of Mat leave?

Tudorqueen

Hello,

I am currently on maternity leave, just starting the unpaid part of it (3 months no personal income).
I am wondering about claiming universal credit during this time. Is this something that people do? My husband works full-time and earns around £19-20K a year. 

My question is the following. I believe it takes a while for claims to be approved and for the money to be transferred. What if this takes so long that I’ll be back at work? Will they still pay for those three months? Is it easy to cancel once back to work?
Thank you!

poppy12345

UC is a means tested benefit and you will need to claim with your husband as a couple. Whether there's any entitlement will depend on your joint circumstances. If you have savings/capital of more than £16,000 you'll be excluded from claiming.

When you start your claim your first payment will be 1 month and 6 days later. You will then be paid once every month going forward. UC is paid monthly in arrears. It's based on earnings received during your monthly assessment period. If you're entitled when you start back work you need to report the changes, no need to cancel your claim, if your UC is reduced to zero because of earnings, your UC will eventually close.

Before applying i'd advise you to use a benefits calculator to check if there's any entitlement. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=a5e2aa6f-acfd-44ff-96d9-1c069b0f9ae3

peteuk

You could go back to work.  I know this isn’t always the case, but if your worried about income then it might be worth thinking about it.  Even if in a reduced capacity.