should both parents work on UC

tamara1

Hi. Our family is claiming Child and Working Tax Credits at the moment, my husband works 25 hours a week and I'm looking after the children. Working Tax Credit rules state that combined hours should be no less than 25 hours for both parents. When we are transferred to UC, Will that mean that my husband will have to work 35 hours per week and I, as a main carer, should also look for work for 25 hours? Or are 35 hours combined work hours? 

p00hsticks

How old are the children ?

NedS

Assuming no health conditions or other caring responsibilities, once the youngest child is aged 3-12, the expectation would be for your husband to work full time (35h/week) and your expected hours would be 30h/week as the main carer for the children. With children 13 and above, both are expected to work full time.

tamara1

Youngest is 6 years old

TheShape

 NedS said:

Assuming no health conditions or other caring responsibilities, once the youngest child is aged 3-12, the expectation would be for your husband to work full time (35h/week) and your expected hours would be 30h/week as the main carer for the children. With children 13 and above, both are expected to work full time.

To add slightly to the answer above:

The availability requirement for the husband will be to be available for full-time work (up to 48hrs) and (up to) 30 hrs for the main carer.

If the husband earns the equivalent of 35 hrs per week at NLW they'll have no work related requirements. If the main carer earns the equivalent of 30 hrs per week at NLW they'll have no work related requirements.

If either of the couple earn (or between the couple they earn) the equivalent of 65hrs at NLW neither will have work related requirements.

When working the actual earnings are more important than the hours worked to earn them.

R200

Current AETs are £677 and £1083.
These are (or were!) due to go up in "Autumn 2023" to £812 and £1309.
In April, these will go up to £892 and £1437.
Then at some point next year, the couples rate will be cancelled, and each claimant will only ever be put in the light touch regime based on their own earnings.

On a slightly separate point, from next year, even those in the light touch regime will start having interviews and the jobcentre, and be expected to undertake work preparation activities.

I thought what Jeramy Hunt announced the other day was making things better for those struggling households? I thought £800 year increased housing element to UC and things like that?

so if they are going to cancel the couples rate they are forcing mothers into the workforce?

Most households struggling to get kids to and from childcare before and after work will both have to keep going to JC to explain why they can’t find extra jobs that fit in with their current jobs and dropping off/picking up kids from breakfast club and busy bees ect😡

Spoonie_Turtle

R200 said:

Current AETs are £677 and £1083.
These are (or were!) due to go up in "Autumn 2023" to £812 and £1309.
In April, these will go up to £892 and £1437.
Then at some point next year, the couples rate will be cancelled, and each claimant will only ever be put in the light touch regime based on their own earnings.

On a slightly separate point, from next year, even those in the light touch regime will start having interviews and the jobcentre, and be expected to undertake work preparation activities.

I thought what Jeramy Hunt announced the other day was making things better for those struggling households? 

The changes are to push people to find more/better-paid work.  More/better-paid work will make people financially better off - maybe that's where you got that idea from - but the requirements in the meantime will be more onerous on claimants.

R200

I can see huge numbers of working households having to go to the jobcenter showing they are doing all they can to earn more but all the jobs don’t fit around picking up the kids and dropping them off 

peteuk

R200 said:

I can see huge numbers of working households having to go to the jobcenter showing they are doing all they can to earn more but all the jobs don’t fit around picking up the kids and dropping them off 

Then you arrange childcare to work around the working hours…like many others do all the time.  Child minders do school drop offs,schools do breakfast clubs.

poppy12345

R200 said:

I can see huge numbers of working households having to go to the jobcenter showing they are doing all they can to earn more but all the jobs don’t fit around picking up the kids and dropping them off 

You can also claim for help with child care through UC. Both my daughter and son in law work full time and they have 2 small children under 4. The only benefits they claim is child benefit. I see from a previous thread of yours that you're thinking about reducing your working hours, do you have dependant children?

R200

Yes we have children and that’s why wondering if we would be better off working less hours.

I know we wouldn’t be better off financially but we would be better off all round. So many regret having kids in childcare so much these days