16 year old apprenticeship - UC and housing element - single parent

foxgloves1

Hi, My almost 16 y/o DS has just finished his GCSEs and is starting an apprenticeship in September. I'm a newly single mum working 30 hours and renting privately. I fully expected not get his portion of child benefit (I have a 10 y/o DD too) once he left school but I filled in the benefits calculator to see what else would change and was surprised to see not only would I lose the child element for him but I'd only qualify for needing a two bedroom house, not three so the cap shoots down, is this right? According to the calculator I'll be down over £500 a month altogether, he was fully prepared to chip in but he won't be earning a great deal more than that and needs to save for a car. Things are tight already, I get very little from their father in financial support. I'm now dreading the Autumn. The housing element confuses me, he can't claim anything himself until he is 18, will be earning £6.40 per hour, and yet is deemed a non-dependent, is that right? I can't really up my hours until my DD is a bit older. Thank you for any advice!

poppy12345

If your son will still be living with you then you'll still be entitled to the 3 bedroom rate of LHA and not 2 bedrooms. Seems like you filled out the benefits calculator incorrectly. If it's UC that you're claiming then you will not be affected by non dependent deductions because your son is under 21. https://england.shelter.org.uk/professional_resources/legal/benefits/universal_credit/deductions_from_universal_credit_for_non-dependants

foxgloves1

Thank you, it wouldn’t let me put him down anywhere as I said he didn’t qualify for child benefit. I feel a bit more hopeful then, I imagine I’ll still lose the child element of UC for him? Just not the 3 bed rent cap, which definitely helps. 

poppy12345

Yes, child element stops, same as child benefit. You need to make sure you report the changes to UC.