SON HAS FINISHED A LEVELS AND STARTING UNIVERSITY - UNIVERSAL CREDIT QUERY

Rackers717

Hi. I wonder if anyone can help as I am getting very confused after receiving conflicting advice from various FB pages and I can't seem to find a definitive answer online anywhere! My Son has just finished his A Levels and is starting University in September. I took him off my UC claim as a 'Child Who Lives With Me' and changed him to 'Someone Who Lives With Me' and I also put his last day of full time education as the date of his last A Level in June. I then received a message on my journal to say to add him back as a child and then take him off again as a child on his first day of University. I did this and subsequently received his Child Element Payment in July (and I am assuming I will get it again this month?). My question is will I need to pay back his Child Element for July (and August if I get it)? He will be 19 in October. I haven't spent his July Child Element payment just in case I do need to pay it back! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

elkiedee

Can you ask for clarification on your journal?  There is lots of info on the government's websites but it's a bit confusing. Child Benefit (as opposed to the child part of UC) runs until 31 August after finishing A levels, but the UC pages seemed less clear, and some universities don't start until late in September/early October - if you've been advised to take him when he actually starts, that might be a bit longer.

I'd ask questions through the UC system, and then update the journal promptly each time any change happens.

NedS

On UC, you are entitled to the child element as long as they are on a course of non-advanced education. So you are entitled to receive UC for them up until the official end date of their A Level course. That is usually some time in mid July, but the school or college can give you the official end date of the course (it is not necessarily the date of their last exam!)

You are right that there is a lot of confusion, even within UC staff surrounding this issue.

michaels

I asked my daughter's school and the official course end date for the a levels was the last day of the summer term, 19 July for us.