Universal Credit

I’ve tried to research online and contact the CAB but neither really gave me very helpful answers so maybe you guys can help! I’m due to go on maternity leave sometime around the beginning of June to have my second baby, I get 6 months full pay from my work place and then move on to statutory maternity pay. I have already looking at my handbook for work and they say that if I decide to resign whilst on maternity leave I do not have to pay back any maternity pay I have already received. I have been thinking about taking the leap to become a stay at home mum for a while now but am scared about what it could do to our financial situation so does anybody know if I would qualify for universal credit? Little bit more background: me and my partner are already on a joint claim for universal credit and have been for around 3 and a half years now as he was out of work for a while, he has just started a part time job working 14 hours a week and I currently work 21 hours a week. If I were to leave my job my partner would then go up to working 21 hours a week and I would be the main carer for our two children. So sorry for the long post, if you took the time to read it thank you so much! I just want to have as much info as possible before I leave as I really dislike my job and would love to be a SAHM but if it’s not financially viable then will look for another job whilst on MAT leave.

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it goes off how much he would earn, but with only 21 hours a week i’m assuming you’d get some sort of universal credit but it all depends on how much he would earn, for mine, they calculate housing, standard allowance, and children. before deductions my maximum possible amount is £881, but then, earnings get deducted, so the first £379 of your earnings is not deductible, but anything over the £379 every £1 you earn over this reduces the amount by 55p, so basically if you go onto your universal credit payments where it says total entitlement before deductions, keep that total in mind, say he will earn £915 every month, £915 - 379 = 536, 536 x 0.55 = 294, you take away 294 from what your total entitlement is. (at least that’s how i work out mine, it should be the exact same for you)

Going by what you've said it sounds as though yes you would qualify for UC if you quit your job to become a SAHM. You get a housing element and a child element for the 2 children the deductions will depend on how much your partner earns each assessment period.

Your partner would have to earn £1083 or will be called in to work search.

It would completely depend on partners earnings and your outgoings (whether homeowners or renters (private or social), any savings etc.) but you can use the online entitledto benefit calculator. As long as you enter everything accurately it should give you a good idea. Important thing to factor in is when your partner is paid, if it’s 2 weekly/4weekly/monthly will impact entitlement in the months where there are more paydays than usual, if monthly then it shouldn’t have any impact. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=0221b295-bf7a-4950-a8be-9124e524a813

@Hannah I don’t think I would be called in to work search for a certain amount of time as I would be the main carer for both of our children.

I meant your partner would if they don’t earn the £1083 not you

@Hannah I don’t know if that would be the case as before my partner started working I didn’t earn that much and was never told anything about that

It’s the same for everyone now. Unless your partner receives lcw/lcwra There’s a helpful page on Facebook called universal credit survival