Universal Credit/stay at home mums

[Kim72]

hi everyone

 

does anyone know anything about how universal credit will work with regard to stay at home mums?

 

It seems that both partners in couples who currently claim tax credits will have conditionality applied and both will have to work in order to qualify for universal credit, even if one partner's working full time.

 

I have read that the threshold is to be set at around the mark that out of work benefit would stop, however i have also read that the threshold for couples is going to be set much higher, - 2 x full time hours at the minimum wage - about £430 per week.

 

does anyone know anymore? many thanks

[catzeyes79]

I work for tax credits & I be surprised if this level of detail is known yet. I'm not saying you or your source is wrong but we don't even know what is happening yet or how it will work. Harv has only just released the new thresholds for next years tax credits so as UC is a way off I thinks probably rumour.

[catzeyes79]

Forgot to say just incase any busy bodies read this, these views are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or anyone else !

[Nystagmite]

I second the above - nothing has really been announced yet.

[Kim72]

hi everyone

 

thanks for your replies.

 

I read this on DWP website - it seems i'm not able to provide the link.

 

go to DWP - Universal Credit Briefing notes - 11. Extending conditionality under Universal Credit to working claimants: setting a new conditionality threshold.

 

This is fine of course if there are plenty of parent/child friendly jobs out there. I've been looking for such a job for over a year, and have only just managed to find a job working at a school, which for the most part fits in with our little ones. The system will be swamped with mothers of young children looking for such jobs, and considering the cuts in public spending these jobs are very few and far between. Add to this, the push for more workers to be flexible to suit the needs of business, it's going to become even harder to find a child friendly job. As an example, my husband works rotating shifts (days and nights - 4 on and 4 off), and he won't be unique, it's especially hard to balance working days/hours with the need for one of us to be home with the children.

 

this, if it happeens, is going to be extremely hard for those on a low income, we're heading for a generation of latch-key children.

Edited November 13, 2011 by Kim72
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[ErikaPNP]

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