1. UNIVERSAL CREDIT AND BENEFITS UPDATE
SFC Student Support Seminar 2017
TUTOR Angela Toal

2. WORKSHOP PLAN
universal credit update
claiming benefits in summer vacation
claiming benefits when course ends
welfare reform update

3. UNIVERSAL CREDIT TIMETABLE
April 2013 – Jan. 2015
UC is gradually introduced in some areas, taking ‘simple’ claims from single jobseekers - Inverness only in Scotland (from Nov ‘13)
April 2016
Roll-out of ‘simple’ new claims for single people to rest of Scotland complete (‘gateway areas’)
Roll-out of ‘full service’ begins
East Lothian, March 16
Inverness, June 2016
East Dunbartonshire, 2 Nov 2016
Inverclyde, 23 Nov 2016
Midlothian, 22 March 2017
Existing claimants transferred via managed migration
or change of circumstances

4. UC GATEWAY CONDITIONS 18 –> 60 years and six months
Single, no children
UK national
Not home-owner or homeless
Not pregnant, ill/disabled, carer
Not in education, not starting education in next month
Not entitled to / claimed ‘old style’ JSA / ESA, IS, DLA or PIP
Low or no earnings (less than £338pm)

5. UC FULL SERVICE AREAS
No new claims for ‘legacy benefits’ by working-age claimants (unless you have 3 or more children).
Have to claim UC instead (ie, no gateway conditions)
This is the case even if getting another legacy benefit already
UC claims are fully digital

6. WHICH STUDENTS CAN CLAIM UC?
responsible for a child
single foster parent, or student couple and one is a foster parent
ill/disabled and get DLA/PIP (and must pass medical test)
under 21 in FE and ‘without parental support’
over pension credit qualifying age (64 years)
waiting to return to course after time out because of illness or caring responsibilities
student couple and one (or both) in one of above groups
partner not a student 6

7. LEGACY BENEFITS OR UC: What can the following full-time students claim?
Gail is a single parent with two children and lives in East Lothian.
Gill is a single parent with three children and lives in East Lothian.
Gaynor is a single parent with two children and lives in the Borders.

8. LEGACY BENEFITS OR UC: What can the following full-time students claim?
Carrie lives in East Dunbartonshire, is 16 and is estranged from her parents and living alone.
Cathy lives in Angus, is 16 and is estranged from her parents and living alone.
Candy lives in Angus, is 18, already gets UC. She is estranged from her parents and living alone. Can she stay on UC when she starts studying full-time?

9. UC BURSARY CALCULATION Lone parent over 25 with 6-year-old child
No savings. No health problems or disability. Eligible rent £630 per month.
Maximum UC:
Standard allowance £317.82
Child element £277.08
Housing costs £630
Total £
Income: FE bursary £28 x 40 = £1120
Divide over 9 months = £124.44
Subtract £110 = £14.44
Max UC is reduced by £14.44 = £ pm UC during academic year
Because gets some maintenance funding, does not
have to look for work in order to get full UC paid

10. CLAIMING BENEFITS IN THE SUMMER VACATION
Still count as student so most students can’t claim
Students whose benefits stopped because of student income can reclaim in July and August, when loan is ignored
Some groups can claim in the summer vacation
Lone parents can claim JSA (if can’t get IS)
Student couples with children can claim JSA
Lone parents and student couples with children can claim IS if care for disabled person, or heavily pregnant
If in a UC full service area, you can claim UC if lone parent or student couple with children or disabled student (unless you have 3 or more children)
Students with a non-student partner may be able to claim

11. CLAIMING BENEFIT AT END OF COURSE
Claim from the day after course ends – no longer a student so no restrictions on entitlement
Claim UC if in UC full service area (unless you have 3 or more children)
Claim UC if elsewhere and a single jobseeker
Otherwise, claim usual benefits eg
JSA for most people
IS if lone parent with child under 5
ESA if ill/disabled
and HB / CTR if applicable

12. WELFARE REFORM UPDATE - APRIL 2017
No help with rent in UC for some 18 to 21-year-olds
No child amount in CTC/UC for 3rd or subsequent child born on or after 3 April 2017
Lone parents or main carer for child on UC to have to look for work when youngest turns 3; prepare for work when youngest turns 2
No additional amount for some disabled people (eg, work-related activity component in ESA/ LCW element in UC removed)

13. CPAG STUDENTS AND BENEFITS TRAINING COURSES
Students and benefits – the basics (half day)
We can offer this introductory course on your premises at the special price of £250 (to train up to 20 staff)
This new half-day course provides a basic overview of social security benefits and tax credits, and which further and higher education students might be able to claim them. The course is for student advisers and other frontline workers who are new to benefits.
Or you can choose one of our more in-depth courses.
Introduction to benefits for student advisers (introductory; one day)
Students and benefits – eligibility in FE & HE (standard; one day)
Benefits for disabled students (standard; half day)
Universal credit and students (standard; one day)
We can organise any of these courses at your workplace.
Visit for more information
about our courses and to check which one is right for you.

14. CPAG IN SCOTLAND
Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook 2016/17 edn - order from or read online Advice line for advisers Tel (Mon – Thu 10am – 4pm; Fri 10am –12) Project information/factsheets to download