Universal Credit: information for couples

If you have received a Migration Notice letter

If you have received a Migration Notice letter telling you your benefit is ending, note that the eligibility rules for Universal Credit may be different from your existing benefit.

You may lose access to some benefits if you don’t claim Universal Credit.

You can seek independent advice before making a claim to Universal Credit to make sure this is the best decision for you, by contacting Advice NI.

If you are claiming as a couple

The Department for Communities counts 2 people as being in a couple if they live in the same household and are:

• married to each other
• civil partners of each other
• living together as if they were married

If you are part of a couple, you and your partner will need to make a joint claim for Universal Credit.

You will both need to create a Universal Credit online account.  The first person to create their account will be given a partner code, which will be displayed on screen.

This code will need to be input by your partner when they register for their Universal Credit online account. This ensures the accounts are joined together and you are correctly claiming as a couple.

Once you’ve created your account a claim can be made for Universal Credit. You must send your claim within 28 days of creating your account.  If you don’t send your claim within 28 days, you will need to create a new account.

You will get your first payment about five weeks after you send your claim.

If one of you isn’t eligible, their capital and income may still be taken into account.

If you need help to make your claim online, contact the Universal Credit Service Centre 

Claim Universal Credit online

Who can claim

To claim Universal Credit as a couple, both you and your partner must:

• live at the same address
• be married to each other, civil partners of each other, or living together as if you were married
• not be in full–time advanced education (except in certain circumstances such as if you are responsible for a child, or receive certain disability benefits and have a limited capacity for work)
• not have joint savings or capital over £16,000
• be 18 or over

Or be 16 or over if you:

• have limited capability for work or are awaiting assessment to see whether you have limited capability for work
• are a carer for a severely disabled person
• are responsible for a child, or are part of a couple and your partner is responsible for a child
• are pregnant and it is 11 weeks or less until your due date, or you were pregnant and it is 15 weeks or less since your due date
• are without parental support

If you’re over Pension Credit qualifying age, you can claim Universal Credit if you have a partner who’s under Pension Credit qualifying age.

From 15 May 2019 most couples will not be able to qualify for Pension Credit until both partners have reached Pension Credit qualifying age.

If one of you is working

You can claim Universal Credit if you and/or your partner are in employed or self-employed work and are on a low income.

If you are unsure about your eligibility please complete an online application form. You’ll be asked more questions to check your eligibility when you make a claim for Universal Credit.

If one of you is currently on benefits

If you or your partner are getting any of the benefits being replaced by Universal Credit, these other benefits will stop when you make your Universal Credit claim as a couple.

Reaching State Pension age

If you or your partner have a Universal Credit claim and one of you is State Pension age, when you move in together:

• the Universal Credit claim will become a joint claim
• the State Pension age partner’s Pension Credit and/or Housing Benefit will end from the date they join the Universal Credit claim
• the State Pension claim will continue

Universal Credit may contact you three months before you reach State Pension age, advising that your Universal Credit will end and you may be entitled to claim Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.

Claimant Commitments for a couple

A claimant commitment is your record of the responsibilities that you have accepted in return for receiving Universal Credit and the consequences of not meeting them.

Your Universal Credit payments may be reduced if you don’t meet your responsibilities.

If you claim Universal Credit as a couple both of you will need to agree your Universal Credit commitment. You will each have your own claimant commitment, and yours may be affected if your partner starts work or their circumstances change.

Sanctions

If you do not do the things you’ve agreed in your claimant commitment, for example, fail to attend appointments or turn down job offers and you cannot give a good reason to explain why, your Universal Credit payments may be reduced for a set period.  This is known as a sanction.

If a sanction is applied to your Universal Credit we will tell you how much you will lose and for how long.

Receiving Universal Credit payments as a couple

As a couple you will receive payments twice a month.

This will be paid into a suitable account of your choice, which could be a joint account or a single account in either your name or your partner’s name.

If possible, your account should allow you to make automated payments out of the account – such as direct debits or standing orders – for bills such as rent, gas and electricity.

A range of support services are available if you need help with budgeting and managing your money. You can get help and advice from your work coach or you can seek independent advice.

Find out How much Universal Credit you get and how you're paid

You can also get help dealing with debt problems, but you should get independent advice to help you find the best way to deal with your debt problem.

How the payment is made up for a couple

Your Universal Credit payment will be made up of different amounts depending on your circumstances. It can include support for the cost of housing, children and childcare, as well as support for disabled people and carers.

Find out How much Universal Credit you get and how you're paid

My partner won’t allow me access to any of the payment

If you have any concerns about accessing your payments and need to discuss alternative payment arrangements, contact the Universal Credit Service Centre or speak to your work coach.

Alternative payment arrangements are considered on a case-by-case basis and assessed on their individual merits.

This allows for the household payment to be split where this is the right approach for you and your family. Wherever possible, these alternative payment arrangements will be temporary.

Looking for work

If both of you are unemployed and able to work, you will both be expected to look for work. You should think of job seeking as your job.

You will each be expected to look or prepare for work for 35 hours a week, depending on your circumstances.

Job-related activities that count towards your 35 hours can include:

• searching for jobs
• applying for jobs
• speaking to potential employers
• speaking to your work coach
• activities to improve your job seeking
• taking part in training courses

What you’re asked to do will take into account your circumstances, such as if you have children or other caring commitments.

If you or your partner have a health condition or disability which affects the amount or type of work you can do, that will be taken into account to decide the job-related activities you’ll be expected to do.

A health condition or disability means you cannot work

If you or your partner have a health condition or disability which means you cannot work at the moment and you have (or are intending to get) a Statement of Fitness for Work from your GP, that will be taken into account.

You may still need to phone your work coach to discuss the activities you are able to do.

This is intended to support you to start work or get ready for work in the future, if and when you are able.

If you are caring for a severely disabled person

If you are caring for a severely disabled person or persons for a total of 35 hours or more per week you will not be expected to look for work or do job-related activities.

A severely disabled person is defined as someone receiving one or more of the following:

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – middle or highest-rate care
• Constant Attendance Allowance (CAA) – at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or basic (full day rate with War Disablement Pension)
• Attendance Allowance (AA)
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – either rate of the daily living component
• Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)

This also applies if the severely disabled person has claimed one of these benefits and is awaiting the outcome.

Support to find a job as a couple

With Universal Credit you’ll get help identifying your skills and a clear job search plan to help you get back to work more quickly.

Your work coach will set you challenging targets to make sure you are doing everything you can to find a job.

This will include activities such as getting help with drafting your CV, applying for jobs using JobApplyNI or contacting employers directly. In return you will need to take personal responsibility for finding work.

You can apply for a wider range of jobs and get back to work sooner because Universal Credit tops up your earnings if you’re on a low income. Unlike Jobseeker’s Allowance your payment won’t stop when you work more than 16 hours a week. This will help ensure you are better off in work.

Other sources to help are:

• Job Fairs and Events calendar
• support-if-youre-employed-or-looking-work
• extra-help-starting-or-staying-work
• work-experience-programme
• employment-and-training-opportunities-your-area

What happens if my partner or I get a job

You must tell Universal Credit when your circumstances change, including when you start work, earn more, or change the number of hours you work.

Depending on your circumstances, you could still get support and advice on increasing your earnings when you’re in work.

You can earn a certain amount before your Universal Credit is reduced if you or your partner are either:

• responsible for a child or young person
• living with a disability or health condition that affects your ability to work

This is called a ‘work allowance’. Your work allowance is lower if you get help with housing costs.

You can find more information on work allowances at Universal Credit if you're employed

Universal Credit earnings taper rate for couples

Once you or your partner earn more than your work allowance, your Universal Credit payments will be reduced at a steady rate. This is known as the Universal Credit earnings taper.

The Universal Credit earnings taper rate is currently 55%. This means that for every £1 you or your partner earn over your work allowance (if you are eligible for one) your Universal Credit will be reduced by 55p.

This amount will be deducted automatically from your Universal Credit payment.

If you don’t tell Universal Credit that you have started work, they won’t know why you are no longer attending your appointments and will assume that you no longer wish to receive Universal Credit.

This may mean that you miss out on benefit payments that you are entitled to.

Change of circumstances for couples

In Universal Credit, couples make a joint claim to Universal Credit and both are responsible for meeting the entitlement conditions, reporting any changes in their circumstances and ensuring that all information relating to their claim is current and correct.

If you have a change in your circumstances you must report it through your online Universal Credit account.

Help and support

If you would like independent help and advice on Universal Credit, or any of the other welfare changes, you can visit any independent advice office or contact:

• AdviceNI
• Housing Rights
• Money Helper