Thinking about claiming Universal Credit for your disabled son or daughter?Get advice in our special Facebook Q&A this Thursday, 2 March

3 mins read

Monday 27 February 2023

Tags: universal credit, young disabled people

Universal Credit is a new benefit for people of working age. If your disabled child is aged 16 or above, they may have the option of claiming Universal Credit in their own right as a young disabled adult.

What you need to think about

If your son or daughter gets Universal Credit this can affect the benefits that you receive. They will stop being treated as a dependent child and this means that any Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit or other payments that you receive for them as dependent child will stop.

If your child is in full time non-advanced education

If your child is aged 16-19 and is still in full time non-advanced education you will sometimes have a choice – either carry on claiming benefits for them as part of your family or help them claim Universal Credit in their own right. But you will need to weigh up which option is likely to leave your family better off.

Even if you’d prefer to help them claim Universal Credit, this is harder to do if they are still in education. There are particular barriers that can stop you from getting Universal Credit if you are receiving education. Many students need to undergo a medical assessment before they start their course in order to make a successful claim.   

Get advice at our Facebook Q&A on 2 March!

Because this is a complex area of the benefit system, we’re inviting you to a special Q&A on Universal Credit in our closed (private) Facebook Group on Thursday 2 March from 10am-11.30am.

If you want to know more about the Universal Credit rules for disabled students and which young people can still claim Universal Credit despite being in education our Family Finance advisers will be on hand to answer your questions.

To take part you’ll need to join over 4,500 other parent carers and become a member of our closed (private) Facebook Group.

How to join our Facebook group

Joining our Facebook Group is easy. Just answer a few simple questions to register and you’re in!

Join us there on Thursday 2March from 10am-11.30am when our team of Family Finance advisers will be waiting to answer your questions. Put the date in your diary!

Can’t make 2 March?

We have lots of information about claiming Universal Credit for a young person, including a factsheet outlining how to claim Universal Credit for a young person and the particular issues thrown up if your child is still in education.