LRD guides and handbook April 2019

Universal Credit and other in-work benefits - a guide for union reps and workers

Chapter 1

Parents and looking for work

[ch 1: page 19]

Rules introduced in April 2017 mean that parents who want to claim UC are expected to have work-focused interviews when their youngest child turns one, start work preparation when their youngest child turns two, and work a maximum of 16 hours a week or spend 16 hours looking for work when their youngest child is three or four. Parents with children aged between five and 12 must work up to 25 hours a week, or spend this amount of time looking for work, and this increases to up to 35 weeks when children are aged 13 and above.