Young people in work
If you are a young person and working, you might be able to claim Universal Credit if:
- The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has decided you have limited capability for work, and you are earning less than £569/month, or the DWP has decided you have limited capability for work and you receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
- You are receiving Carer's Allowance or you would be entitled to Carer’s Allowance but your earnings are too high, or
- You or your partner are responsible for a child
- You are an orphan and have no-one acting for you in place of your parents
- You have left local authority care and live away from your parents or any person acting in their place (but see the special rules for care leavers)
- You have to live away from your parents and any person acting in their place and either:
- you are estranged from them or would be in danger if you lived with them
- they cannot support you because they are in prison or unable to come to the UK
- they are sick or have disabilities.
It is no longer possible to make new claims for Working Tax Credit (WTC). If you are a young person and are working, you may be able to carry on getting WTC if you:
- work 16 hours or more a week, and
- are on a low income, and
- are responsible for a child, or
- have a disability that puts you at a disadvantage in getting a job and be getting certain disability benefits (or did so before you started work).
If you're in a couple and you are responsible for a child, you usually have to work 24 hours a week between you, with one of you working at least 16 hours a week, to get WTC.
Updated: April 2019