“It made me feel as though I had lost all the independence
Chancellor Rishi Sunak recently announced that the £20-a-week increase to universal credit payments — introduced over the pandemic — will be extended for another six months. But for some, their applications for financial support were never accepted in the first place..
“It made me feel as though I had lost all the independence I had tried so hard to find for myself. I was in a very bad way by September,” says Jake.
When Jake got paid in April 2020 he had no idea that this would be his only income for the next six months.
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Jake and his girlfriend, both 24, have been living together in Brighton for the last four years. When the pandemic began, Jake worked the night shift at Sainsbury’s while his girlfriend was working as a nurse. But in May he was made redundant.
Jake was initially optimistic when he applied for universal credit — a payment from the government that aims to help people who are on a low income, out of work or unable to work.
“I’d never used it before but some of my friends were on it and got enough to keep them going at least. So I expected the same,” Jake added.
He received a text saying he would get his first universal credit payment in four weeks time. While he waited, Jake says he applied for countless jobs.
“I realised how incredibly difficult it would be to get any job during the pandemic. Every job was rejecting me and I wasn’t getting to any interviews,” he added.
A week after he expected the payment, Jake still had nothing in his bank account so he logged on to universal credit — when he opened the screen to see £0 listed as his calculated payment amount, Jake says he was so shocked it felt “like a slap in the face”.
The government told Jake that because he lived with his girlfriend, who earned a salary of £23,000 a year, he wasn’t entitled to any universal credit. They said she earned enough to support them both, despite the pair never sharing money before.
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Why do couples get less?
In the UK, if you need to apply for universal credit and you live with a partner you are required to make a joint application.
This means that your partner’s savings and salary are taken into account, as well as your own, even if you are not married or in a civil partnership. If your joint income is considered by the Department for Work and Pensions to be above a “low income” you’re not entitled to any payments — or in some cases only a reduced payment.
Anna, a welfare benefit expert at Turn2us, says younger people are more likely to be disadvantaged by the system.
“[They’re] very often likely to have fluctuating incomes, due to being at the start of their careers, but also because they are more likely to be in insecure forms of employment.
“Their partner’s money is not necessarily theirs as well. This increases the chances of young people starting a slippery slope into a life of debt,” she added.
Anna believes the benefit system is “patriarchal” and does not take into account the “vital importance” of people having their own income in relationships — leaving many vulnerable to financial abuse.
Working out exactly how much universal credit you’ll get can be complicated as there are lots of factors that affect the amount. Charities like Turn2Us and Citizens Advice Bureau have online calculators that help you estimate your payment.
‘I almost went bankrupt’
Unemployment has risen to its highest level for five years during the pandemic, with young people being hit the hardest. More than half the drop in the number of employees has been among under-25s.
For some young couples, one salary isn’t enough to cover basic living costs. Jake says being entitled to nothing meant they were left with “not enough to survive on”.
“There was clearly no way she could carry both of us, nor should she have to,” Jake added.
The couple were tied into a year-long contract for their flat, which was £1,025 a month without council tax or bills.
“I had to consider calling my dad, who I’ve not spoken to in years, to ask for money — which I’ve never done, and couldn’t even bring myself to do.
“My mum’s never sent me any money and I couldn’t ask her to, as we’re not very well off, so in the end I just went through it on my own.”
Jake says the small amount of savings he had — and taking out a large overdraft — was the only way he managed to stay afloat for the first few months.
“[In September] I found a job working in care at exactly the right moment — just when I was almost bankrupt.”
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But Jake’s zero-hour contract meant when he was required to isolate for 20 days in January, he was left with no income. Again his application for universal credit was denied.
“It put incredible strain on my partner and on me also. [This] is the only time in my life I experienced anything like clinical depression.
“I honestly don’t feel like I’ve gotten ‘over it’, despite getting a job, as I now have no savings and am constantly diving into an overdraft I never needed before.
“I felt like I was being punished because I was in a relationship.”
25,000 couples rejected despite not being married
A national research project, Welfare at a Social Distance, found that an estimated 220,000 people who applied for benefits were rejected during the outset of Covid-19. Exclusive data, shared with BBC Three, reveals that 29% of all rejected claims were because their partner earnt too much, and 6% were rejected because of their partner’s savings.
Only half of this group were married or in a civil partnership, leaving 25,000 people who were rejected because of just living with a partner — 79% of those said they thought this was unfair.
Charlotte, 26, and her partner applied for universal credit in January. She says it first showed that he was entitled to just over £500, “once my income was added this was altered to £0, despite not being married or having any legal standing.”
“We worked out that if we split my wage in half, that’s £11,000. A month it’s £916, which is only £16 more than our rent alone, and that’s before tax, national insurance and pension payments,” she says.
Charlotte says the government leaving them with just her income, and no protection, left her feeling very vulnerable and that “no one cared” what happened to her.
“This was our last resort and it failed us”.
Couples who live together have fewer rights if they aren’t married or in a civil partnership. This means if you both have your own bank accounts, you have no legal right to each other’s income or savings and you’re unlikely to be entitled to anything financially from the other if you break up — even if you have previously supported them financially.
Jasmine, 22, was denied universal credit in November because of her boyfriend’s savings. The couple live in a student house in Leeds.
While her boyfriend was completing his PhD, she lost her job. She told BBC Three, “the system needs to change”.
“We had only been together a few months, we’re young and don’t share finances, but if you live together they treat you like you’re married.
“His money is his life savings from way before we met, and he was expected to pay my rent and support me. It was extremely anxiety inducing and I felt like a huge burden.”
Jasmine says the decision made her really uncomfortable, “the system doesn’t allow for the lifestyles of younger people.
