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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Ruby Flanagan

Universal Credit claimants call out 'bizarre' DWP age rule which cuts pay by over £75

People are calling out the "bizarre" rule for Universal Credit which sees parents under the age of 25 paid £76.63 less than those over 25.

One young mum called Olivia told the BBC that the rule "discriminates" against young parents as "milk costs the same, nappies cost the same, gas and electricity cost the same".

The mum of one is based in Glasgow and recently had an uplift to her payments after her 25th birthday.

Olivia told the BBC she previously "struggled" to get by and was forced to go to food banks as her lower Universal Credit payments and income from her part-time job didn't stretch far enough.

She said: "There's this assumption that under 25s are staying with their parents when they've got a child, which is not true.

"It's just bizarre that there's this pay gap."

Following the annual benefits uprating in April, a single person claiming Universal Credit under the age of 25 receives £292.11 on the standard allowance each assessment period, while someone over 25 receives £368.74.

Joint claimants both under 25 receive £458.51 while joint claimants, one or both 25 or over get paid £578.82.

Olivia said the £75 increase now is "going to make a big difference".

Recently, the Scottish National Party MP Martyn Day asked the Minister for Employment, Guy Opperman if the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had considered increasing the Universal Credit payment rates for claimants under the age of 25.

In a written response to the query, Mr Opperman said that "no such assessment has been made".

The SNP MP also asked whether the DWP had looked into "the potential merits of aligning Universal Credit for people under 25 with the eligibility of 23 years for the National Living Wage”.

Mr Opperman again responded saying "No assessment has been made".

The DWP minister previously explained that Universal Credit providers for those under the age of 25 with lower rates reflect that these claimants were more likely to live in someone else's household which would mean they had lower living costs.

He said: “It is acknowledged that some claimants under 25 do live independently, which is why Universal Credit includes separate elements to provide support to claimants for these additional costs. These additional amounts are provided in a similar way to all claimants.”

Charity One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) is calling on the UK Government to change the current policy and pay the same rate of benefits to those under 25 as those who are over.

Satwat Rehman, the chief executive of OPFS said: "All the things that we hear people are suffering from in the cost of living crisis is exacerbated for young parents because they're given less to begin with.

"Everything costs the same. Things aren't cheaper simply because you're under 25, and what you need for your child doesn't change depending on your age as a parent."

Satwat explained how assumptions are made against young parents with some believing that young people become parents in order to get benefits.

She added: "People think you've done this in order to be able to get benefits. What they don't understand, is actually it's below the levels anybody else would get.

"This is not about anything other than the essentials, it's the basics of living that young parents are having to go into debt for."

A DWP spokesperson told the Mirror: "Universal Credit entitlement depends on the individual circumstances of the claimant.

"Parents regardless of their age receive an additional payment for children. Some young parents who are in work will have higher entitlements than on legacy benefits."

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