DWP urged to increase Universal Credit payment rates for people in certain age group
dailyrecord.co.ukSNP MP Martyn Day has asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if it has considered increasing Universal Credit payment rates for claimants under the age of 25, who are paid £76.63 less than people over that age threshold, on the standard allowance.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. The MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk asked DWP what assessment it has made of the “potential merits of increasing Universal Credit payments for people under 25 to the same rate as for people over 25”.
In a written response earlier this week, Guy Opperman MP responded that “no such assessment has been made”. The DWP Minister for Employment continued: “Universal Credit provides those who are under 25 with lower rates than those aged 25 and over.
This is to reflect the fact that these claimants are more likely to live in someone else’s household and have lower living costs.
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