PhD stipend and universal credit

Hi, my partner is a PhD student in receipt of a stipend from university and doctoral loan. We are wanting to claim universal credit and just got our first statement saying we're entitled to £680 before housing cost are calculated. When we did an online calculator it said we'd be entitled to about £180

We will be calling to query on Monday, I did read that someone's stipend was disregarded as they also got doctoral loan though I'm not sure that's correct either. Anyone any ideas?

Thanks.

Reply 1

Jesus-is-Real

Please refer to the Universal Credit Regulation 2013, Section 70 or excerpt of it below. It defines the various elements which should be excluded from the amount of a PhD stipend when working out the UC award for student claimants who are in receipt of a PhD stipend.

However, staffs at DWP seems not to understand that such piece of legislation exist as I was told that there is no such legislation that takes into account the various elements of UC Reg 2013, Section 70. I had to appeal their erroneous decision for not doing the right thing.

UC Reg 2103, Section 70 - Calculation of student income - grants:

70. Where, in accordance with regulation 68(4), a person's student income is to be based on the amount of a grant, the amount to be taken into account is the whole of the grant excluding any payment—

(a) intended to meet tuition fees or examination fees;

(b) in respect of the person's disability;

(c) intended to meet additional expenditure connected with term time residential study away from the person's educational establishment;

(d) intended to meet the cost of the person maintaining a home at a place other than that at which they reside during their course, except where an award of universal credit includes an amount for the housing costs element in respect of those costs;

(e) intended for the maintenance of another person, but only if an award of universal credit does not include any amount in respect of that person;

(f) intended to meet the cost of books and equipment;

(g) intended to meet travel expenses incurred as a result of the person's attendance on the course; or

(h) intended to meet childcare costs.