Benefits for 16 and 17 year olds are limited, and a young person can only make a new Universal Credit claim if any of the following apply:
- you have limited capability for work, or you have medical evidence and are waiting for a Work Capability Assessment
- you are caring for a severely disabled person
- you are responsible for a child
- you are in a couple with responsibility for at least one child and your partner is eligible for Universal Credit
- you are pregnant and it is 11 weeks or less before your expected week of childbirth
- you have had a child in the last 15 weeks
- you do not have parental support, for example, you are estranged from your parents and you are not under local authority care
If a young person is studying full-time
A young person can also make a claim if they are in full-time further education and any of the following apply:
- you do not have parental support
- you have limited capacity for work, and you are entitled to Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- you are responsible for a child
- you are in a couple with responsibility for a child and your partner is eligible for Universal Credit.
