Balancing work, study and a family
Lesson 13 of 16 in our free Work, Payslips & Tax guide: a 5-minute money game with the key points below.
Shown for England. Some rules here are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: the lesson shows your nation's version.
This lesson is in the full version.
Free with a code from your uni, college, council, landlord or employer (worth £600/year). Lesson 1 of Work, Payslips & Tax is free for everyone.
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Questions you'll answer
A student parent on UC (who gets help with rent) has a work allowance of £427 a month. They earn £1,000 this month. By how much does their UC go down? (55% of earnings above the allowance.)
Exams are in three weeks. Dev's manager offers him eight extra hours a week. He's tired and behind on coursework. Which is the best way to decide?
Quick facts
- Fact: “Full-time students don't usually repay their student loan until the April after they leave their course, even if a job pays well.” — Repayments start the April after you leave, and only once you earn over your plan's threshold.
- Myth: “Earning more during your course always reduces your maintenance loan straight away.” — Your loan is mostly based on household income from an earlier tax year. Big changes in income can be reported, but extra shifts don't cut it automatically.
- Fact: “Parents and carers on UC get a work allowance, so they keep some earnings before UC starts to drop.” — In 2026/27 it's £427 a month if UC helps with rent, or £710 a month if it doesn't.
- An extra afternoon of childcare to cover it → A real cost of the shift. If you're paying for care so you can work, that comes off the shift's value.
- Bus fare to and from the job → A real cost of the shift. Travel to work is a real cost of working.
- Your rent, which you pay either way → Not a cost of the shift. You pay rent whether or not you take the shift, so it doesn't change the maths.
- UC going down by 55p for each extra £1 earned → A real cost of the shift. If you're above your work allowance, part of each extra pound goes back to UC.