Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which eligible benefits are (a) lost and (b) suspended when a young person aged between 16 and 24 becomes an apprentice.

Apprenticeships (which incorporate paid work of at least 30 hours a week) are treated in the same way as other paid work for benefit purposes. When a person is in receipt of a benefit and they start employment as an apprentice, their entitlement to benefit may change in light of their new circumstances.

Regardless of their age and circumstances, claimants are not eligible for the main working age benefits, such as Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance if they work 16 hours a week or more, on average. Additionally, claimants are not eligible for Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and or income-related Employment and Support Allowance if they have a partner who works 24 hours a week or more, on average.

Universal Credit is being rolled out across the country and is replacing the main means tested benefits listed above. Earnings from an apprenticeship are treated in the same way as any other form of employed earnings and would be taken into account when calculating entitlement to Universal Credit, which is both an in-work and out-of-work benefit.