| Author | Message | ||
     Earear Newbie Username: Earear Post Number: 1 Registered: 06-2009 Rating: N/A |
Hi there, I would appreciate some advice. My girlfriend and I are both disabled, she works, I do not. We both get DLA and I currently get Income support ( with a disability component added on ) My I/S is £273.40 fortnightly. Now we are due our first baby in the next few months. We really would like to live together and bring up our child. ( we have never lived together- almost but not quite not 100 % ) It appears to me as soon as we are to live together I lose my I/S and we instead get Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. Finacially on the whole we'd be about £100 week worse off than if we lived separately. Q- Do I definitely Lose my I/S if we live together ?- is there no way around this ?- without of course ... breaking the law. Thanks in advance. TIm | ||
| Puzz1ed1 Administrator Username: Puzz1ed1 Post Number: 92 Registered: 11-2006  Rating: N/A |
Hi Tim I think this is correct - yes. What a bizarre benefits system we have  Can I ask why you receive Income Support and not Incapacity Benefit? You would still be entitled to the latter. IS, however, as you have realised, is means-tested based on you and your partner's income. Incapacity Benefit is not, but you would need to have made sufficient contributions in National Insurance to claim it. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) replaces Incapacity Benefit (IB) and Income Support (IS) received by those too ill to work, but the criteria haven't changed mush in reality. You've clearly done your homework already and done the sums - otherwise I'd have suggested www.entitled2.co.uk and the benefits advisor on direct.gov.uk - or local CAB Give me a call if you want to chat more. Steve Steve - DPN Operations Manager Enquiries: 0300 3300 639 | ||
| Earear Newbie Username: Earear Post Number: 2 Registered: 06-2009 Rating: N/A |
Hi Steve, Indeed I did got to CAB- but I just wanted to double check re; my query . Thanks for your advice- although depressing ! To answer your question re; Incapacity Benefit - I am sure I did apply but I cannot remember exactly why I was refused this and instead put on I/S- probably for the reasons you stated. I will look into that . It may be better if we both live separately but literally 10 mins walk apart- that way we can stop over at each others place and help each other out without losing too much £. Perfectly legal - but not ideal ?.. Mmmmm Food for thought Tim | ||
| Natjay Newbie Username: Natjay Post Number: 4 Registered: 06-2009  Rating: N/A |
Hi there! Don't know if this is any help as it will depend on your age and if you were in full-time education when you became ill and started getting IS! Basically, I started getting IS when I became ill whilst studying full-time and was told I wasn't eligible for Incapacity Benefit cos I'd not earned enough NI contributions! When I got married 4 years later I lost the IS (also with disabled component)cos, as Steve explained, it was means-tested so my husband's wage, even though low, meant I was no longer entitled to it. Anyways, shortly after this happened my husband came across something on the internet that indicated I should have been entitled to Incapacity Benefit under "Youth" regulations right from the beginning because I was under 25 and in fulltime education when I became ill! Even though this was 4 years later they looked at it again and awarded me with IB which I've been on ever since! If this does apply to you let me know if you need anymore info. If not maybe it's something useful for others to know about as clearly the benefits people don't always know these things either! All the best with it and congrats on your 1st baby! Nat | ||
| Puzz1ed1 Administrator Username: Puzz1ed1 Post Number: 93 Registered: 11-2006 Rating: N/A |
Quite right Nat - thanks for posting that! It's not very clear as to when and how it applies.... I'll try to get some more information on here later about it. I'll also post the current rules on NI contributions. I've just completed a guide to ESA and had uploaded it somewhere, but can't remember where (there is no hope!) - I can email it to you in the meantime though. DPN doesn't officially give advice on benefits at present, though I am involved in benefits advice in another role so am happy to give some advice to DPN members. It comes with the usual disclaimers about non-liability etc though ;-) Steve - DPN Operations Manager Enquiries: 0300 3300 639 | ||
| Middlesmum Regular Poster+ Username: Middlesmum Post Number: 152 Registered: 06-2008  Rating: N/A |
something you prob have done but have you sat down and worked out how much you will save living together? If you are like me you wont be saving on rent or council tax because its paid by benefits. BUT you will save on food/electricity/phone/internet/travelling costs/gas..etc..and of course have the joy of sharing the night and day times with baby . I have been a single mum for years with my children and have struggled financially BUT I would rather have been living with them than apart even if it was just 10 minutes away. Please dont think I am head in clouds. living on income support with absolutely no family about to help for years meant I have had to stretch my money and go without so my children didnt BUT its worth it...I found that things worked out somehow. Also is your partner going to access child care through tax credits> you can get an 80%of child care costs met(up to) depending on your income. This may go some way into making up the drop in income? all the very best whatever you decide to do. emms | ||
| Earear Newbie Username: Earear Post Number: 3 Registered: 06-2009 Rating: N/A |
Nat- Thanks for that, I will try and find out more. I am sure I was not in my 20's when I got I/S more like in my 30's.... Thanks for your best wishes etc Steve- any more info ? Thanks to all for your help so far. Tim | ||
| Jennypenny Regular Poster Username: Jennypenny Post Number: 35 Registered: 09-2008 Rating: N/A |
Hi folks, Can I add that ESA can be either contributions based or income based so you 'might' be able to claim that whilst living together, see below: ESA Entitlement conditions There are two types of Employment and Support Allowance: * contribution-based * income-related Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance You may be entitled to claim contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance if you have paid enough National Insurance Contributions. Income-based Employment and Support Allowance You may be entitled to claim income-based Employment and Support Allowance if you do not have enough money coming in, or you have not paid enough National Insurance Contributions, and you satisfy the entitlement conditions. This means that you have savings of less than £16,000 and, if you have a partner or civil partner, they work for less than 24 hours a week on average. On top of that, you might be able to get Working Tax Credit if your partner is working (if he's disabled or a parent, the threshold is only 16 hours) so depending on his income, you might get that on top of the child tax credit (there's a premium payable for the year of the childs birth too) and you might qualify for the maternity grant (£500) and you would get the other pregnancy benefit, I can't remember what it's called but it's a payment of £190 payable to everyone who's due date or had their baby after April '09. So alothough it might seem that you are losing a lot of money in short term, these other benefits would help and as middlesmum said, you will save money on the cost of living and the support that you would receive from your partner being there 24/7 is invaluable - especially when it's your first baby.. Did your local CAB do a 'what if?' calculator for you? that's where they key in your situation as it stands and then key in any changes and it then gives an idea of the effect any changes to your circumstances might have on your income... Failing that, your local money advice centre or welfare rights might be able to help.. | ||
| Earear Newbie Username: Earear Post Number: 4 Registered: 06-2009 Rating: N/A |
Hello Folks, I am back again ! My baby daughter is gorgeous !... Quick question : If I live with my partner and child ( she works - I do not, we are both disabled ) I understand I'd lose my income support and instead by living together she'd get working tax credit and child benefit - sound right so far ? We could get some housing benefit but it all depends how much savings we have. Question's : 1) Would "they" want to look at the total combined savings ? ( mine and hers ) 2) Is the threshold £16 K ? ( assuming they look at our total combined savings) and if we have that or more than that we'd pretty much get no benefit help - right ? 3) If the savings amount to £6K or more but less than £16k you can get housing benefit but probably much less than the "full" amount ?..... 4) Are Isa's seen as savings ? ( tax free etc ) 5) IF the total savings is a bit more than we want but we need financial help with benefits is there any way around the problem of having too much savings ?... tricky one eh ?.... 6) Can benefit people legally look into your bank account / make enquiries without your permission / knowledge ?... what about data protection ? Thanks in anticipation of your answers / advice TIM |
