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Help! Friend's benefits have been stopped
Hi, help would be good. My friend was migrated over to UC a while ago but may still be on some ESA as he is now saying his ESA has been stopped. He is unsure if he is still getting DLA (yes he's definitely still on DLA rather than PIP). He's really struggling for money, he says he's not well enough to ring DWP about…
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Care Home Fees
Hi My Mum has a degenerative brain disorder called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and because of the rapid deterioration over the last few months she was placed in residential care. Prior to this my Dad was caring for my Mum, however this has become too much for him. My Mum has been refused for Continuing Health Care…
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Universal credit and the £6000 threshold
Hi MSE Forum. 1st-time poster here, but I am familiar with forums. Since 2010, I am a single working tax credits claimant, working 30 hours a week. I also have the disability element including the extra given from PIP's enhanced rate. I've finally had the letter to convert to universal credit, and my understanding is that…
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UC/Complaint
I put in a UC complaint yesterday online not through the journal. I was asked for a phone number and email. I have not received any email from DWP to confirm the complaint or a text. Is this normal? Have phoned the UC phone line and the person i spoke to says he cant see anything on the system. does this mean the complaint…
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"ESA Payments are Ending." is this a scam?
Hello, I received a text message, supposedly from the DWP, on 21.11.2025. This is all it said... To be clear, I did not receive anything in the post before or after this text message. I am currently on EESA, which to my knowledge, is not due to be migrated to UC, unlike Incomes-related ESA. Can anyone confirm whether this…
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UC/Interest
Hi my understanding is that personal injury compensation is disregarded for a period of 52 weeks from when it lands in the bank account. And if placed in a trust it's disregarded indefinitely for UC. When the compensation is put into a trust account any interest paid on the money is this also disregarded?
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Are you experiencing delays with Child Benefit? Let us know
Some forumites have reported delays to their Child Benefit claims, and that in some cases it's taking more than 3 months for a new claim to be processed. Here's the place to let us know if you've had problems or delays with your Child Benefit claim. Read the full guide here. Please let us know your experiences, and any…
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Made redundant, new to JSA and Universal Credit, after some advice about process
Hi, I was made redundant in Oct 25, was given 3 months PILON, that ends very soon. Im looking to use my mortgage protection policy to cover mortgage payments until I find a new job. To make a claim for this I need to provide the insurance company evidence that I am registered as unemployed, and receiving jobseekers…
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Is this letter a scam?
Hi my mum got a letter a few days ago from HMRC saying that they owe her money for the tax year 2003-2004 however that's over 20 years ago and she wasn't even working she was on income support at the time is this letter a scam? It's asking her to phone them and to provide her bank details so they can pay her?
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Free childcare hours - going over £100k
Hi there - could anybody please help me understand, if income is below £100k thus receiving free childcare hours - if I decided to purchase / sell some company shares as a one-off exercise, this would be considered income and means total income goes above £100k for that tax year: would you just stop claiming the free hours…
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Does anyone know what DWP PSCS refers to?
If you've ever tried to locate the meaning of codes used by the government on bank statements and coupled that with a slow postal service then you may understand my raising this question. It's sort of frustrating getting a payment into an account and not knowing what it is and whether it should be sent back or not! I sadly…
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Benefit overpayment 7 years ago
Hi all, Got a question regarding a supposed benefit overpayment from the council. It states I've been overpaid benefits in April 2018. The claim is for the amount of £315 or so. I read somewhere that statute barred might be applicable here as this is literally the first letter I've received from the council. Can anyone…
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ES A to State Pension/Pension Credit
Good Morning and Best Wishes for 2026! I have a couple of concerns about my change to State Pension and Pension Credit this coming February. I currently receive ESA in support group and PIP enhanced mobility and standard care. I live alone. I will receive full SP from 25th February ( my first payment) and the on-line…
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Christmas bonus
Hello everyone and hope you're all having a lovely Christmas!! I'm on Universal Credit and PIP and I'm sure I should be entitled to the £10 Christmas bonus this year but haven't received anything. I've had a search online and it said you should receive it the first week of December but not to contact anyone about it until…
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Change Child Benefit Claimant
Hi all, What is the correct process for me to end my claim for child benefit, and for my wife to be the claimant instead? Do I have to end my claim first and then she makes a new claim? Can it be done online or do we have to call them? The reason I'm doing this is because she doesn't work and therefore has been losing out…
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Going back to work…
Been off work now 11 months after quite nasty stroke, was awarded pip & lwrca which were a god send as sick pay from work was minimal, I’m getting bit better in some areas now and although I’m not ready yet to work got me wondering on the process, going straight back seems very daunting I dont think could do half the…
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Cold weather payment if wife works 4 hours a month?
We are on UC and i get the disability part of it but my wife works 4 hours a month getting about £55 a month from wages. So does that mean we will not get the Cold weather payments due to her working? When i was on ESA she was doing the same work and hours but we still got the cold weather payment. there has been nothing…
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Non means tested disability benefits - changes from Autumn 2026?
Dear Forum, Is anyone aware of any non means tested disability benefits becoming means tested from the Governments welfare review Autumn 2026? Appreciate that the Government can decide to change the eligibility at any time but just wondered if in the forthcoming review these changes are planned? Thank you in advance.
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Guide: How to make PIP contact you with email only - no letters, no calls, no face-to-face
I have just successfully got the DWP to promise that they will contact me by email only. That means no letters, no phonecalls, and no face-to-face assessments. If your disabilities mean that you can't take phonecalls or have any other difficulties with the communication PIP usually uses, email the address…
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Universal Credit & Deprivation of Capital (Mortgage)
I just want to find out if anyone has experiences of using redundancy money to pay off all or part of a mortgage and whether that is allowed, and then still being able to claim benefits? Everywhere I read online the answer appears to be that this is not considered a deprivation of capital, but at my first UC meeting…
