Just Married And Now In Financial Difficulty

lynx-nero

Hi ppl, iam new here.
Just got married recently, I have my own business, my husband is too sick to work, and has been on income support. So when we got married we notified the Job center, that his circumstances has changed.

My Business is really struggling at the moment, iam doing about 50 hours a week, and my accountant told me, my estimated profit for the year is £4000. Business is even worse now due to the credit crunch. I would pack everything up and find a job, unfortunaly iam tied in by the lease. Iam getting paid less than minimum wage, would be paid better stacking shelves or working for Mc Donalds.

Because of the hours i work, we have just learnt my husbands income support will be stopped. I mean at the moment the money from my business wouldnt even cover the rent, nevermind food etc.
Was wondering if we are entitled to any benefits, or if we are elidgeable for working tax credits, would we be worse off than before we was married???

Hope somebody can give us some pointers, please help

Auzelia

you could go to the Inland Revenue tax credits - Do I qualify website.
Too see if you could get WTC.

kei_2

For working tax credits, it does not matter if you are married or not. What matters is if the couple is deemed in a relationship and financially dependent on each other.

You would be entitled to WTC if you were over the age of 25 or under 25 and suffering from a disability.

Things to take into account are that WTC claims can only be backdated for 3 months from the date that the application is received so it's within your best interests to get that filled in as soon as.

As for other benefits it would depend on the severity of you're partners illness. Worth having a look at incapacity benefit for your husband which can reduce the amount of WTC you would receive.

To make things a tad more complicated the government is bringing out a new benefit next week called employment and support allowance which will replace the incapacity and income support frameworks.

sleepless_saver

As well as the working tax credit, you should apply for housing benefit and council tax benefit. And when you apply for working tax credit, remember to ask for it to be backdated as they won't do it automatically.

Don't worry about the employment support allowance replacing incapacity benefit - at the moment this is just for new claimants and there is no word yet as far as I know on when existing incapacity benefit/disability income support claimants will be transferred.