help - no income

rabialiones

a friend of mine has lost his job due to ill health, receives tax credits as he has 2 kids. he has approached local job centre who have said they will send for him for interview within 6 weeks. he has a mortgage to pay as well as other daily necessities with 2 young kids, so cannot really afford to wait that long.
tax credits are not really enough to get them by.
any ideas on what or who he can approach., as he is really desperate.
he received his last pay end of december. he does not receive any sick pay or have any other income besides child benefit and tax credits.
please help - thanks

Claireybear

sounds like he should get income support or jobseekers allowance, or incapacity benefit. Ring The citizens advice bureau or get in touch with the jib centre, they should have advised him what he was entitled to

Claire

CIS

Just a note, if he receives Working Tax Credit, now that he is not working, he is not entitled to WTC unless his partmer works over 16 hours.

He has to be careful not to accrue an overpayment.

He should also apply for counicl tax and or housing benefit.

Juni_3

What about mortgage insurance? If he's had to stop work due to ill health then his policy should be covering his payments.

Justicia

rabialiones wrote:

he has approached local job centre who have said they will send for him for interview within 6 weeks. he has a mortgage to pay as well as other daily necessities with 2 young kids, so cannot really afford to wait that long.

Can you just clarify a bit - what interview are you referring to? A job interview or an interview to determine eligibility to benefit?

When he made contact with Jobcentre Plus, did he intiate any claims for benefit?

rabialiones

Justicia wrote:

Can you just clarify a bit - what interview are you referring to? A job interview or an interview to determine eligibility to benefit?

When he made contact with Jobcentre Plus, did he intiate any claims for benefit?

he spoke to them over the phone whilst they filled forms in , which have now been sent to him to sign and return.
the interview will be for both job and eligibllity.
he has critical illness cover, for mortgage, but they refuse to pay because they are saying that the condition was a pre-existing one. he was not made aware of this when he took the cover out.

Peter-Pan_5

I personally wouldnt go to the job centre at this stage,he should go to Citizens Advice or the local Welfare Rights Office who will be very helpful and supportive.

If you dont know the number of any of these Offices just put the relevant names into a search engine,ie Google and you will get the local one.

rabialiones

thanks, pp, will advise him to do this, although he finds it difficult to go out as the problem he has is with his eyesight. had 2 operations last week, has to go for another one tomorrow, as stitches came undone.

Spendless

Does his wife work? If not could she look for a job for 16 hours so they can keep getting their working tax credit?

rabialiones

wife does not work cos she has 2 young uns to look after!

Spendless

rabialiones wrote:

wife does not work cos she has 2 young uns to look after!

Could she not look for a job whilst her hubby is at home?