New "working while on Incapacity Benefit" rules/Working on Incapacity Benefit (merged

BritBrat

If they really wanted folk on disability benefits to return to work they would end the £81 limit and simply set up a benefit clawback in the same way as they currently run for IB and Pension Income. For that you are allowed £85 and lose £0.50 for each £1 pension over the limit.

I agree with that, seems silly don't it.

They should let people work and increase hours/pay until they no longer get the benefit but still retain the option should they fall back to being ill.

I said the same thing to my job centre staff and they thought it was a good idea but not within the rules.

Come on Gordon put some common sense rules in place for people who want to try and get back working again and not placing a benefit trap in the way.

ScorpioLady_2

HappySad wrote: »

"work for less than 16 hours a week on average and earn up to £81.00 a week for as long as your illness or disability is considered sufficiently severe that you are treated as meeting the threshold of incapacity without undergoing a medical assessment."

Does this mean that as long as the doctors say that you are not well enough to work you can work and earn upto £81 a week.. and do this for as long as you are not well enough to work? This work would be unsupervised?

Also does any of this earning effect your incapacity benefit?

Does anyone know the answer to this question from Happysad, please.

Claudie

I was looking for info on receiving IB and doing Volunteer work. I have heard you are not allowed to do voluntary work if claiming but I can't find anything on the Job Centre pages - does anyone know where I can find out specifics?

Thanks.

donnalove

Claudie wrote: »

I was looking for info on receiving IB and doing Volunteer work. I have heard you are not allowed to do voluntary work if claiming but I can't find anything on the Job Centre pages - does anyone know where I can find out specifics?

Thanks.

i have been doing voluntry work for 3 years now and was claiming ib. the decision maker was happy with this.

however i have just been through a review ib 50 and medical and failed( i have been on ib for 12 years and condition has not got better and is not likely to as i have nerve damage). i am appealling as the questions on the our assestment were never asked and in there points system they have left out certain questions that i would score points on.

but i am assuming that because i do some voluntry work(10 hrs a week or less) they think i am fit for work.

i would speak to an advisor at the job centre.

donnalove
xx

friday_2

Hi can anyone please tell me if I am able to claim care allowance benefit for my father whilst I am on incapacity benefits. Would they take the incapacity off me if I claimed this? Thanks for any info

healy

No you cannot claim Carers Allowance and Incapacity Benefit at the same time as they are overlaping benefits and you can only claim the higher of the two which would be Incapacity Benefit. If you are claiming Income Support due to Incapacity you can claim the Carers premium in Income Support but your Father would need middle or higher rate care of DLA to do this.

shelbell61

I am on IB too and yes its true you can work for up to 16 hours per week - although the amount of money you can earn is restricted to (approx) £80 a week. This will only suit you if you are not recieving housing benefit or any other benefit other than IB. Your IB would stay the same and you could work up to 16 hours a week for up to 52 weeks still getting your full entitlement for IB. BUT and a big but - If you are getting any other benefits - ie housing benefits etc........ then these benefits would be affected so you'd be no better off. If your on just IB then working would suit you. They say it's an incentive to get you back into full time work and thatsw why they will pay you for up to 52 weeks because then they would expect you to return to full time work.

calleyw

shelbell61 wrote: »

They say it's an incentive to get you back into full time work and thatsw why they will pay you for up to 52 weeks because then they would expect you to return to full time work.

What your talking about is permitted work which does end after 52 weeks.

But if you go via the a job broker such as the shaw trust then you do what is called support permitted work and that is for ever as long as you are IB and still have the medical condition.

Which is what husband is in the process of undergoing. As I am not sure if he will ever get back to work full time.


Yours


Calley

derekaxtell

Regarding permitted work limits, what if:

1 week in 8 weeks - if i had the opportunity to earn over the £88.50 threshold but then nothing for several weeks after that. Obviously if i was to earn £88.50 a week, that would amount to £354 per month approx. If i had the opportunity to earn above the threshold for 1 week, but nothing for a further 6-7 weeks, what do i do?

Do they only take into account strictly the limit of £88.50 per week, or being allowed to earn upto £354 in a month?

Obviously i do not wish to stop claiming IB as these opportunities would be very sporadic and cannot be relied upon.

Can anybody help?

Do you have to notify them of any work even if any earnings are below the threshold of £88.50 per week?

stazi

The PW earnings rule is quite clear- you can earn up to £88.50 (£92.00 from 1/10/08) per week.

If JCP establish that you have earned over the PW limit in any week(s), you would lose the IB for that week(s). In this case, you may have worked for 'nothing', once the IB overpayment is taken into account. Don't forget, JCP may well check with your employer from time to time to confirm your earnings.

If you know you may/would earn over the PW limit, you need to reduce your hours to ensure your earnings will be under the limit, or if you cannot, you need to report your earnings to JCP without delay.

I understand that there is no provision in the rules to average out earnings, however, hours worked can, I think, be averaged.