How would an Au-pair affect my Benefits?

deedee71

Hi Daska,

I just wanted to say that it's terrible when a relationship breaks down, but please remember your 2 year old still has a big brother and sister who may actually want to have some involvement, even if things with their dad went pear shaped.

Maybe building bridges in that direction might take the pressure off. I'm assuming you were disabled when you decided to have a child, and had thought the family support would be there.

(Obviously every situation is different, and this may not be an option).

Bethankim

Hiya,

Im not 100% up to date on all of it, but perhaps if your worried about having a live in carer can you use your personal budget to buy in the care you need at the times your need it - a day carer and awake carer for the nights you need one.

My friend is disabled and now has a team of carers, she has 2 for the day they do mon - thurs and friday - sunday plus evening carers for after school and early evening and has a night carer for when her condition is in flare up. no one actually lives in and the team is managed by her care agency she has contracted with. some of her carers are friends and family approved by SS - crb checked, trained etc but not all.

it is flexible for her needs - her little girl is at nursery so she doesnt always need a full day carer but has the care she needs to be able to stay at home - some days she manages well and others not at all.

on her bad days the carers do housework, cook etc and do the tasks she cant. it has enabled her to have the energy to have quality time with her girls which witohut it she wouldnt manage.

it did take a few months to get the team right but her care manager, ss etc worked to get the package right and now itis she is a changed woman.

hope you get it sorted

daska

I'm not worried about having a live in au-pair, that's what I want rather than a road I'm being forced down, I just need to be able to work out the figures so I don't blow the budget sky high. But unfortunately no, I became disabled after I fell pregnant and the two older kids are fed up with my not being able to do all the things I used to do so they don't really want to know. We managed for two and a half years with no help but it got gradually worse and worse and by the time SS got involved and got the budget past the finance dept it had all fallen apart :-( DS1 now lives 250 miles away with his dad and my stepdaughter has naturally chosen to move with her dad - I've still got all their junk though LOL.

KimYeovil

Would having an affair with the au pair count as living together as a couple?

daska

I give up, why on earth would you assume that I would be having an affair with the au-pair?? There are just too many nasty people on this board

astonsmummy

KimYeovil wrote: »

Would having an affair with the au pair count as living together as a couple?

woah! where did THAT come from!

hippy-chicy

With regard to your housing benefit the assessor dealing with your claim should be able to contact tax credits direct to confirm that you are no longer in receipt of this and they can accept this info over the phone.

I havn't come accross this very often but i know that with live in carers they are excluded from your HB calc. They are not classed as a non dep so there wont be a deduction or allowance for another bedroom etc. However, with it being an au pair you are employing i think that you need to get advise from the department as i cant be 100% sure that they are treated the same. I know a collegue of mine had a claim involving an au pair earlier in the year...i'll ask tomorrow to see how she was advised to deal with it.

daska

thank you very much hippy chicy, as our local council's HB dept seem intent on behaving like idiots it would be very helpful to have an example.

astonsmummy

Our HB assessors can access the tax credits and DWP systems on their computers.

daska

astonsmummy wrote: »

Our HB assessors can access the tax credits and DWP systems on their computers.

they can even ring and double check - but that's only if the person dealing with it can be bothered. Confirmation that care budgets are ring-fenced for care and can't be classed as an asset has now gone up the management line in SS and down the management line in HB, so hopefully they will redo their provisional assessment :rolleyes: