Need some advice - Re: DLA/Carers Allowance/ESA

Hypnodisc

Hi there

I currently get ESA, DLA mid-rate care and the severe disability premium (+housing benefit).

I have a long-term partner who I would like to live with me. She currently doesn't work because she is around mine a lot trying to help.

If she moved in with me - as far as I can see she would get carers allowance as a lot of her time would be spent sorting me out. She doesn't have any other income, at all at present (shes living off some savings - but they will be gone soon at this rate).

Where do i stand with this re: my benefits? Would I still get esa, sdp, dla and hb at my current rates if my partner moves in on carers allowance?

I know quite a bit about it, but it's confusing

many thanks!

elainey_2

Hi,

As far as I can remember from the top of my head, if she were to move in and was on carer's allowance, you would no longer get the severe disability premium element of Housing Benefit. Your partner would get a carer's premium however, which should make up most of the shortfall.

It won't affect your Disability Living allowance at all. However, Carer's Allowance is counted as income for most means tested benefits. So there is the possibility it may affect benefits such as Housing Benefit, ESA, but without exact figures I couldn't tell you by how much.

The best advice I can give you is go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Welfare rights Bureau who should be able to do a better off calculation which should clarify matters.

Hope this helps.
Love elaine xx

Hypnodisc

elainey wrote: »

Hi,

As far as I can remember from the top of my head, if she were to move in and was on carer's allowance, you would no longer get the severe disability premium element of Housing Benefit. Your partner would get a carer's premium however, which should make up most of the shortfall.

It won't affect your Disability Living allowance at all. However, Carer's Allowance is counted as income for most means tested benefits. So there is the possibility it may affect benefits such as Housing Benefit, ESA, but without exact figures I couldn't tell you by how much.

The best advice I can give you is go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Welfare rights Bureau who should be able to do a better off calculation which should clarify matters.

Hope this helps.
Love elaine xx

Hi there Elaine and thanks for the reply

:wave:

The bit in bold I've highlighted in your post interested me a great deal ^

My severe disability premium is part of my ESA - not H.B. Was this a mistake on your part, or should I get that with my HB too?

healy

If your partner lives with you and claims Carers Allowance you will lose the SDP.

elainey_2

Hypnodisc wrote: »

Hi there Elaine and thanks for the reply

:wave:

The bit in bold I've highlighted in your post interested me a great deal ^

My severe disability premium is part of my ESA - not H.B. Was this a mistake on your part, or should I get that with my HB too?

If you are getting ESA, you would get the basic rate, then dependent on whether you are in the work related activity group or support group, you will get a top up. Is this what you may be referring to?

When claiming means tested benefits such as Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Income Support (just to name a few) - if you are in receipt of the middle or high rate of DLA and no - one is claiming Carers Allowance for looking after you, you would get the severe disability premium when working out the amount of money the government says that you need to live off. However, if someone claims Carers Allowance for looking after you, you will lose the severe disability premium.

Does this help?

Love elaine xx

elainey_2

http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4C5C4575-02D0-4737-B7D8-79320FA4D04E/0/Premiumswithmeanstestedbenefits.pdf

This may explain it better than I can - although the figures are a little out of date, it explains the concept of premiums...

Love elaine xx

Tehya

Hello there, maybe if I tell you my situation it may help you a bit.

I'm assuming you're in the Support Group as you mention severe disability so please ignore my post if I've got that wrong. The severe disability premium you mention though is paid with IS not ESA so I think this is confusing people.

My hubby claims ESA he's in the main phase and has been placed in the support group. When I was working part time his ESA was reduced by my wages but without that this is what we would have got.

His ESA was made up of £100.95 (which is what the law says a couple need to live on) plus £19.30 Disability Income Guarantee and £30.85 Extra Money for being in the Support Group. This totalled £151.10 per week.

I then had to give up work as I couldn't cope any longer so I claimed Carer's Allowance. His ESA has been reduced to £95.80 but I receive £53.90 Carer's Allowance and Extra Carer's Allowance for my hubby as a dependent adult £31.70 totalling £180.60 per week. This is basically the same as us claiming the same as my other example above but with the added Carer Premium.

As you can see between the two figures we're £29.50 (equivalent to the Carer premium) a week better off with me not working because off the Carer's Allowance. So for a couple where one of them is on ESA and in the Support Group, one claiming CA and with no other income, saving etc the amount would be £180.60 a week.

His DLA (MRC and HRM) is exactly the same as it was before and we also get full CTax and housing benefits.

Hope this helps and isn't too confusing.

Tehya

Hypnodisc

Tehya wrote: »

Hello there, maybe if I tell you my situation it may help you a bit.

I'm assuming you're in the Support Group as you mention severe disability so please ignore my post if I've got that wrong. The severe disability premium you mention though is paid with IS not ESA so I think this is confusing people.

My hubby claims ESA he's in the main phase and has been placed in the support group. When I was working part time his ESA was reduced by my wages but without that this is what we would have got.

His ESA was made up of £100.95 (which is what the law says a couple need to live on) plus £19.30 Disability Income Guarantee and £30.85 Extra Money for being in the Support Group. This totalled £151.10 per week.

I then had to give up work as I couldn't cope any longer so I claimed Carer's Allowance. His ESA has been reduced to £95.80 but I receive £53.90 Carer's Allowance and Extra Carer's Allowance for my hubby as a dependent adult £31.70 totalling £180.60 per week. This is basically the same as us claiming the same as my other example above but with the added Carer Premium.

As you can see between the two figures we're £29.50 (equivalent to the Carer premium) a week better off with me not working because off the Carer's Allowance. So for a couple where one of them is on ESA and in the Support Group, one claiming CA and with no other income, saving etc the amount would be £180.60 a week.

His DLA (MRC and HRM) is exactly the same as it was before and we also get full CTax and housing benefits.

Hope this helps and isn't too confusing.

Tehya

This is all so confusing!

I'm in the work-related activity group (although I've been on ESA since 2008, so they've left me alone now - and I no longer have to actually do anything!)

I can confirm I get 'Severe Disability Premium', as part of my ESA, because I have both ESA and Mid-rate Care DLA. Just to confirm, my SDP is part of the DWP/Jobcentre ESA benefit - not housing.

I have no disability premium at all for housing benefit - literally, I get the normal defacto H.B rate for an under 25 (£81 p.w) which is the max any under 25 can claim in this area. Am I entitled to some sort of extra there then?? :eek:

Just out of interest, if I was ever looking to appeal - to go to the 'Support group' instead of the ESA 'work related activity group' (which I'm on now), what are the rates for the latter?

Basically, my current breakdown is as follows:

£81 p.w housing benefit (not LHA - it's conventional H.B)
£89 p.w (or thereabouts) ESA (work related group)
£47~ p.w (or thereabouts) Severe disability premium - added to my ESA payments
£47'ish p.w DLA (Mid-rate care)

Hypnodisc

Thought I'd just bump this before it fell off the page :)

NASA_2

SDP is paid on ESA - its the normal DP that isnt.

All in all I think you will be better off with moving in together and claiming Carers Allowance with the top-up premium being paid too.

sunnyone

NASA wrote: »

SDP is paid on ESA - its the normal DP that isnt.

All in all I think you will be better off with moving in together and claiming Carers Allowance with the top-up premium being paid too.

So how much is ESA in the support group with HRC DLA?