Income Support and money gift

Turning_into_scrooge

If a person who is claiming benefits such as income support is given a gift of say max of £30 are they supposed to inform income support of this gift? A friend has asked me to post this because she has been given £30 from her father and is worried that she may be breaking the rules of benefits. Shes a born worrier and if she doesn't feel shes acting within the law the worry will make her ill as she suffers the depression and compulsive disorder - can't remember the correct name for it. Usually her father buys gifts but this year his health hasn't been very good and he's felt it too cold to go shopping in town as hes 70 years old, so gave all members of the family the money he would of spent on the gift. If any more info is needed please ask.

Bogof_Babe

I'm 99.9% certain that a cash gift of £30 from a parent won't be a problem. Tell your friend not to worry. If her dad had bought her a £30 sweater then she wouldn't even be thinking like this.

Smashing

Unless it puts her over the savings threshold, I shouldn't worry.

real1314

For IS:

Regular payments of cash could be treated as "voluntary payments" which are treated as income but iirc they are subject to a £20 disregard.

One off paymets would be treated as capital and would only affect things if they increased capital over the £6000 limit.


HB/CTB only rules allow all of a regular payment from firends/family to be disregarded, with the necessary exception of ex partners and parents of children in the household.

All iirc and based on my interpretation / memory of the regs.

Turning_into_scrooge

Thank you for the replies. She has no savings as her ex husband cleared all the money out of their account before he left her. She didn't know he'd gone until she got home from shopping and found a letter on the kitchen unit telling her. Fortunately the house is paid for but it is in both names in his letter he said he wouldn't do anything about it until their daughter is 18 years old but she has no idea where he is. His parents wont tell - if they know - and his friends say he hasn't been in touch but apparently he left her for another woman. She constantly worries about money and is getting all the benefits she is entitled to.

Bogoff_babe - you are absolutely correct, if her father had given her a jumper or whatever she wouldn't be worrying, its because its money and the lock up adverts for benefits cheats on the radio and television that has put fear into her.