Ask the CCCS a benefits question

StepChange_Pavan

nicholaslines wrote: »

In November my wife and are expecting our first child. We have been married for 3 years. My wife finished a degree in June and as she is six months pregnant is now not working, nor has she been whilst she has been studying at university.

I am employed full time earning £28600 a year.

We are both extremely confused at what help (child benefit, tax credits, council tax benefit etc) we are entitled too and need help?!

Hi nicholaslines and thanks for your question.

Based on your income it is unlikely that you will qualify for anything at the moment.

As soon as the baby is born you will need to apply for Child Benefit. You should receive an information pack from the hospital usually called a Bounty Pack which contains the relevant paperwork. Don't worry if you don't receive it as you can call the Child Benefit Helpline direct on 0845 302 1444 and they will send the paperwork to you.

You will also need to apply for Child Tax Credits which can be done by phoning the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900. They will ask for the Child Benefit reference number so you will need to have this in place before applying for Tax credits.

It’s unlikely that you’ll be entitled to any help with your Council Tax unless it is particularly high. You could put an application in just to be sure.

I hope this helps,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

NannieG wrote: »

3 weeks ago I was made redundant and out of work for first time in my life (I'm 55). I have done all the signing on, am keeping my booklet up to date and have applied for jobs, without success so far. I have a health condition which flares up from time to time, it is currently giving me problems and I have been to the Doctor and he has given a sick note for 2 weeks. This is a bit of a "what if" question - if my condition doesnt improve or worsens and I have to go over 14 days the job centre told me I would stop getting JSA and have to sign up for ESA. I've looked on their website to see how much this would be and it only gives figures for a "single person". I do have partner who is self-employed but his income varies so much from week to week we have always lived on my income. Does the fact that it doesn't mention anything other than a single person mean that I wouldn't be entitled to anything? I dont want to cause myself further stress by worrying about what's going to happen in 2 weeks time if I'm not better by then. Could you put my mind at rest, or if not, tell me the worst! Many thanks

Hi NannieG and thank you for your question.

Employment & Support Allowance (ESA) is paid to people of working age who are unable to work due to ill health. There are 2 types - Contributory and Income Related. Which type you receive depends on your National Insurance contributions record.

If you are currently receiving Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance you are likely to receive Contributory ESA, which is unaffected by your partner's income. It is paid at £67.50 per week for the first 13 weeks of your claim. This then increases following further medical assessment.

If your partner works on average 24 hours or more each week, then you will not be entitled to Income Related ESA, as he is classed as working full-time.

If your household income is low, then it is worth checking to see if you are entitled to any other help such as Council Tax Benefit - check out the Benefits Adviser on www.direct.gov.uk to make sure you're not missing out.

Kind regards,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

tilly_lady wrote: »

how much savings can you have if on incapacity

Hi again,

Any savings or assets you have do not effect your entitlement to Incapacity Benefit.

However, if you have any savings or assets above £6,000 and you are in receipt of Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit then you need to make the local authority aware - this would reduce the amount of benefit you receive and would cease altogether if you have £16,000 or more.

Hope this helps,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

bizkaz wrote: »

Hi, i left my employment (of nearly 10years) last year to renovate our house..we have now almost finished so i am looking for another job. My husband earns about 30,000, we have two children and have a mortgage and (now) a few maxed out credit cards.. I dont think i will be able to get any benefit as he earns so much but would i be able to get my stamps paid now i am looking for work again.
Thanks
K

Hi Bizkaz and thanks for your question.

You may entitled to contribution based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) for up to 26 weeks if you are available and actively seeking work. Contribution based JSA is paid at £67.50 per week.

Your entitlement would depend on your record of National Insurance contributions in recent years. You may still satisfy the National Insurance contribution conditions even if you gave up work last year. If you do not meet the contribution conditions then you would be able to claim National Insurance credits but would not receive a payment of JSA.

Even if you are entitled to JSA you may find that you are sanctioned for a period of time. This means that you may not be paid (or paid at a reduced rate) for a number of weeks. This would happen if the Job Centre consider that you left your previous job without ‘just cause’.

Your partner’s income suggests that you may be entitled to Child Tax Credits which is paid to families with children. If you are not currently claiming you can call 0845 3003900 to make a claim.

I hope this helps,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

Ozi wrote: »

Hi,

I have a question about ESA.

I'm a 33 year old Londoner with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and after 15 years employment at the same company and the natural progression of my illness, I have stopped working since April after choosing to take medical retirement.

I've informed my company of the only government benefit which i receive which is DLA. The money i receive from DLA is deducted from the 80% of my salary which i receive from my company which works out at about £1100 per month. My employers have since asked me if i am in receipt of ESA. I have never applied for ESA and am not sure it is something i'm eligible for as i do receive a salary of sorts on a monthly basis.

What is ESA and is it something i'm eligible for?

thanks,
Ozi

Hi Ozi and thanks for your question.

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is a benefit that you can claim if you have limited capability for work.

Your exact employment situation will dictate if you can apply for ESA now or not:

(1) If you are still employed (but signed off work sick), your employer must firstly pay at least the legal minimum amount of £81.60 of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) per week for a period of 28 weeks. Your employer may pay you extra contractual or employer's sick pay on top of the legal minimum amount. Your individual company sick pay scheme and details of this will be found in your employment contract or your HR department should be able to advise you.

(2) Once your employer has paid SSP for a period of 28 weeks, it will depend on your contract details whether they will continue to pay you any contractual sick pay or not. You can then make a claim for ESA, and if you are entitled to the Contributory type of ESA (because you have paid sufficient National Insurance contributions) then the benefit is unaffected by company sick pay.

(3) Finally, if you have been officially retired from your job, then you can claim ESA straight away. In this case, the money you are receiving from your employer each month might be a pension, and this will affect the amount of benefit you will be able to receive.

Your DLA shouldn’t normally have any impact on the amount of sick pay your company is paying you. It could be that your company is paying you a reduced salary because of your company's sick pay policy rather than because you are receiving DLA.

Speak to your employer or HR Department to clarify the situation, then contact Jobcentre Plus regarding your ESA application on 0800 0556688.

I hope this helps,
Pavan

DX2

CCCS_Pavan wrote: »

Hi DX2,

Sock-knitter mentioned that she has spoken with both Jobcentre Plus and the Tax Credits Office regarding her claims and they have advised her to continue claiming benefit.

There will be certain circumstances where Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit continue to be paid.

Kind regards,
Pavan

Snock knitter has also mentioned in her own thread that she is not eligible to get CB as HMRC told her this because the children have left home.

So no idea what circumstances you know of that a parent can continue to claim CB and CTC once they have left home.

StepChange_Pavan

Hollyberry1 wrote: »

Hi
My partner has been sent to prison, and will not be home until June 2013.
We have always claimed Child Tax Credits together.
Several prongs of the same question, I think...
Do I just say that he has left me and our daughter / do I tell the truth? Are there penalties for not telling them straight away?
I have changed jobs, and have not told them...
I am about to apply for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. If I am successful do I have to tell the Child Tax Credit people?
When I claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit do I just say that he has left me and our daughter / do I tell the truth?
Sorry for there to be so many questions when I know you are very busy, but I have to phone the Tax Credit helpline this afternoon, and thought I would check with you first!!
Many thanks in advance

Hi Hollyberry1 and thanks for your question.

I’ve answered these questions separately:

Firstly; you must always be truthful about your household situation in order that your benefits can be correctly awarded.

With regards to the tax credits questions; I would suggest that you inform the tax credit office immediately regarding the change in your personal circumstances. You may now be eligible for additional tax credits based on your sole situation and working hours. If you don't make them aware then you could face an overpayment and a possible penalty if this is deemed to be a notifiable change which must be reported within 1 month of the change taking place.

Secondly, in response to your question regarding informing tax credits about your successful claim for HB & CTB then you don't need to let them know. It would be better to inform the tax credits first regarding your household situation as any eligibility for Working Tax Credit would have an impact on your award.

I hope this helps,
Pavan

StepChange_Pavan

Allie_Ballie_Bee wrote: »

Hi
I am about to be diagnosed with a chronic illness. I hope to continue to work but I am unable to cope with full time. Currently I am a single parent and I recieve CTC and WTC plus Child Maintenance. My child is staying on in further ed so far but he is past school leaving age. If he leaves further ed I will no longer recieve TC's and maintenance. Are there any benefits I could apply for to top up my part time income? I have a mortgage so not eligible for housing ben.
Thanks
Allie

Hi Allie Ballie Bee and thank you for your question.

If your child leaves education your child tax credits and child benefit will stop.

Your working tax credits may stop because to claim working tax credits you usually need to be working at least 30 hours a week if your child is no longer in full time education. However, in some circumstances you can still claim working tax credits if you work at least 16 hours a week and have a disability that puts you at a disadvantage of getting a job. If you will be working at least 16 hours I would recommend that you contact the tax credits office to see if you qualify for working tax credits under these rules.

If you work less than 16 hours and are on a low income, you may be entitled to a top up of your income (and possibly some help towards your mortgage after 13 weeks) from Job Centre plus. The amount you receive will depend on your income.

You may also be entitled to council tax benefit if you are on a low income. You can apply for this benefit by contacting your local authority.

Depending on how your illness affects you, you may also be able to claim Disability Living Allowance (DLA). This is a benefit paid to people who need help to look after themselves or have difficulties getting around. You can get more advice on claiming DLA from the Disability Benefits Enquiry line on 0800 882200.

I hope this helps,
Pavan

bizkaz

Thanks for that,
Had to make an appointment today so with the job center so we will see what happens.
K

CCCS_Pavan wrote: »

Hi Bizkaz and thanks for your question.

You may entitled to contribution based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) for up to 26 weeks if you are available and actively seeking work. Contribution based JSA is paid at £67.50 per week.

Your entitlement would depend on your record of National Insurance contributions in recent years. You may still satisfy the National Insurance contribution conditions even if you gave up work last year. If you do not meet the contribution conditions then you would be able to claim National Insurance credits but would not receive a payment of JSA.

Even if you are entitled to JSA you may find that you are sanctioned for a period of time. This means that you may not be paid (or paid at a reduced rate) for a number of weeks. This would happen if the Job Centre consider that you left your previous job without ‘just cause’.

Your partner’s income suggests that you may be entitled to Child Tax Credits which is paid to families with children. If you are not currently claiming you can call 0845 3003900 to make a claim.

I hope this helps,
Pavan

lucyloves

Hi, I think I might be too late but its worth a shot. I have two questions really. I'm pregnant and wanted to cut down my working hours and claim child benefit and tax credits when I go back to work.

I was thinking of cutting down to 4 days. What is the maximum number of hours I can work and still claim benefits and credits?

Also, what is the most we can earn as a couple to be eligible for help and receive benefits and credits as currently we both work full time?