Very complicated benefits question for my partner

dpruk

Hi all

This is my first posting. Firstly, thank you to Martin for making this site.
To explain our situation. I work full time and not on fantastic money but enough to life on. My partner was made redundant in April last year. The thing is, she has suffered badly from depression and self harming and addiction to prescribed medication and over the counter tablets of which she is being treated for. We have gone to hell and back many times but things have recently got better and we are on the up and i am proud of her.
She fell pregnant and is now at 20 weeks which is amazing after losing one a while back.
I have fully supported us since last April and i have run up a few debts and have needed to break into the money i got from my dad’s house after he passed away a few years ago and this is an amount that takes me a tad over the limits the government allow you to have. Now i am not talking a huge sum, but enough for a deposit on a house to improve our lifes and get out of council rented accommodation.
We have not attempted to claim anything but things are getting a little tight now and if we continue the money from my dads life will be gone and that’s our only chance to better ourselves.
To allow her to have to independence i suggested for her to sign on. Because of her illness and because she never signed on when she was made redundant (due to her falling into the dark side and not being able to cope with all that) she did not sign on.
This penalised her claim and she is not entitled to anything at all due to her NI not being up to date.
I was taking time off work to drive her to sign on to have her NI paid for 3 months due to living in a rural area but we decided not to continue as this was too costly for me. She was refused any form of assistance to travel to sign to get no money and only to get her NI stamp paid.
Now she is pregnant I was wondering if anyone has any advice to allow her to get even a tiny bit of money to allow her to travel for job interviews (although I doubt anyone will employ a 20 week pregnant woman) but she is still trying.
Please anyone, any for of assistance or advice will help. We are not trying to cheat the system we are simply looking for some independence for her and any form of help to purchase stuff for the baby.

Thank you all

LadyMorticia

Yes they have mety my needs

I don't have any advice for you but just wanted to say Congratulations about the baby.

Torry_Quine

Yes they have mety my needs

The benefit system is there to help in certian circumstances only which you appear not to meet. I hope that things work out for you.

merlin68

The gov expect you to live of savings, if you spend them all at once, it will be seen as deprivation of capital. Your having a laugh, you want the tax payer to buy your baby stuff, when you have £16000 in the bank.

GlasweJen

It's not complicated at all. You partner is entitled to nothing until the baby comes. Even then your savings will negate most income based benefits so the options are for her to get a job or for you guys to live off your savings.

To be fair its no one else's fault that she got pregnant.

Morglin

Has she tried claiming Maternity Allowance or ESA?

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018869

Lin

karenx

She wont get maternity allowance as wont of worked in the test period to qualify.
As she has no NI for JSA she wont qualify for contribitions based ESA and her partners earnings/savings will take her over the limit for income based

seven-day-weekend

AFAIK she won't be entitled to anything as your income/savings is counted as a couple and you are over the capital limit.

How about trying something like an Avon round, or e-bay, or having a lodger, to supplement your income? When we were in a similar position many years ago, that's what we did.

[Deleted User]

lol a poll on here???

kazwookie

Try freecycle for baby clothes etc

Anubis_2

Freecycle is ggod and perhaps doing someyhing like ironing for a bit of money etc.