Husband Living and Working abroad.. benefits?

BernadetteN

I have just read a thread about benefits and babies and living arrangements with father of child and was wondering.......

In our situation, my husband is currently working abroad and on work days he is away from home, days off he is back in the UK. I would not think of this as "living apart" for benefit purposes. However, my husband is about to be sent away for 5 months and will not be back in the UK during that time. He is therefore not going to be living with the family and not going to be in a relationship with me either. He may also be sent to another country once he is finished in the first country so he may or may not be back in the UK in September.

Therefore the question is........ would I be entitled to claims any benefits, or even get a single person's reduction in Council Tax Benefit?

I am just being very curious... no intention of claiming.

lottee

I'm not aware that you would be able to claim anything. Perhaps the council tax reduction maybe, at a push. Hopefully someone else will have a little more info for you soon ...

welshcakes

Hi bernadette - this link deals specifically with the way armed forces, rig workers etc are considered http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/ccmmanual/ccm15073.htm
I haven't read it indepth but hopefully it should help. I'll see if I can find a link to give you a definitive answer regards council tax.

welshcakes

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/life/tax/council_tax.htm

Discounts


If only one person lives in a property they will get a 25% discount on the council tax bill. When working out how many people live in a property, some people are not counted. These are called disregarded people. If everyone who lives in the property is disregarded, there will still be a council tax bill, but there will be a 50% discount. People are disregarded when they are:-


aged 17 or under
living in the property temporarily and who have their home somewhere else
prisoners
in detention prior to deportation or under mental health legislation
defined as a severely mentally impaired person
full-time students on a qualifying course of education
a spouse or a dependant of a student and a non British Citizen who is not allowed under immigration rules, either to work in the UK or claim benefit
Student nurses/Project 2000 student nurses
young people on government training schemes, apprentices, or foreign language assistants
hospital patients who live in hospital
living in a residential care home, nursing home, or mental nursing home where they receive care or treatment
living in a hostel which provides care or treatment because of a person’s old age, physical or mental disability, past or present alcohol or drug dependence or past or present mental illness and in England a bail or probation hostel
carers
care workers
staying in a hostel or night shelter, for example, in a Salvation Army or Church Army hostel
school or college leavers still aged under 20 who have left school or college after 30 April. They will be disregarded until 1 November of the same year whether or not they take up employment
aged 18 and someone is entitled to child benefit for them. This includes a school or college leaver in remunerative work, or a person in local authority care
members of a religious community
members of visiting armed forces and their dependants.

skintas_2

i dont think your get anything as you wil still be classed as married as you said your not parting, then he would have to pay the csa......

Graham_Devon

Council Tax maybe, I think he has to be away for over 6 months and presume the kids are under 17, so could be classed as single occupancy.

As for other benefits, no. You are NOT single, you are married in a relationship. He's not leaving you for good I assume and will send wages home.

kelloggs36

Graham_Devon wrote:

Council Tax maybe, I think he has to be away for over 6 months and presume the kids are under 17, so could be classed as single occupancy.

As for other benefits, no. You are NOT single, you are married in a relationship. He's not leaving you for good I assume and will send wages home.

I thought that too. Years ago my dad lived abroad for a year but sent the money home to pay the mortgage and everything else just as though he lived with us. As you have not split with him, no benefits at all I'm afraid. Not sure about the Council Tax though.

CIS

Council Tax maybe, I think he has to be away for over 6 months and presume the kids are under 17, so could be classed as single occupancy.

Your not eligible for the 25% Council Tax discount. Under the 'Sole or Main residence' rules he is still classed as an occupant of the property - their have been several court cases with similar circs to try and get the 25% and all have been found against.

BernadetteN

Graham_Devon wrote:

Council Tax maybe, I think he has to be away for over 6 months and presume the kids are under 17, so could be classed as single occupancy.

As for other benefits, no. You are NOT single, you are married in a relationship. He's not leaving you for good I assume and will send wages home.

Yes he better send his wages home. It does sometimes feel like he is leaving me for good, it's such a long time he is away!

Seriously, the reason I was asking the question of benefits and partner working abroad the majority of the time because of my reaction to the thread about the lady who has her partner 7 doors away from her but is able to get IS, full CTC, her council house rent free, full council tax (yes I looked back at the thread where she listed her income too) and her partner "helping her out" too whereas I sit at home with no IS, basic CTC, a mortgage, council tax yet my husband is going to be out of the UK for at least 5 months and more likely until at least next year!

My local council has told me that I will be eligible for 25% off council tax as long as my husband does not return to the home in the council tax year. I'm a bit unsure whether that really is ethically right for me to claim.

Graham_Devon

Bernadette. The thread your read is a load of rubbish to be honest. The OP should not be getting and is not entitled to all of what she get's and is wanting to get.

You could quite easily say that your partner is not going to come home for a year. But, if they do do a check on this, which they can do, you face prosectution. All they have to do is ask the forces where his is, they have the powers and when he will be back. If you have said he isnt there, your in trouble.

It's a case of morals to be honest and whether your brave enough, or silly enough in some cases to take the risk & commit the benefit fraud.

It things like this that do annoy me though as he is not there for over 6 months, he's not producing rubbish, he's not using the services, he's not using the street lighting, he's out doing something for the country. Yet you still have to pay full tax.

This is unfair when other people through their own choices take so much twice over. I'd forget about the other thread.

kelloggs36

Graham_Devon wrote:

Bernadette. The thread your read is a load of rubbish to be honest. The OP should not be getting and is not entitled to all of what she get's and is wanting to get.

You could quite easily say that your partner is not going to come home for a year. But, if they do do a check on this, which they can do, you face prosectution. All they have to do is ask the forces where his is, they have the powers and when he will be back. If you have said he isnt there, your in trouble.

It's a case of morals to be honest and whether your brave enough, or silly enough in some cases to take the risk & commit the benefit fraud.

It things like this that do annoy me though as he is not there for over 6 months, he's not producing rubbish, he's not using the services, he's not using the street lighting, he's out doing something for the country. Yet you still have to pay full tax.

This is unfair when other people through their own choices take so much twice over. I'd forget about the other thread.

I enjoyed it!!:rotfl: