Confused !!!

RichDT

I am after some advice on exactly what benefits can be claimed please. I am in full time employment on DLA but presently off sick waiting for an operation, my company sick pay has now run out and I will now be down to SSP of £81 per week and my wife works 30 hours a week I am unlikely to be able to return to work this year. I am or was the main wage earner by a long way and I was told at first I would be able to claim incapacity but have since found out that I can't, after some searching on line it seems that I will be lucky if I get any working tax credit or housing benefit. Could anybody confirm this ? I have also been told I would be better off packing up work altogether and let the tax payer take care of me, now while this may be out of my control in the future I wasn't looking to do it just yet.

cosmic-dust

RichDT wrote: »

I am after some advice on exactly what benefits can be claimed please. I am in full time employment on DLA but presently off sick waiting for an operation, my company sick pay has now run out and I will now be down to SSP of £81 per week and my wife works 30 hours a week I am unlikely to be able to return to work this year. I am or was the main wage earner by a long way and I was told at first I would be able to claim incapacity but have since found out that I can't, after some searching on line it seems that I will be lucky if I get any working tax credit or housing benefit. Could anybody confirm this ? I have also been told I would be better off packing up work altogether and let the tax payer take care of me, now while this may be out of my control in the future I wasn't looking to do it just yet.

How much does your wife earn?

RAS

Have a look at www.turn2us.org.uk

bobajob_1966

Who has told you that you cannot claim Incapacity (now called ESA)? Is it because you have not paid sufficient NI Contributions?

RichDT

Thanks for the replies. My wife takes home approx £750 per month, I was told by the benefits helpline that I couldn't claim ESA or any others apart from may be housing and working tax :eek: due to my SSP payments. He did say that after the SSP runs out then I might get ESA then.

Mupette

RichDT wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. My wife takes home approx £750 per month, I was told by the benefits helpline that I couldn't claim ESA or any others apart from may be housing and working tax :eek: due to my SSP payments. He did say that after the SSP runs out then I might get ESA then.

as soon as you have a date for the ssp to run out, put a claim in for esa, (get the forms now)

i had to do the same (although i was lone parent) as soon as my company gave me a date for the ssp to run out, i told dwp, who were happy for me to fill in the forms and have them ready, in fact i think they had the forms early so as soon as ssp stopped the esa took over.

again this might be due to being a lone parent, whilst on reduced ssp i was aparently entitled to some help on, HB/CTC but by the time i found out it was too late to claim.

RichDT

Thanks:) But I hold out hope that I will be back to work before the SSP runs out (MID FEB) I just was hoping that after some 30+ years of paying my dues I would be entitled to more help than is available. You read about all these people getting hand outs with out ever working and the 1st time I am forced to use the system I find I can't get any or very little help :mad: My consultant has been telling me for years that to help my condition I should not be working but pride makes me work and pay my way, obviously my pride has cost in me in more ways than one :doh:

GlasweJen

Your wife would also need to give up work for you to qualify for "handouts".

You may be entitled to some help with your housing and council tax if your joint income is low, try entitledto.com putting in your actual income and not your salary.

RichDT

I have now had a reply from Tax Credits and it appears our payments will go down ??? I find this very strange as I am now using my disabled element and it is based on a much lower income then the last few years but I have had the Child Tax reduced and can't claim Working Tax... I will be phoning them today because my disabled element has been added for 56 days only so I will try to find out why?