A massive tangle

bitconfused

Hi guys,

First off let me apologise for the poorly named thread but i had no idea where to start. My situation is pretty complicated to say the least so lets begin somewhere and see where we end up.

It is quite conceivable in the next few weeks that my partner will be leaving me and as they are the one that is currently working it puts me in a situation i have no idea where to start with.

Our family home has quite a bit of equity in it and is valued at about 150k which about 80k is a mortgage.

This is entirely covered by my partner in recent times as i have 0 income due to looking after my autistic child (diagnosis is due very shortly but is a mere formality). I am unable to work due to them being on a part time time-table at his school and even with the 2 hours a day he does i cant guarantee that he will be there for both as sometimes he will outright refuse to even go. He has severe behavioural issues which basically means i am the only person that can be with him as my family cant cope with it. He is basically linked to me for 22 of the 24 hours of every day so working is not an option.

I have never been one to claim for anything or ask for anything so i have no idea where to start with such issues should the need arrive.

If my partner was to walk out and leave me with 0 income and no means of getting any work, what would i be entitled to in the way of benefits, i'm guessing my house would have to be sold pretty much immediately as well.

Sorry for coming off as very uninformed but i have googled and googled for hours and not been able to find a set of circumstances that match mine so i really don't know where to start.

Im not sure what else to write but i can provide a ton of info if its needed.

Please help

rogerblack

Starting out - you need to apply for DLA for your son.
Do this today - 08457 123 456 - this will let you get DLA (if it is approved) from today.

This will entitle you to (if they get middle-rate or above care DLA awarded) carers allowance at 55/week.
You will also be entitled to full council tax benefit.
You may be entitled to income support - this is 65/week for a 'lone parent' - though there may be additional premiums on top of this.

Is the partner the father of the child?

In some cases, income support may be able to pay towards your mortgage.

cosmic-dust

rogerblack wrote: »

Starting out - you need to apply for DLA for your son.
Do this today - 08457 123 456 - this will let you get DLA (if it is approved) from today.

This will entitle you to (if they get middle-rate or above care DLA awarded) carers allowance at 55/week.
You will also be entitled to full council tax benefit.
You may be entitled to income support - this is 65/week for a 'lone parent' - though there may be additional premiums on top of this.

Is the partner the father of the child?

In some cases, income support may be able to pay towards your mortgage.

If the OP applies for carers she won't get £65 per week Income support.
She will get £55 per week Carers and £31 top up on Income support as a carer premium.

bitconfused

The partner is the mother of the child, i am the primary carer for him as i am the only one who can restrain him during his violent outbursts and tantrums. I was told to hold off applying for dla until we have an official diagnosis which will be coming next week. In an ideal situation i would dearly love to keep my home as my child has a massive mental attachment to it and if we were to lose it he would be broken.

What would the mortgage companies view be on me paying the mortgage but not being in employment, is this something they would allow? I have no idea on the timescale before i would be able to go and find full time work but i am guessing it is at least 5 years away due to the severity of his troubles.

nannymiaow

bitconfused wrote: »

What would the mortgage companies view be on me paying the mortgage but not being in employment, is this something they would allow?

How would you pay a mortgage with no income? Has your partner agreed to move out leave your child with you?

Marisco

As well as the benefits already mentioned, you, as a PWC (parent with care) will be entitled to child maintenance off the NRP (non resident parent i.e your partner) If you can come to an amicable agreement about it, so much the better, but if not, then contact the CSA, and they will get the ball rolling.

FBaby

You are very likely to find that as the pwc of a disable child, you will be better off as a single parent than living with your partner (unless she earned a very good salary). Not that it is much consolation when you do not wish the separation yourself, but brings at least a bit of comfort.

bitconfused

In a previous discussion with her, we had agreed that he is better off living with me because he has almost totally rejected her and she is unable to control his rages.

Maintenance wont be an issue as that will be paid without any question.

Im just trying to find out where i stand as far as the house etc goes as previously she has said that rather than maintenance she would maybe cover the mortgage until he is old enough to care for himself (if this day comes) and then sell the house after. For that to be a realistic situation though i need to find out what i can afford to cover in terms of the other outgoings etc and how it would affect anything else.

bitconfused

FBaby wrote: »

You are very likely to find that as the pwc of a disable child, you will be better off as a single parent than living with your partner (unless she earned a very good salary). Not that it is much consolation when you do not wish the separation yourself, but brings at least a bit of comfort.

It does indeed, and i really dont want a separation to happen, but its a decision that is sadly out of my hands.

Thanks for your kind words

kingfisherblue

cosmic-dust wrote: »

If the OP applies for carers she won't get £65 per week Income support.
She will get £55 per week Carers and £31 top up on Income support as a carer premium.

Almost right - the OP would get £55 a week Carer's Allowance, plus a top up of £43 a week (paid fortnightly as £86). I beleive that the carer premium is £31, added to IS, and then the amount of CA is deducted. So: 67 (IS) + 31 (carer's premium) = 98, minus 55 (CA), leaves 43 IS payable in addition to the CA.

IS will then passport the OP to other benefits such as full council tax benefit, free school meals (when appropriate), possible uniform grant (depending on council policy), free prescriptions, free sight test, help with glasses and dental treatment. It might also trigger SMI (help with paying mortgage interest) - it did in my case, as ex refused to pay anything towards the mortgage. SMI can be paid earlier to carers than the usual waiting time, I believe.

OP, a formal diagnosis will not necessarily help you to get DLA for your son - it is the care and mobility needs that matter, not the diagnosis. I know of several parents whose children do not have a diagnosis, but receive DLA.

DLA can take several weeks before an award is made (if it is - there is no guarantee!). Once awarded at middle or higher rate care, the OP can claim Carer's Allowance, which tends to be much quicker. Tax credits should be informed of any DLA award, as the amount payable increases for a disabled child. A further increase is paid for a child receiving high rate care.

The OP should make sure that Child Benefit is paid in his name, as this will help him to get child related benefits if he is the main carer of the child. Tax Credits should also be in the main carer's name. Any joint claim will need to be closed down and a new, single claim opened.

oldhand

Others on here are far better placed to give you the advice you seek,For myself I can only wish you the very best in what must be a sad situation to find yourself in,and I have to admit to jumping the gun when reading your post first time as I(for whatever reason) assumed you were a mother about to be left by the childs father and for that I apologise.