terminal cancer & family credit

newpotaoe

in november my wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer and i have been off work receiving ssp sickness payments since then (3 months) we also receive family credit which i have been led to believe we can still claim whilst i am on ssp ,what heppens if i am still off sick after 6 months and the ssp payments stop will i still be entitled to receive family credit or will i be classed as unemployed ???
pls advise if you can ..

merlin68

Have you got any children. Are you getting SSP as well as your wife? If she's got terminal cancer you can claim DLA under fasttrack. then get carers allowances

newpotaoe

hi yes we have a 11yr old daughter and 19 yr old son at college ,my wife is also receiving maximum dla ,but i am told this does not effect family credit claims its more the ssp side im worreid about .especially when it stops ,technically i am still employed full time by my employer butdo the tax people see it this way ??

Oldernotwiser

I'm not nitpicking but do you mean Child Tax Credits?

newpotaoe

yes sorry child tax credits

sleepless_saver

You'll get child tax credit whether or not you're employed. If you're off sick and your SSP is about to run out (after 28 weeks I think), you can claim employment and support allowance. You may also be entitled to more child tax credit because your income has fallen - contact tax credits to let them know.

You could contact Macmillan benefit advisers to help you with all of this and to make sure you are getting your entitlements.

(As long as you haven't resigned and your employer hasn't dismissed you, you are still in employment even if you are not getting any pay.)

merlin68

It's probably best to claim carers allowance and income support. Worth more money. If you were thinking of giving up work.

bitsandpieces

Macmillan are excellent for benefits advice - 0808 808 00 00. They have links with CAB in lots of areas. It's well worth giving them a ring - so you can be sure that you're claiming what you're entitled to, both now and when SSP finishes.