Can my partner claim income support with me

sarahd1988_2

I have been claiming Income Support with a disability premium for ages now because of an Aspergers Diagnosis. The diagnosis was dropped when I was re-assessed at 21, but I still continued getting my benefits. I was told I had difficulties but they were not fully specified. I do not qualify for disability living allowance because I am classed as too independent and I also live without support. I am currently 18 weeks pregnant. I have thought about finding a job in the past but I lived with a male friend and did all his cooking and cleaning and he was happy to support me.

My now partner has ADHD and mild learning difficulties from a brain infection he had as a child and he gets about £275 DLA a month. He also gets the disability rate for jobseekers allowance because he wants to find work and he gets about £300 of it a fortnight, although he's having trouble being accepted by employers. He is 21 and I am 24.

We have just been given a council flat courtesy of my partner's supported living helping us. We don't move in officially until Sunday because it's still being furnished and decorated but the housing benefit has been sorted.

I am not sure what to do with my income support. I am not in a position to go looking for a job. In November I will have a baby to care for and I already look pregnant. I am also a firm believer that a woman who has children should stay at home and look after them. I am not a believer in all this feminism and gender equality in the workplace malarky and my first duty is to my family. I would be very upset if I had to neglect the people who need me to go out and work. Thing is my partner has more difficulties than I do. Although to most people he appears normal he can be very forgetful due to mild brain damage and he has difficulty doing some every day things. I do all the housework, cooking and cleaning and I have to make sure that my partner looks after himself otherwise he begins to self neglect.

Can my partner come off of the jobseeker's and claim income support with me? If so how long will this take? We have catalogue and internet bills to pay off and do not want to get into debt. We manage on the money we are on but I know eventually that I will have to notify jobcentreplus about living with a partner. What will they do?

Soapn

so the guy is on almost £900 a month benefits? Why don't you both just live off that, I'm sure housing and Council Tax will already be free?

antrobus

sarahd1988 wrote: »

.... We manage on the money we are on but I know eventually that I will have to notify jobcentreplus about living with a partner....

There is no 'eventually' about it. You should have notified the DWP about living with your partner the minute he (or you) moved in.

As a general rule, benefits are paid per household, and not per individual, so it's not really relevant to ask the question 'Can my partner claim income support with me?', because if you've got a partner you can't really claim income support without them.

sarahd1988 wrote: »

.
What will they do?

Probalby not a lot if you fess up, other than seek to reclaim any possible overpayment of benefits that have been made. Otherwise criminal sanctions might apply.

GlasweJen

I can't believe you're on income support for a medical condition that's not severe enough to even get low care DLA!

You'll be added to your partners JSA claim as you're a couple.

GlasweJen

Incidentally if your old flat mate "supported" you financially then you're lucky you never got done for benefit fraud.

HB58

"I am also a firm believer that a woman who has children should stay at home and look after them. I am not a believer in all this feminism and gender equality in the workplace malarky and my first duty is to my family."

That's all very commendable - if you can afford it. I'm afraid that many mothers are forced back to work due to financial contraints (I returned when my son was 6 months old as it was the only way we could keep the roof over our heads).

GlasweJen

Ah but HB58 the OP has never worked a day in her life so the tax payer will fund her child raising for her!

Wait til the kid turns 5, universal credit is in and she needs to go and find work, no doubt another little miracle will be born.

Sometimes I wish there was a function where you could direct a portion of your tax away from certain causes, the quasi-disabled work shy are my real bug bear at the moment.

LunaLady

sarahd1988 wrote: »

I am also a firm believer that a woman who has children should stay at home and look after them. I am not a believer in all this feminism and gender equality in the workplace malarky and my first duty is to my family. I would be very upset if I had to neglect the people who need me to go out and work.

Some of us have no choice! I am a single parent to 3 children, including a severely disabled child and I also feel my first duty is to my family, but I feel I am doing that by working to support us rather than expecting the tax payer to do it all.

leveller2911

I'm smelling a troll here ............

[Deleted User]

GlasweJen wrote: »

Ah but HB58 the OP has never worked a day in her life so the tax payer will fund her child raising for her!

Wait til the kid turns 5, universal credit is in and she needs to go and find work, no doubt another little miracle will be born.

Sometimes I wish there was a function where you could direct a portion of your tax away from certain causes, the quasi-disabled work shy are my real bug bear at the moment.

when did it become ok to judge people on mse?since moneysupermarket took over
come on jen live and let live

Dunroamin

Won't somebody think of the children!