Impossible Carer's Allowance & Benefits Situation

smileytiger

If you need to not work and care for your partner - that's up to you - it was your statement that said living apart is your only option because of benefit entitlement etc - that's what people take exception to. I find it sad that love & happiness comes second to money and we live in such a materialistic society - but that's a discussion for another day.

However even with a re-adjustment in benefits, and claiming as a couple - you would only be paying 1 set of household bills not 2 as you currently are - so i'm not understanding how you could possibly be worse off and not be able to live - you don't need to justify yourself to anyone - but when you post on a public forum you won't always hear the answers you want to hear.

I hope things work out as if your partner needs you - she needs you and no amount of cash can make up for that

johnkat

Good luck OP. ignore the self righteous cretins that infest these forums.

princessdon

Op - you need to be aware of current issues

Eg extra charges for bedroom's (if relevant)

Councils looking to charge for CTB (this can be for both of your current houses).

And there may be more plans (I can't say for sure)

But things like this *may* have an impact as there will be less income per household and 1 household as opposed to 2 could be better from April.

Another_Username_4

No problems Johnkat. I had expected far worse than this. :O) Nothing wrong with opinions, provided they are expressed in a courteous and constructive manner. They're all correct in what they say anyway.

Two points before I comment on the replies:

1. I am approaching 52 years of age and I doubt very much that employers will bee keeping a keen eye open for somebody my age.

2. I can only guess that those who are more critical on here have never been in the situation of having to scrape a few pennies together in order to survive. Financial difficulties place a HUGE amount of stress a relationship.

This will upset a few people, but I will NOT take a job where I would be paid less than the amount I would get in benefits. The system is all wrong and I am not going to be a part of making it worse than it is, otherwise I will end up in an impossible situation like my friend who works for £2 per hour!

Ideally, Smileytiger, I would like to live with my partner and work from home.

The extra charges for bedrooms do not apply at the moment. What are the "other plans" likely to be though? More surprises on the way from our lovely government. Let's hope April brings something more reasonable.

Finally, I phoned the free helpline. WOW! What a revelation. If they are correct in what they say, we have been given completely incorrect information from the benefits office. We have also been told about other benefits we could apply for - things the benefits office have said we are not entitled to.

Thanks again.

John

thorsoak

Another_Username wrote: »

No problems Johnkat. I had expected far worse than this. :O) Nothing wrong with opinions, provided they are expressed in a courteous and constructive manner. They're all correct in what they say anyway.

Two points before I comment on the replies:

1. I am approaching 52 years of age and I doubt very much that employers will bee keeping a keen eye open for somebody my age.

2. I can only guess that those who are more critical on here have never been in the situation of having to scrape a few pennies together in order to survive. Financial difficulties place a HUGE amount of stress a relationship.

This will upset a few people, but I will NOT take a job where I would be paid less than the amount I would get in benefits. The system is all wrong and I am not going to be a part of making it worse than it is, otherwise I will end up in an impossible situation like my friend who works for £2 per hour!

Ideally, Smileytiger, I would like to live with my partner and work from home.

The extra charges for bedrooms do not apply at the moment. What are the "other plans" likely to be though? More surprises on the way from our lovely government. Let's hope April brings something more reasonable.

Finally, I phoned the free helpline. WOW! What a revelation. If they are correct in what they say, we have been given completely incorrect information from the benefits office. We have also been told about other benefits we could apply for - things the benefits office have said we are not entitled to.

Thanks again.

John

When I asked "whatever happened to for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health" I DID speak from experience ...the experience of being a wife of 19 years and the mother of 4 children whose husband suffered an accident which left him with partial brain damage. This was in the early 1980s when there was not the benefits bonanza that people can enjoy now.

He was a lecturer, earning a good salary. We had bought two old cottages and were in the process of modernising/rebuilding - with him doing quite a lot of the work himself. Within weeks, I was virtually a single parent, coping with two teenagers and two pre-teens, no car (written off in the accident) in an isolated cottage - and, within six months, a much-reduced income - and the realisation that the man I loved, the partner that I worked with was like another pre-teen child. Support outside the family was almost non-existant - and our extended family lived more than 90 miles away.

So I had to take over - in my mind I had no choice - I'd made my vows and I kept them. Yes, we stayed put - because he remembered the cottages and was so upset at the thought of moving - he remembered how much we both wanted to make our home there when he could hardly remember the names of all our children! I suppose I could have walked out - after all, in many respects I'd lost my partner - but I stayed put.

Financially, we struggled - but we managed. Gradually he got better - he was never the same man again - but nor was I the same woman.

So please do not think that I'm preaching from the moral high ground - I' not.

smileytiger

I agree the system is wrong - totally wrong - it should never happen that you are better off on benefits - but it does, and this leads to there being no incentive to work.

If my OH was a child and not an adult i could claim £1000's more as a single working parent - how daft is that.

As it is i support both of us on my salary & we scrimp n save to get by - yes i do know how hard it is when you have nothing in the cupboards & shoes with holes in actually. We have sold anything of value we have via ebay to put food on the table until our house sale goes through in about 6 weeks fingers crossed.

We made the decision to sell our home - (just cannot afford it on one salary) - well if we hadn't we probably would have been repossesed. (it's a 3 bed semi - not a mansion ) we will have enough equity to buy a residential static home, and we will then be mortgage free and hopefully the pressure will be slightly less.

So please don't assume that i'm anti people on benefits from some ivory tower.

The whole point of my original post was that there is an awful lots of posts by people who only seem to want to commit to another person because they will financially benefit - that's what i find so sad.

princessdon

They are not trying to play the system - they just want to get the most benefits they can possibly get between the two of them without working.

mikey_bach

Another_Username wrote: »

If you say so. :wall:

You were on IB and I.S you were migrated to ESA, you failed your medical or the info on your ESA50 found you fit for work.
You can claim JSA or appeal your ESA
Both means you get £71 per week.

Your partner is on ESA and has middle rate DLA and gets SDP,
because she lives alone

You can claim CA for her she will lose her SDP but you can claim I.S as a carer.
In total with your CA and I.S you will get about £106 a week
she will lose about £55.
so its your decision. :T you can now make an informed choice


If you move in together benefit wise you will be slightly worse off but if you are going to get married soon you will have to take the plunge then..

Another_Username_4

Please continue to discuss this among yourselves.

Thank you very much to those who offered help and advice. We are grateful. However, some of you are clearly deluded and jump to the conclusions which suit you.

John

joyce341

one thing that i find totaly wrong.even though i am a pensioner and recieve houseing and council tax benefit is that.if my income rent and council tax were added together as one income i would be paying income tax back to the government but on benefit my rent and council tax benefit is tax exempt this is one reason why people on benefit are better of.the top and bottom of it is not that people dont want to work .it is because lower wages have not gone up in line with houseing costs and people are frightened of being homeless.
i would have to earn about £6000 a year more than i am on now.even though on a low income to stay the same as i am now income wise.