Dont know what to do

ladybelle

Coming here to ask for advice even though I know I may get some criticism but I don't know what to do.

I get DLA low rate mobility indefinitely for mental health reasons, I have had agoraphobia for 26 years and am unable to travel more than about a mile from my home. I cannot go anywhere alone past that and certainly not to anywhere unfamiliar without causing extreme anxiety. The criteria for me getting DLA has not changed, and from what I can see the same should apply to PIP so I SHOULD still get it ?

I work part time on the estate where I live, I used to work in a shop then I moved to a local office even closer to me which I love. I hated shop work and couldn't ever have done any more hours than I did. Could never have worked full time with all my anxieties.

As I get DLA I was eligible for working tax based on the rule of being unable to work full time. I was never able to work full time and still don't know if I can.

In my new job it was the same hours 21, then it got increased to 28 for 4 days which I've struggled with but got used to.

I've now just been offered to go full time. Now - I'm terrified I wont be able to cope with it, but feel I have to give it a go. I will come off working tax credit obviously, but my fears are many.

I've already been scared that when all these benefit changes come in I'll lose it all and be unable to manage without working full time anyway, even if I cant cope mentally with it, financially - if I lose DLA/PIP and subsequently WTC I couldn't manage. So if I take this chance now - obviously I wont need to worry about it.

But - my fear is that if I come off now, and have another breakdown - firstly I'd not be allowed to claim WTC again as I get it now because I cant work full time. If I've tried to work full time and failed - they may say I cant reclaim it because I DID work full time ?
but what I'm as worried about is that I'm giving it up before I have to ? and putting my health at risk and I may not need to ? because I may keep all the benefits ?

I have no clue how universal credit will work, whether I'd get the same or less WTC I don't know.

I've always felt guilty being on WTC, my husband left me and all CAB and solicitor advice was to claim it - I'm entitled to it etc etc, and I've been able to manage just about since then.

I always wished I could just go out and earn my money and be able to manage and this is my chance to do that - but I'm scared I wont be able to do it, and also ! I actually will be worse off than I am now. It's not hard to see how people who are on full benefits feel it's not worth working !! because I will be going to 5 days and struggling to do that for less money than I get now !

I don't know what I'm asking here really, I'm just venting my concerns and worries.

I don't know what lies ahead - whether I should say no to this chance ? and hope I still get the benefit - or whether I take a chance and go full time and hope I'll be ok .....

I'm just scared I cant cope with full time, and I'm giving up something I am coping with now when I don't need to ? but the other thing I have to consider is that if I say No now, they will take on someone else - so IF when the benefit changes come in - and I do lose it I've shot myself in the foot as there will be no chance to go full time then and I will not be able to manage !

I just don't know what to do

Horseunderwater

Take a deep breath on this one. WTC can be claimed on a single person income upto around £11k or so I think it is, and you would be eligible for the 30+ element as well as the disabled part and the normal basic bit. So in tax credit terms the total due would be £5565. Are you paid nat min wage of £6.19/hour? If so your gross income would be £11,265.80 based on 35 hour week. So take away the threshold of £6420 leaves £4845.80 x 41p/£1 = 1986 which is the taper down amount and that would leave WTC of around £3578.22/year. If you let us know how many hours you will be on FT and your pay rate I or someone else can give you a more accurate answer. You may not lose WTC at all. Why not ask the employer if you could say do a weeks trial to see how you cope, before you commit yourself. But first come back and let us know the answer ro the income etc and we can help clear that bit up at least.
And for now I would not worry about things like universal credit or PIP as they will not affect you for quite a while yet and you may even be better off under them.

pmlindyloo

You can put your details into the benefit calculator on here:

http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

This will give you some reassurance that you will be able to cope financially.

You can play around with the calculator putting in your details now to check that you are receiving everything you are entitled to and then the new details when you go full time.

I say 'when you go full time' because I think your employers have confidence in you or else they were unlikely to have offered you the increase in hours and you need to see this as a positive step.

You say that you struggled when your hours were increased before but you managed to achieve this.

The suggestion that you increase the hours gradually is a good one but, of course, your employer may not be able to help you out in this way.

Please be reassured that if you are not able to cope you would be able to claim working tax credits again if you reduced your hours. You would just need to inform them of a change of circumstances if you were still eligible to claim when you increased your hours or you could put in a new claim.

I know it must be a worrying time but your employers have faith in you so be positive and go for it knowing that you have a 'cushion' if need be.

ladybelle

Thank you both. I have thought that perhaps if I couldnt cope I could try and reclaim WTC if I dropped my hours again.
I dont think I would be entitled to any WTC at full time. It's above minimum wage, it's quite good money and another reason why I feel I cant turn it down.
Also ? they knew about my agoraphobia from the beginning, they have made lots of concessions for me, allowed me to not go to training days or meetings that are away from the estate. It's partly because they've been so good that I have felt perhaps I can do full time ?
My honest concern is a throwaway comment from my GP many years ago when I was first in the 'system' and she was instrumental in me being able to claim DLA in the first place. She has been an enormous support to me and filled in forms and done letters of support etc.
I remember having a conversation about another job that came up locally - this was full time then - and she said she didnt think I'd be able to cope with full time .... and I cannot get those words out my head and now ? I'm scared that if I push what I have become able to do ? I could end up having another breakdown, becoming totally housebound again and losing what I've worked so hard to achieve now.
I'd be in a worse position than I am now.

But I dont want to let my employers down. I dont like even saying out loud I'd rather stay on benefit than work full time, because that truly isnt what it is - it's fear of what MAY happen if I try too hard because usually in the past when I've tried for things it backfires on me.

I will go ahead and try the full time hours, but that's the other hesitation for me - that I'm pushing myself to do an extra day - and I will actually be worse off financially - albeit marginally - because by the time I get a full time wage and pay tax and NI and now the pension scheme - I wont bring in as much as I am now on part time and WTC.

My other fear is that if I turn this down, and I stick with my part time hours - and in the next year or whenever it is - I lose WTC and/or DLA/PIP - there will be no more hours for me to be able to do - as they will take on another person, so at that point I will not be able to manage.

I AM proud they offered it to me with my limitations, and I do want to it - I'm just really scared I guess .....

I've already said I'll do it - dont really think I can go back on my word now. I dont want them to know I'm having doubts.
It does reassure me to think that if it did go wrong I should be able to reclaim ? because if the rules remain the same - regardless of what the names of the benefits are - hopefully I will still be eligible ? and it would be easier to cut back in future - and let them take on someone else - rather than me say no now and lose chance of the extra hours then ?

ladybelle

Oh ! Very interesting ! I had never considered I'd still be eligible without the disability element !

I did the turn to us calculator, and did it with and without the disability element.

If I put I am still eligible for it - it still showed me as getting some WTC with the disability element, but the reason I get it now is because I say I cannot work a 8 hour day, 5 day a week. If I am then working a 5 day week - albeit not an 8 hour ? as it will be 7 - my full time hours will be 35 ? So I didnt think I could still claim it as I AM doing 5 days ? so thought I wouldnt qualify ?

So I tried it without the disability element and it came up with a small amount a week - which could make the difference financially. Also gives me the extra benefit of working tax exemption still ?

However - my fear is not just financial - I'm scared I cant cope with full time - but now I do feel a little better that perhaps it's not an all or nothing decision.

Horseunderwater

Taking that deep breath did help you I think and now you have options to think on. As I said ask to try it for a week to see how you cope and if you do - keep it up - if not then you tried. Your employer obviously thinks you are ready and they want you to do it. Let us all know how it goes when you feel up to it.