Why am I not entitled to any Benefits?

SDSdav

Hello
I am recently registered as self employed and my current hours of work are 16 a week
My wife is Employed and works 15 hours a week.
Currently we earn less than £15,000 per year combined.
We have savings of £9000.
I have recently completed two online benefits checkers but both have said we are not entitled to anything but offer no explanation as to WHY?
I just want to understand what it is about our circumstances that disqualifies us?
Any ideas?
Thank you.

Indie_Kid

The online benefit checkers are just a guide. You may be entitled to something, depending on your age, whether either of you are disabled or have a child.

nonnatus

Your wife needs to work more hours.


If you've just set up a new business as self-employed, why are you working just a couple of hours a day? You could be out from dawn to dusk promoting your stuff, advertising, investigating until your business takes off. Gradually, that time will be taken over actually working at your new business and the profits will start rolling in.
Why would you work for just a couple of hours and want to claim benefits for the rest?
You've made a huge, brave leap into the world of self-employment! You need to follow that up with tonnes of hard work and you WILL be successful!

BigAunty

If you have no dependents or disabilities (you don't say), then to qualify for Working Tax Credits, the main in-work benefit, the criteria is that the claimant works 30 hours or more and is over 25. So perhaps you don't meet this?

If you are a tenant (you don't say), then you may qualify for housing benefit but if you are a property owner, there's little support for the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme unless your household receives a few key benefits like JSA or ESA.

What is your housing tenure? If you are a tenant without children or disabilities, what is the Local Housing Allowance for a 1 bed property (see your local council website) and what is your actual rent? Note that the sum of rent above your maximum LHA limit is something that you simply have to pay for yourselves.

Benefits like housing benefit and council tax discount is reduced for households whose savings are over 6k. That could be a factor - try reducing this sum on the benefits calculator to determine if this influences things (these calculators are good for modelling different scenarios, such as putting in the WTC hours for your particular circumstances and so forth).

By the way, an unemployed couple without children would receive £111 per week in Job Seekers Allowance - that's the kind of subsistence sum the government think is 'liveable'. Your income is about twice this.

harveybobbles

Why would you need benefits if you have £9000 in savings?

Cate1976

You maybe entitled to Working Tax Credits. If you're a couple without children, you have to work 30 hours a week between you with one working at least 16. If you were to claim with you being main claimant and your wife under the spouse/partner details you should get something. If you go to https://www.turn2us.org.uk & put the details in, it'll tell you what you could get.

Cate1976

Thanks blondebubbles, apologies to OP as well.

OP, if you use the site I linked to, it'll say what you should apply for. One thing that you will probably be able to get is at least some help with health costs. www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1125.aspx.

Is your home mortgage or rented? If rented, what's the LHA rate for your area?