Benefits help after marriage breakdown

Echo23

Please can anyone help me? Unfortunately my marriage has broken down and I am panicking about how me and my children are going to survive. I haven't worked for a long time now as I have been carer to my disabled husband. With him leaving I have no idea what help I'm entitled to and whether I will be expected to work immediately. I am 42 and I have three children, one aged 20 who is away at university, one aged 16 at college but living at home and one aged 11. Up to now we were receiving ESA, DLA middle rates and carers allowance aswell as child benefit, child tax credit and housing benefit and council tax reduction. I have no idea what to do now or if I will be able to claim benefits on my own. Any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks.

northerntwo1

Echo23 wrote: »

Please can anyone help me? Unfortunately my marriage has broken down and I am panicking about how me and my children are going to survive. I haven't worked for a long time now as I have been career to my disabled husband. With him leaving I have no idea what help I'm entitled to and whether I will be expected to work immediately. I am 42 and I have three children, one aged 20 who is away at university, one aged 16 at college but living at home and one aged 11. Up to now we were receiving ESA, DLA middle rates and carers allowance aswell as child benefit, child tax credit and housing benefit and council tax reduction. I have no idea what to do now or if I will be able to claim benefits on my own. Any advice would be mist appreciated. Thanks.

Yes but it will mean looking for a job. Rotten time of year for this so sorry for you. Who is caring for him now?

Mojisola

You will be able to claim benefits but you will have to start job seeking.

Put your details into one of the benefits checkers to see what you will get.

Toomuchdebt

As your children are all over 5 then yes you will be expected to look for work. Can I recommend you ask to be referred to Learn Direct via your jobcentre as they could do some free courses to help you get back into work and also help with interview techniques and CV etc.

Mojisola

There's usually work available for people with caring experience which could get you back into work fairly quickly.

HappyMJ

Echo23 wrote: »

Please can anyone help me? Unfortunately my marriage has broken down and I am panicking about how me and my children are going to survive. I haven't worked for a long time now as I have been carer to my disabled husband. With him leaving I have no idea what help I'm entitled to and whether I will be expected to work immediately. I am 42 and I have three children, one aged 20 who is away at university, one aged 16 at college but living at home and one aged 11. Up to now we were receiving ESA, DLA middle rates and carers allowance aswell as child benefit, child tax credit and housing benefit and council tax reduction. I have no idea what to do now or if I will be able to claim benefits on my own. Any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks.

You would be expected to look for work immediately and take whatever they offer you....but you can look for the work you are capable of doing rather than just anything for a short period of time. After that time if the jobcentre gives you details of an available job they think you can do you must apply for it.

As long as you don't have a huge amount of money from a settlement from your husband then you can carry on getting most of what you were getting regarding yourself and your children (you'd lose the carers allowance for instance). If he has a pension pot and you do not, you could keep any pension money where it is after splitting it rather than getting a cash settlement and that won't count as an asset.