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IS being reduced but no idea why?

040178191077
Posts: 7 Forumite
I have recevied a letter telling me my IS will be reduced by £109 per week due to a change in my husbands ESA. We havent received anything about a change to his ESA and nothing has changed within the household.
He has been receiving CB ESA for 7 years and has been in the support group the full time. He also gets HIgh rate DLA care and mobility. Is was following him being medically retired due to terminal cancer.
I gave up work around 18 months ago to look after him full time and have up until now have always received £155 a week IS and £62 carers allowance.
We have 2 school age children and also receive £116 a week in CTC.
The CA and IS application was completed by the job centre plus as I had no prevous knowledge of benefits and I told them exactly what hubby was in recipt of.
Perhaps I have missed something but was their any changes planned for these benefits? The last correspondence I recevied from them was after i updated our address earlier this year but there was no other changes.
£110 less per week is a huge amount for us and i am really worried about how we will manage as we already live a pretty modest lifestyle.
He has been receiving CB ESA for 7 years and has been in the support group the full time. He also gets HIgh rate DLA care and mobility. Is was following him being medically retired due to terminal cancer.
I gave up work around 18 months ago to look after him full time and have up until now have always received £155 a week IS and £62 carers allowance.
We have 2 school age children and also receive £116 a week in CTC.
The CA and IS application was completed by the job centre plus as I had no prevous knowledge of benefits and I told them exactly what hubby was in recipt of.
Perhaps I have missed something but was their any changes planned for these benefits? The last correspondence I recevied from them was after i updated our address earlier this year but there was no other changes.
£110 less per week is a huge amount for us and i am really worried about how we will manage as we already live a pretty modest lifestyle.
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Comments
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[you receive £155 and carers allowance of £62 a week ( so a total of £217 a week) a week, on top of his conts based ESA claim?/B]0
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Your IS entitlement should always have been reduced by your husband's ESA. It would look as if the ESA has not been taken into account, but that you had informed them about it. On that basis they wouldn't be able to reclaim an overpayment but would be entitled to pay the correct amount from the date they noticed the error.
Call IS to confirm the reason for the change.0 -
Your IS entitlement should always have been reduced by your husband's ESA. It would look as if the ESA has not been taken into account, but that you had informed them about it. On that basis they wouldn't be able to reclaim an overpayment but would be entitled to pay the correct amount from the date they noticed the error.
Call IS to confirm the reason for the change.
Yes i did inform them fully of what he got as his benefits have never changed. In fact I more than likely took all the benefit notification letters with me as i usually do for these things.
That makes more sense than their letter does which simply states 'due to change in partners ESA'
I shall be calling them first thing tomorrow but been sitting worrying since yesterday about this.0 -
Also the Carers Allowance of £62 per week isn't right because you can't recieve this and IS. What you should have been recieving is a Carers Premium of £34ish per week instead. I would have thought as a couple you would have gone onto his ESA and claimed as a couple. Seems like they've made a complete mess of everything. Either way you've been claiming far too much, hopefully you can prove this and you'll have no overpayment to repay.0
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poppy12345 wrote: »Also the Carers Allowance of £62 per week isn't right because you can't recieve this and IS. What you should have been recieving is a Carers Premium of £34ish per week instead. I would have thought as a couple you would have gone onto his ESA and claimed as a couple. Seems like they've made a complete mess of everything. Either way you've been claiming far too much, hopefully you can prove this and you'll have no overpayment to repay.
You can get CA & IS. yes they have made a mess somewhere and they will need to rectify it but every form I have ever needed to complete has been done with the help of their advisors.
From the Gov.co.uk website
To qualify for Income Support you must be all 5 of the following:
pregnant or a carer or a lone parent with a child under 5 or, in some cases, unable to work because you’re sick or disabled
between 16 and Pension Credit qualifying age
you have no income or a low income and no more than £16,000 in savings (your partner’s income and savings will be taken into account)
working less than 16 hours a week and your partner must also work less than 24 hours a week (you may still qualify if you do unpaid voluntary work or go on parental or paternity leave).
living in England, Scotland or Wales - there are different rules for Northern Ireland
Having read this I meet all 5 and as I have never previously applied for or been in receipt of ESA I would get CA & IS.0 -
040178191077 wrote: »You can get CA & IS. yes they have made a mess somewhere and they will need to rectify it but every form I have ever needed to complete has been done with the help of their advisors.
From the Gov.co.uk website
To qualify for Income Support you must be all 5 of the following:
pregnant or a carer or a lone parent with a child under 5 or, in some cases, unable to work because you’re sick or disabled
between 16 and Pension Credit qualifying age
you have no income or a low income and no more than £16,000 in savings (your partner’s income and savings will be taken into account)
working less than 16 hours a week and your partner must also work less than 24 hours a week (you may still qualify if you do unpaid voluntary work or go on parental or paternity leave).
living in England, Scotland or Wales - there are different rules for Northern Ireland
Having read this I meet all 5 and as I have never previously applied for or been in receipt of ESA I would get CA & IS.0 -
poppy12345 wrote: »No, because you were recieving Income Support you should have been getting a premium on top instead of the Carers Allowance of £62. The premium is £34 per week. Some benefits can't be paid with Carers Allowance and Income Support is one of them.
that isn't right.
they don't pay income support instead of carers allowance and then add a premium ....
they pay the carers allowance first ( because it is a taxable benefit) and then top it up with income support and the carers premium.
OP .... how do you meet the IS conditions when it states partners income?0 -
that isn't right.
they don't pay income support instead of carers allowance and then add a premium ....
they pay the carers allowance first ( because it is a taxable benefit) and then top it up with income support and the carers premium.
OP .... how do you meet the IS conditions when it states partners income?0 -
£155 per week IS seems a lot, surely that's not right either?0
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What I find stranger is a terminal illness that lasts 7 years!0
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