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Difficult situation
maxmycardagain
Posts: 5,853 Forumite
A very good friend has been given custody of his 2 kids due to the mothers behaviour (violence and child neglect) and is attempting to get the benefits he is due/needs.
1 child is the subject of a DLA allowance but this is still with the mother after 2 months as she refuses to hand it over.
He has worked all his life and was self employed till 7 months ago, he isnt working at the moment due to the situation.
He is getting the CHB and Income support + rent rebate (£500/month), but not the carers allowance which the mother refuses to give up.
Every letter sent to the mother is a 28 day delay by which time his claim is closed down!
he has been offered some part time work between 2 or 3 days a week (14-22 hrs), my question is:-
Would he be better off taking the work and claiming WFTC?
Or if anyone has any other suggestions?
1 child is the subject of a DLA allowance but this is still with the mother after 2 months as she refuses to hand it over.
He has worked all his life and was self employed till 7 months ago, he isnt working at the moment due to the situation.
He is getting the CHB and Income support + rent rebate (£500/month), but not the carers allowance which the mother refuses to give up.
Every letter sent to the mother is a 28 day delay by which time his claim is closed down!
he has been offered some part time work between 2 or 3 days a week (14-22 hrs), my question is:-
Would he be better off taking the work and claiming WFTC?
Or if anyone has any other suggestions?
0
Comments
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If the mother is claiming CA and not caring for 35 hours per week she's committing benefit fraud. If she's claiming DLA and not using the money for the child, she's committing benefit fraud. What did the DWP say when your friend reported the fraud to them?Unless I say otherwise 'you' means the general you not you specifically.0
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He has tried every avenue, CAB, DSS, jobcenter and MP's office.0
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As Ames, says, if he's reported the custody change to DWP then the mum shouldn't be receiving the money so he needs to get on to them again.
There are certain allowances you can offset against Carer's Allowance so that you can work part-time and claim CA - generally things like care for the disabled person (whilst the carer is working) and pension contributions. His best bet in that situation might be to email all the info (figures, hours etc) to the Carer's UK helpline; they can send him all the info and break the figures down for him. You do receive a higher rate for tax credits if a child is on certain levels of disability benefit (I forget the details now) but again, if he emails all the info to the CUK Helpline they should be able to help him work out what works best for the family.0 -
Has he contacted the DWP about the DLA payments?
As he has custody (and can supply them with the relevant documentation), could this possibly persuade the DWP decide he funds / provides the care and that he should receive the DLA payments?
Re a benefit check - I would suggest he goes to his local CAB / advice agency with all his income info.Alice Holt Forest situated some 4 miles south of Farnham forms the most northerly gateway to the South Downs National Park.0 -
He would need to work at least 16hrs per week to claim WTC. He doesn’t need to work to claim CTC.
He should also contact CSA for child maintenance.0 -
Darksparkle wrote: »He should also contact CSA for child maintenance.
That would be pointless as the mother is on benefits herself0 -
Darksparkle wrote: »He would need to work at least 16hrs per week to claim WTC. He doesn’t need to work to claim CTC.
He needs to see a benefits advisor outside the DSS/DWP "arena" as they seem to minimise what he could possible claim.0 -
What was the reply from the MP ?maxmycardagain wrote: »He has tried every avenue, CAB, DSS, jobcenter and MP's office.
If there was none try again, asking for an urgent response and if none is forthcoming contact his party leader.0 -
What was the reply from the MP ?
Did he email him/ her directly ,as I've always found our two (different parties ) immediately responsive to personal email, as opposed to leaving a note, at his office which may not be visited for a while.
If there was none try again, asking for an urgent response and if none is forthcoming contact his/her party leader.0 -
What was the reply from the MP ?
Did he email him/ her directly ,as I've always found our two (different parties ) immediately responsive to personal email, as opposed to leaving a note, at his office which may not be visited for a while.
If there was none try again, asking for an urgent response and if none is forthcoming contact his/her party leader.
Or go to one of their surgeries and talk face-to-face about it.Unless I say otherwise 'you' means the general you not you specifically.0
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