gf moving in mandatory change to universal credit??

wkdboi

Okay here we go


I am 34 male currently live alone on ESA Suport Group with PIP and the disability top up for ESA


My gf who lives the other side of uk at present claims Universal Credit as she is out of work shes 28


Currently I get £382.900 ESA and £433.33 PIP


From the looks of things and government changes when she moves in I will have to make a Universal Credit claim for us both?


Also if that is the case I work out we will be less off in terms of money



In a couple and either of you are 25 or over £498.89 (for you both)


+ Disability
If you have limited capability for work and you started your health-related Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claim before 3 April 2017 £126.11

However if you have a newer claim you get

£328.32 as extra

Also would I still get PIP on top in which case that would work out roughly the same as I get currently

Advice please, also would she claim careers allowance.

I tried using turn 2 us but it confused me

calcotti

As a couple you are expected to be able to live on less than as two single people.

“Currently I get £382.90 ESA and £433.33 PIP”
For the avoidance of doubt these are fortnightly and four weekly payments so your weekly benefits are £191.45 and 108.35 respectively, I infer the PIP is enhanced rate Daily Living and standard rate Mobility.

Your ESA includes the Severe Disability Premium of £64.30. Even under the old benefits system You would lose the entitlement to this as soon as your girlfriend moves in.

“From the looks of things and government changes when she moves in I will have to make a Universal Credit claim for us both?”

Your girlfriend already has a UC claim. She will need to report that she has moved in with you. You will have to make a UC claim and link it to hers so that you are treated as a couple.

Your joint UC entitlement will be made up as
couple £498.89 (for you both)
LCWRA for you (equivalent to ESA Support) £328.32
If your girlfriend will be looking after you she may be able to get the Carer element added £156.45.
If you get all of this the total will be £983.66/month (equivalent to £227/week).

There can be a delay getting the LCWRA element included because UC have to get information from ESA.

If your ESA is part contribution based that part will continue in payment but will be deducted from the UC payment.

Your post does not mention Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. If you getting HB that will stop 2 weeks after you claim UC and your help with rent will be added to your UC entitlement. CTR will continue unchanged.

If your Council Tax bill includes a 25% single person discount remember to tell your Council when your girlfriend moves in.

Your PIP will be unchanged and is ignored as income for UC.

All of the above assumes no other income. If your girlfriend is treated as your carer she will no longer be requiredtolookfor work. However she do some work and still be treated as a carer. If she does do work some of earnings will be completed IB nored (provided you are treated as having LCWRA) and 63% of the balance will be deducted from the UC payment.

wkdboi

I currently get HB and CTB so I am assuming this would come out of the £227 week?

poppy12345

wkdboi wrote: »

I currently get HB and CTB so I am assuming this would come out of the £227 week?

No, the housing element will be paid as extra but part of UC. Council tax reduction isn't part of UC and will stay separate but you'll lose the 25% discount and you'll need to report those changes to your local council.

calcotti

wkdboi wrote: »

I currently get HB and CTB so I am assuming this would come out of the £227 week?

I tried to cover this in my previous post
“Your post does not mention Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. If you are getting HB that will stop 2 weeks after you claim UC and your help with rent will be added to your UC entitlement. CTR will continue unchanged.

If your Council Tax bill includes a 25% single person discount remember to tell your Council when your girlfriend moves in.”

calcotti

As a point of interest, under old benefits system your girlfriend would have been added to your ESA and could also have claimed Carer’s Allowance for looking after you. By my calculation this would have resulted in income of £204.90/week so UC is actually better for you.

wkdboi

it does seem that way, just didnt seem to add up when I did various calcs but if HB is added ontop of the £227 then all well and good I think we can survive on £900 odd a month + HB + PIP

WillowCat

I'm on UC, previously on ESA with my partner in support group and myself a carer. I can confirm that that particular scenario results in higher benefits on UC than on legacy benefits.

If the carer works, it's hugely better than legacy.

wkdboi

WillowCat wrote: »

I'm on UC, previously on ESA with my partner in support group and myself a carer. I can confirm that that particular scenario results in higher benefits on UC than on legacy benefits.

If the carer works, it's hugely better than legacy.

You mean like permitted work + careers allowance??

WillowCat

wkdboi wrote: »

You mean like permitted work + careers allowance??

Only the disabled person could do permitted work, if the carer worked they could keep the first £20 earned per week, after that the ESA was reduced pound for pound.

Once the carer earned over £120 a week carer's allowance was stopped, along with it the carer's premium on the ESA claim.

At under £200 a week (I forget the exact amount now) all ESA was stopped. It was also stopped if working more than 24 hours a week regardless of wages.

On UC, the carer element is paid even if the carer earns too much for carer's allowance. The LCWRA element is also on the claim. The work allowance (for me £409 a month because I don't claim housing costs) is a much more generous amount before the UC is tapered, and the taper is at 63% not 100%.

I find that UC still acknowledges that the carer cares, and the disabled person is still disabled unlike ESA where you lose the lot. My partner and I also still get free prescriptions provided I earn under £935 a month too.

My example is a little more extreme than most because of getting the higher work allowance, but when I calculated it a little while ago, with the same earnings from a job we would be £600 a month better off than on legacy benefits. Now I've just got to get that job!

calcotti

OP, point to add.
Once on UC you cannot go back to income based ESA. If your relationship broke down and you ended up living on your own again you would be worse off on UC because of the lost SDP.