Shielding Carer

ConcernedCarer

I cant manage on UC, I privately rent. This situation is really worrying me?
As far as I can understand I've been told to shield as I am at risk via an NHS letter. Yet I cant afford to?
Its my employers choice to furlough me?

onwards&upwards

Take some deep breaths, look at your actual costs. 

If you stay at home and shield you won’t have any travel or fuel costs.  It’s warm, so energy bills will be lower.  There is help out there in the form of food parcels etc. if you genuinely can’t afford to eat.  If you are a bit short on the rent you will still have a roof over your head as you can’t be evicted right now, and you can come to an agreement with your landlord to gradually pay back any arrears once you are back at work. 

UC will provide help with your rent and council tax assuming you don’t have savings or a partner still earning?

poppy12345

The standard allowance for UC and the local housing allowance is being increased because of C19 and those will be in place for 1 year. Use a benefits calculator to see what you maybe entitled to. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/

You've received the NHS letter which means if you go out you are putting your life at risk.

sharpe106

ConcernedCarer said:

I cant manage on UC, I privately rent. This situation is really worrying me?
As far as I can understand I've been told to shield as I am at risk via an NHS letter. Yet I cant afford to?
Its my employers choice to furlough me?

Try contacting your landlord they might be able to come to an arrangement.

You have been advised to shield it is not the law, they never stated they were going to pay for you to be shielded.

Yes it boils down to the employers choice to furlough you or not. Although the scheme has changed a bit it was never meant to be used instead of benefits.

Jeremy535897

From Citizens Advice:
"If you or your partner get any benefits, check if stopping work will affect them. For example, you could get less Universal Credit for 3 months or longer if the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says you didn’t have a good reason for resigning. This is called a sanction."

poppy12345

Jeremy535897 said:

From Citizens Advice:
"If you or your partner get any benefits, check if stopping work will affect them. For example, you could get less Universal Credit for 3 months or longer if the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says you didn’t have a good reason for resigning. This is called a sanction."

The OP has a letter from NHS advising them to shield for 12 weeks. There won't be any sanctions for this.

calcotti

onwards&upwards said: UC will provide help with your rent and council tax assuming you don’t have savings or a partner still earning?

UC does not provide help with Council Tax. Council Tax Reduction is claimed separately from your local authority.

Becles

ConcernedCarer said:

I cant manage on UC, I privately rent. This situation is really worrying me?
As far as I can understand I've been told to shield as I am at risk via an NHS letter. Yet I cant afford to?
Its my employers choice to furlough me?

That's the position I am in. 

I'm shielding but not entitled to furlough. My household income has been reduced severely, so I'm facing serious financial difficulties. I have the choice of dealing with a financial mess or going back to work and risking my health. I've paid my tax and NI like everyone else and I'm frustrated that I'm not getting as much help as others are.

poppy12345

Becles said:

ConcernedCarer said:

I cant manage on UC, I privately rent. This situation is really worrying me?
As far as I can understand I've been told to shield as I am at risk via an NHS letter. Yet I cant afford to?
Its my employers choice to furlough me?

I've paid my tax and NI like everyone else and I'm frustrated that I'm not getting as much help as others are.

Paying your taxes doesn't automatically entitle you to a means tested benefit. Use a benefits calculator to see if you're entitled to Universal Credit. https://www.entitledto.co.uk/ Savings/capital of more than £16,000 will exclude you from claiming.

Be aware that if you claim tax credits then claiming UC will end that claim and you can't go back. Council tax reduction isn't part of UC and needs to be claimed from your local council.

unholyangel

Becles said:

ConcernedCarer said:

I cant manage on UC, I privately rent. This situation is really worrying me?
As far as I can understand I've been told to shield as I am at risk via an NHS letter. Yet I cant afford to?
Its my employers choice to furlough me?

That's the position I am in. 

I'm shielding but not entitled to furlough. My household income has been reduced severely, so I'm facing serious financial difficulties. I have the choice of dealing with a financial mess or going back to work and risking my health. I've paid my tax and NI like everyone else and I'm frustrated that I'm not getting as much help as others are.

But you are. You should be getting SSP - which is the help someone is entitled to under law when they are unable to attend work for health related reasons. 

Some people have lost their jobs. Some have been furloughed without pay. Some are still receiving their wages (or a % of it) - but that is a payment due to be paid to them under their contract of employment, not "help". 

I'm not unsympathetic to your situation, but my sympathy isn't going to pay your bills and I genuinely cannot think of any grounds you would have to challenge your employer unless they were furloughing other people but were not furloughing you due to you shielding. 

Unfortunately I suspect the government made a fag packet promise to try and stop the economy from absolutely tanking, without thinking of the wider impact or how it would work in practice. Like in the triple dip recession, they bailed out the banks and had some help in place for businesses but didn't offer help to the millions who suddenly found themselves out of work or on reduced hours/pay. They were left with our woefully inadequate benefits system. And the issue with the benefits system is that it is designed to provide bare minimum. It's not supposed to provide a comfortable standard of living (as a paying job would) to discourage people from being on it any longer than absolutely necessary. Now we tend to have a lot more committed payments to make - car lease/finance, mobile phone contracts, tv/broadband/landline contracts, car & home insurance, credit cards, gym contracts etc. So it can be a lot harder to manage, particularly if you don't have a rainy day fund.