childrens savings and benefits

shazrobo

i have 2 sons, both get the highest rate DLA for care and low rate for mobility. obviously because of their ages this money is paid to me and i use it to pay for extras to meet their needs, any that is left over goes into the childrens bank accounts for their future.
I myself am on carers allowance and income support, will the childrens savings be classed as mine for working out benefits, or do they count just for the children as they are in receipt of their own benefits?

simpywimpy

Children are allowed a limit of savings just as an adult is Im afraid and it does affect benefits but not DLA.

If your sons are on the higher care rate, but lower mobility, perhaps you need reassessing for this as it sounds rather unusual. Its not just about not being able to walk but needing someone with them when out etc. Im sure you already know this but thought it may be of some use.

I have a son who has been on DLA since 5 - hes 21 now. Middle care but High mobility as he uses a wheelchair.

Anthillmob

the LA i work for, we never ask to see proof of childrens savings or take it into account.

maybe, as it sometimes is, each LA work differently regarding this.

however, i am only talking about housing and council tax benefit here.

Mrs_B_12

You have to declare the money when claiming benefits as your childrens but it is for your children and is not counted as your income. This shouldn't have any affect on your claiming benefits.

Penny-Pincher!!

Mrs_B wrote: »

You have to declare the money when claiming benefits as your childrens but it is for your children and is not counted as your income. This shouldn't have any affect on your claiming benefits.

Is this correct? I was always under the impression that you were only allowed up to a total of £6000 in savings (whether yours or kids) before benefits would be effected

Abit confused.

PP
xx

shazrobo

thanks for all replies.

"If your sons are on the higher care rate, but lower mobility, perhaps you need reassessing for this as it sounds rather unusual. Its not just about not being able to walk but needing someone with them when out etc. Im sure you already know this but thought it may be of some use"

both sons have severe behaviour and mental health difficulties, they need supervising full time, to protect both themselves and others, they can walk, but need supervision, hence the lower rate mobility

healy

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

Is this correct? I was always under the impression that you were only allowed up to a total of £6000 in savings (whether yours or kids) before benefits would be effected

Abit confused.

PP
xx

Yes I thought that too but did a search and someone else has posted otherwise, so I am not sure either.

pipkin71

When filling in the IS claim forms, not only does it ask about the children but also whether those children have any savings. Would the forms ask if it had no relevance?

Pipkin xxxx

Mrs_B_12

I know the weekly money from DLA can't be counted if it's for the children as regular income but all the sites I can find only mention savings of the adults and can't find anything to confirm about savings in children's names.

shazrobo

when i first started claiming income support, neither myself nor the children had any savings, but then last year somebody told me to put in a claim for DLA, which we successfully got. not being used to that much extra money, spent some, and then put the excess into accounts for the childrens future, which i thought was a good adea at the time, now i'm left wondering if i should be spending it instead?

~Chameleon~

I would have thought that if the savings have come from DLA payments, and you can prove that, that it shouldn't affect any of your other benefits as it's not like it's extra income or savings that you haven't declared in order to claim, IYSWIM