Working Tax Credits, Disability Benefits & Inheritance Question?

Madmountainman

A very close friend of mine, who has a 13yo daughter diagnosed with ADHD and is receiving DLA (Disability Living Allowance. She is a qualified Mental Health Nurse, but gave up work in 2019 to care for her Mum, who sadly passed away last year. At that point she was being paid carers allowance, the DLA and other benefits. She's had a bloomin tough time of it and really needs a hand up and not any more grief from our benefits system.

She's now trying to get back into her career, but now has the hassle of inheritance from her Mum's estate, which is circa £140k.
Does anyone here know how this will affect her benefits as they currently stand and do you have any advice on what she can do with the inheritance in the short term, which will allow her to keep her benefits until she's back into work full time? This should be happening soon, as she's going through DBS Checks for a job she's been offered at a Mental Health Charity.

HillStreetBlues

What benefits is your friend on,  and how is the inheritance broken down?

poppy12345

HillStreetBlues said:

What benefits is your friend on,

Title of the thread says working tax credits, which isn't affected by savings, unless the interest is more than £300. OP does she claim help with any rent through housing benefit? If so then this will end, as well as council tax reduction if she's claiming this.

The childs DLA isn't affected.

Alice_Holt

And if the daughter's DLA award allows her to claim CA, that is not affected by the "hassle" of the inheritance.
(But will end when she earns above the earnings limit)

"...do you have any advice on what she can do with the inheritance in the short term, which will allow her to keep her benefits" 
  No.  My advice would be to avoid benefit fraud and declare the change of circumstances, should she be in receipt of any relevant means tested benefits.

elsien

Other than the non-means tested / working benefits such as DLA with a 140 K inheritance she shouldn’t need to claim benefits, Which given how stressful it can be is probably a good thing.

HillStreetBlues

poppy12345 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

What benefits is your friend on,

Title of the thread says working tax credits, which isn't affected by savings, unless the interest is more than £300. OP does she claim help with any rent through housing benefit? If so then this will end, as well as council tax reduction if she's claiming this.

The childs DLA isn't affected.

Always helpful if they give a full list, saves the need to ask further down the line EG Housing Benefits

poppy12345

HillStreetBlues said:

poppy12345 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

What benefits is your friend on,

Title of the thread says working tax credits, which isn't affected by savings, unless the interest is more than £300. OP does she claim help with any rent through housing benefit? If so then this will end, as well as council tax reduction if she's claiming this.

The childs DLA isn't affected.

Always helpful if they give a full list, saves the need to ask further down the line EG Housing Benefits

To be fair the 2 benefits were already mentioned. The only other benefits they maybe claiming would be HB and CTR, it was no problem to include that information in the advice i gave.

nannytone_2

I don't think  it is clear which benefits the OP is caiming
They say she gave up work in 2019, so WTC wouldn't be in  payment.
No mention of CTC.

Spoonie_Turtle

nannytone_2 said:

I don't think  it is clear which benefits the OP is caiming
They say she gave up work in 2019, so WTC wouldn't be in  payment.
No mention of CTC.

Good point. 

And whether the inheritance is all cash or some/all in the form of property will affect the options too (OP refers to the mother's estate, could mean either), hence the first commenter asking.

poppy12345

Missed the part where they “gave up work” this is what happens with 3rd party threads when someone is asking on behalf of someone else.
 

Can the person in question join the forum and ask their self, this would be better and then we would have all the correct information. 

sheramber

They could be using working tax credits for child tax credits. 

 have read other posts where this has been done.

The person was claiming wtc +ctc as one payment and when only ctc continues  they still think of it as wtc.

Still needs to be clarified