Disability premiums ? Couple both have DLA and PIP

Yamor

You could just wait until the IS ends when he turns 66, and then report that fact to ESA as a change of circumstances.

It is probably safer to voluntarily change over prior to him turning 66, which would involve him terminating his IS, and you then reporting that termination as a change of circumstances for your ESA claim.

A move to a difference Local Authority would mean that your HB would end, and could not be reclaimed. It is not certain that it will be worth claiming UC at that point to get your housing costs covered, because you may be better off staying on ESA without any HB. This will depend on the exact figures involved.

I would advise getting proper welfare benefits advice on all this.

Spicedpumpkin

Yamor said:

You could just wait until the IS ends when he turns 66, and then report that fact to ESA as a change of circumstances.

It is probably safer to voluntarily change over prior to him turning 66, which would involve him terminating his IS, and you then reporting that termination as a change of circumstances for your ESA claim.

A move to a difference Local Authority would mean that your HB would end, and could not be reclaimed. It is not certain that it will be worth claiming UC at that point to get your housing costs covered, because you may be better off staying on ESA without any HB. This will depend on the exact figures involved.

I would advise getting proper welfare benefits advice on all this.

Thanks again . Just trying to think ahead as I will be the one trying to sort the stuff out. 

Did you mean in the 3rd paragraph  " staying on ESA WITH HB" as if I was not getting UC at that time and NO HB there would be no rent money as such. Unless I have read this wrong......and misunderstood what you said.  Or is this in case we move local authorities

Also I found on AgeUK if a mixed age couple are claiming HB before 15th May 2019 , ( which he would have been as it was 2009 and no break) it shouldn't be affected at all
Which is odd as the Council Housing dept sent that letter this year at some stage.

I appreciate your answers and will at some point get more welfare advice as you said, just trying to get prepared. 

Thanks

Yamor

Unfortunately, I did mean without HB.

The reason is because getting ir-ESA as a mixed age couple pays substantially more than UC, and could outweigh the housing costs you could claim through UC.

Regarding what you found on AgeUK: Claiming HB before 15th May 2019 only helps if it was a pension-age HB claim, which yours wasn't.

Spicedpumpkin

Yamor said:

Unfortunately, I did mean without HB.

The reason is because getting ir-ESA as a mixed age couple pays substantially more than UC, and could outweigh the housing costs you could claim through UC.

Regarding what you found on AgeUK: Claiming HB before 15th May 2019 only helps if it was a pension-age HB claim, which yours wasn't.

Ahh I see I assumed the Age UK statement if you were just on it in 2019 NOT of state pension age in 2019 when you had the HB claim , thanks for clearing that up

So basically get myself onto IR ESA at some point and we can still claim HB as a mixed-age couple ( which will work out more than being on UC )

IF we move Local Authority , HB will stop. 

Do not claim UC at this point IF we move, as it would work out better probably to stay on IR ESA as mixed age couple ( but check figures involved)

However I know what you said about WITHOUT HB ....if you don't get HB and no UC housing element, how would the rental element be covered? Maybe I am missing what you meant about that. Or maybe Im not aware of the money you would get  etc, but for example now our rent a week is  £241 a week and we have to pay the excess balance of about £35 every week out of our benefits , as our LHA does not cover it

Thanks for your help and insight about what to do in the future , Much appreciated

poppy12345

Spicedpumpkin said:

Yamor said:

Unfortunately, I did mean without HB.

The reason is because getting ir-ESA as a mixed age couple pays substantially more than UC, and could outweigh the housing costs you could claim through UC.

Regarding what you found on AgeUK: Claiming HB before 15th May 2019 only helps if it was a pension-age HB claim, which yours wasn't.

However I know what you said about WITHOUT HB ....if you don't get HB and no UC housing element, how would the rental element be covered? Maybe I am missing what you meant about that. Or maybe Im not aware of the money you would get  etc, but for example now our rent a week is  £241 a week and we have to pay the excess balance of about £35 every week out of our benefits , as our LHA does not cover it

Thanks for your help and insight about what to do in the future , Much appreciated

Claiming UC as a mixed aged couple is not a good idea. This is because your partners state pension will be deducted in full. As well as any contributions based ESA you're claiming at that time.

Remaining on IB ESA is very likely going to make you better off in the long run, even though you will need to pay your rent from your ESA, you will still likely be better off. However, as advised you will need to get some advice from an agency near you so they can work out the figures for ESA v UC.

Spicedpumpkin

poppy12345 said:

Spicedpumpkin said:

Yamor said:

Unfortunately, I did mean without HB.

The reason is because getting ir-ESA as a mixed age couple pays substantially more than UC, and could outweigh the housing costs you could claim through UC.

Regarding what you found on AgeUK: Claiming HB before 15th May 2019 only helps if it was a pension-age HB claim, which yours wasn't.

However I know what you said about WITHOUT HB ....if you don't get HB and no UC housing element, how would the rental element be covered? Maybe I am missing what you meant about that. Or maybe Im not aware of the money you would get  etc, but for example now our rent a week is  £241 a week and we have to pay the excess balance of about £35 every week out of our benefits , as our LHA does not cover it

Thanks for your help and insight about what to do in the future , Much appreciated

Claiming UC as a mixed aged couple is not a good idea. This is because your partners state pension will be deducted in full. As well as any contributions based ESA you're claiming at that time.

Remaining on IB ESA is very likely going to make you better off in the long run, even though you will need to pay your rent from your ESA, you will still likely be better off. However, as advised you will need to get some advice from an agency near you so they can work out the figures for ESA v UC.

Thanks @Poppy12345. In a few weeks I will do some general figures in the benefits calculator pretending Im on IR ESA and partner is of pension age and see what it turns up etc. I just don't see when you are paying £241 week a rent and it will be a lot more next year when the private landlords put it up again how that would work out better. But Ive not done the calculations yet, I appreciate your advice and will get more advice later in the year. Its not till April his pension age

Yamor

If your eligible rent is as much as £241/week, then it will probably be better to claim UC... But of course get this confirmed!

Spoonie_Turtle

A quick manual UC calculation for you (haven't checked with a benefits calculator so apologies for any mistakes, always happy to be corrected):

At today's rates, if your eligible rent is £206/wk  (I infer, from it being £241 and you paying £35 shortfall) your max UC entitlement would be £1861.67*
Minus the state pension if he gets the standard full amount (883.35/month), ESA and CA deductions (£893.75/month) = £84.57. 
That's total UC per month - on top of your current ESA, CA, and his state pension - to go towards your rent.

Maybe do some benefits calculations now as if he is already pension age so you know what kind of difference it would be between ir-ESA with its premiums and no HB, and UC.  You can get a state pension forecast online to see what he is expected to recieve so you can put accurate numbers in the calculator.
The amounts will rise in April but all the benefits should rise equally (except probably the housing element, which never rises the full inflationary amount).

*Standard allowance, LCWRA, carer element, rent

Spicedpumpkin

Yamor said:

If your eligible rent is as much as £241/week, then it will probably be better to claim UC... But of course get this confirmed!

Will do. We live in London The actual rent is a whopping £276 a week , we get £241 LHA and have to pay £35 each week to the landlord. I may have worded it slightly wrong.
I wont be doing anything until I have checked everything , all ways possible. As I know it can vary a lot due to peoples situations
Appreciate your input

Spicedpumpkin

Spoonie_Turtle said:

A quick manual UC calculation for you (haven't checked with a benefits calculator so apologies for any mistakes, always happy to be corrected):

At today's rates, if your eligible rent is £206/wk  (I infer, from it being £241 and you paying £35 shortfall) your max UC entitlement would be £1861.67*
Minus the state pension if he gets the standard full amount (883.35/month), ESA and CA deductions (£893.75/month) = £84.57. 
That's total UC per month - on top of your current ESA, CA, and his state pension - to go towards your rent.

Maybe do some benefits calculations now as if he is already pension age so you know what kind of difference it would be between ir-ESA with its premiums and no HB, and UC.  You can get a state pension forecast online to see what he is expected to recieve so you can put accurate numbers in the calculator.
The amounts will rise in April but all the benefits should rise equally (except probably the housing element, which never rises the full inflationary amount).

*Standard allowance, LCWRA, carer element, rent

Many thanks for the calculation. 

I actually meant the rent is £276 and we get £241 a week LHA and pay £35 a week to the landlord. ( I probably did not word it correctly, sorry)

I shall use your figures as such but put the proper ones in ( which was my fault) for a basic run through

Thanks, I shall do the state pension forecast so we can put in the accurate info on the calculators 

On a tangent ......I know the rent will be rising again without fail sometime in April I think, I can imagine they will want over £300 or more. at least. ( so that is why I need to ensure that the rent is covered a it is not cheap) We live in an area in London which is highly populated /and as we all know about the housing crisis etc and it is pushing the rental prices up. My partner has lived here all his life in the same rented house under an assured tenancy by succession. 
( We managed to get them to reduce from what they had originally asked as my partner has terminal cancer and had been having chemo etc......so we had a slight reduction, also we explained the quality of the house is not good compared to other rentals they were comparing it to which had been fully refurbished)

Appreciate your time and calculations. Thank you