PIP, New Business, Help!

nails4nails

Hi there everyone, I have just lost my 2nd job due to my disability (obviously that's not the official reason - but we all know it is), I have completed gel nail training and am in the process of setting up my business. 

So, the question(s) are - as my income has gone down to £0 essentially (my OH earns just shy of £50k) can I claim any sort of benefit, that won't affect my PIP whilst I get my business up and running? And is there any government help for people claiming PIP to get back in to work by starting their own business?

As an aside, I'm aware that OH earns a fair bit, but we're so deep in the red due to my being off sick for so long (about 4 years in 7 roughly) that we're really struggling to make ends meet. 

Absolutely any advice or help going forward would be greatly appreciated and very much welcomed! I don't really know where to start!

peteuk

PIP is not means tested so any benefits you claim should not effect your PIP. 

You need two years NI payment to claim Job Seekers Allowance or if not you can claim UC.  This will be a joint claim with you and your husband and will obviously be affected by his wage.  There are a couple of benefit calculators which you can use, which will guide you to what you can or can not claim.

As for the debt, take a look at the debt boards on here, there are a few places you can get help and these are free of charge, so dont pay for advice or a resolution.  

Spoonie_Turtle

You can look at claiming ESA if you have enough NI contributions.

You could also use a benefits calculator to see if there would be any entitlement to UC, assuming your husband cares for you, considering you might entitled to the LCWRA element down the line, and depending on whether you rent and/or have any children
https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/

None of the potential benefits will affect your PIP.