Benefits

BrenGun

I have grown up Children on benefits who are struggling despite working hard  and I would like to help.  What I would like to understand if how much I can give without these impacting on their benefits. Regular cash and/or lump sum.  

Newcad

Which benefits are we talking about?
Some types of benefit could be affected (UC, HB, IR ESA, etc), others not (PIP, DLA, etc).

Generally for Income Related benefits (UC, HB, IR ESA, etc):
If you give them a lump sum such that their savings go above £6,000 then their benefit payments will be affected and payments reduced.
If their savings go above £16,000 then their entitlment to Income Related benefits will end.

Regular payments might also be a problem, depending how they are done they may be seen as 'Unearned Income', which would affect payments of Income Related benefits.

You would need to tell us just what benefits they are claiming, and what savings/capital they already may have, for someone to give a more specific answer.

Brie

It will depend if the benefits are income based or not. So if you give a large lump sum it will need to be reported as savings.  If it's regular smaller sums it may need to be reported as income. Either could reduce the amount of benefits being paid. You might get around this by paying certain bills like their utilities but they would need to say, when asked, that they don't pay these.

sheramber

You  could pay some bills direct for them. That way they do not get the actual money.

Spoonie_Turtle

For UC, regular gifts of money from a family member would not be seen as income.  They would count towards capital/savings as mentioned above.  (I can't say for any other income-related benefits though.)

Alice_Holt

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/benefits-charity

Muttleythefrog

As above.... we need more information about the benefits they receive otherwise you could get extremely poor/wrong advice... I appreciate you're a 3rd party and getting the information may be difficult. But different benefits can be differently affected, if at all, by what you propose. We probably also would need to know their housing situation and level of savings they hold.

If you cannot give good information and they're not able to shed light of their own on how they'd be affected... there may be ways to help that would not affect any benefits.... I'm thinking like helping them pay bills or debts.

M25

Give them cash.

Bigwheels1111

Mr cash is king 😜