What happens when not working but not entitled to anything?

UKSBD

My wife (52) has never worked for anyone else other than my business due to mental health issues, agorophobia, anxiety, OCD.

Although she may appear fine she is absolutely unemployable by anyone else, but not diagnosed for anything other than anxiety.

Even if she did try to claim UC we wouldn't be eligible for anything due to my earnings and our assets.

My company currently pays her just above NI threshold so she gets the NI credits (she only needs another 4 years of credits)

What would she be classed as if my company no longer employed her?

She wouldn't be actively seeking work as she is unemployable, she wouldn't try to claim any sickness rlated benefits as trying previously has just made her condition worse, if she did claim UC she would be entitled to £0 - So where does this leave her, what is she technically classed as?

Is our only option in my company employing her for another 4 years so she gets her full pension credits?

Would she be able to start a UC claim even if it mean't she received zero and is there any point in doing this just to get her in the system?

MeteredOut

Is there any chance she could get diagnosed for her conditions?

Note that if you are paying her a salary but she's not actually performing enough work to justify that salary, that could leave you (and her) open to a claim of abusing the system from HMRC. But, many one-man-band PSC contractors do this and get away with it.

A safe (legal) option would just be to pay for the 4 years of NI, if possible.

DullGreyGuy

UKSBD said:

What would she be classed as if my company no longer employed her?

Economically inactive 


Ultimately she is well enough to do a job for your company then she is well enough to do a job for another company. It may have to be highly selective of which company that is and it may not be worth the drama trying to find such a company but otherwise it sounds like she doesn't do any work for the company and so her salary is just tax evasion 

Sarahspangles

She would be classed as economically inactive. Assuming she wasn’t earning, job seeking or claiming benefits.  Many housewives/husbands, students and people who have retired before State pension age fall in this group. It sounds like you’re in a position where that isn’t a good fit with the actual situation, but the alternative of going down the benefits route is more stressful. Is there some kind of self employment that would suit her and allow her to earn a little and claim UC?

sammyjammy

I'm sure you mean well but in reality nobody is unemployable, its a dreadful word, I think with the right job and the right support pretty much anyone can work, if only a few hours.  Whether that support is available is a whole other story....

UKSBD

Thanks all

She is a genuine employee, although she doesn't do a great deal, I work from home and she looks after me when I'm working, does a bit of admin work and  is always on call to answer the phone when I'm out which tends to be at least 3 or 4 hours a day.

She may only answer the phone 4 or 5 times a day, but if she wasn't doing it the company would have to employ someone else

She has recently started walking the neighbors dog which she gets £20 a week for, it's less than 30 weeks a year though so well under the £1,000

I did suggest she actually sets up as a self employed dog walker, no other neighbours need her though and it seems a bit over the top her registering when she's only likeky to earn £500 a year from it, plus just bringing the subject up sets her anxiety off.

I agree unenployable is a horrible word and she does justify what she earns working for my company.

How I really should have described it is that there is zero chance of finding another employer who would employ her

gbhxu

sammyjammy said:

I'm sure you mean well but in reality nobody is unemployable, its a dreadful word, I think with the right job and the right support pretty much anyone can work, if only a few hours.  Whether that support is available is a whole other story....

Trouble is that a disabled worked won't have the same work output as a non disabled worker

Northern_Wanderer

Sarahspangles said:

 Is there some kind of self employment that would suit her and allow her to earn a little and claim UC?

OP already said they are not entitled to UC, would have to be a joint claim. In any case she would have to go through a Work Capability Assesment via UC as it is a working age benefit, which OP states she will not do.

Assume you have done a benefit check?

Does your wife's condition affect her ability to carry out daily living tasks and moving around? There are disability benefits, PIP in England, Adult Disability Payment in Scotland (both non-measn tested) but you would have to check the daily living tasks she would be assessed under to see if it might be applicable.

DullGreyGuy

gbhxu said:

sammyjammy said:

I'm sure you mean well but in reality nobody is unemployable, its a dreadful word, I think with the right job and the right support pretty much anyone can work, if only a few hours.  Whether that support is available is a whole other story....

Trouble is that a disabled worked won't have the same work output as a non disabled worker

thats a rather sweeping statement and can tell you when I was a manager in a call centre one our highest performing workers was disabled and none of the able bodied employees could beat them on their sales in either volume or ratio. 

Clearly there are some disabilities that may impact their work but its about matching the persons abilities to a job... a wheelchair bound person probably won't make a good window cleaner but they can be an exceptional call centre operator. 

Certainly at times there have been certain incentives available to businesses who take on people with disabilities etc 

UKSBD

Northern_Wanderer said:

Sarahspangles said:

 Is there some kind of self employment that would suit her and allow her to earn a little and claim UC?

OP already said they are not entitled to UC, would have to be a joint claim.

Assume you have done a benefit check?

Does your wife's condition affect her ability to carry out daily living tasks and moving around? There are disability benefits, PIP in England, Adult Disability Payment in Scotland (both non-measn tested) but you would have to check the daily living tasks she would be assessed under to see if it might be applicable.

We wouldn't be entitled to anything due to assets and my income, it's not really the money that is a concern just that she would be completely off the system if she no longer worked for my company.

Her condition is very complicated, it doesn't really effect daily living tasks, she's not actually ill, she's just in a bubble. hard to explain, no one would know she wasn't well, and she's happy in our little world.

I do worry if anything her to happen to  me though (again not so much moneywise, but just her being a nobody as far as the system is concerned)

Northern_Wanderer

In that case, as a couple, it's up to you to support her financially. If anything happens to you, she could do a benefits check at that point.