Don't Know What to Claim

PenniesInHeaven

I've had to finish work in 2024 agee 55 due to major eye surgery on both eye As I haven't ever claimed before it happened I took out gave my son a good lump sum towards getting a good mortgage.
I've now been awarded PIP for 10 years and that's the only money I I have coming into my house. 
I've tried claiming for other benefits but because I've got over £16,000 in my bank which I've worked 35 years for I'm not entitled to anything I'm being told.
I've had to get help with my house getting cleaned week and I paid for the woman cleaner myself, but told her I can't afford to pay anymore even though she only cleaned one day a week as my monthlies outgoings are £150 more than what my monthly payment income is and that's not going out at all. I
My pension is slowly but surely running out. 
If I had no savings then I'd be entitled to loads of different benefits but I've worked my entire life until last year and I'm spending my pension to survive. My pension what's left is in a fixed rate savers account which maures in Sept so I can't access that anyway. 
Due to six major eye surgeries I'm no longer driving and no longer working on my surgeons advice, also I'm not allowed to lift anything heavy as I need to preserve my sight as long as I can in my left eye as I've totally lost my sight in my right eye 

Please can anyone help me with whaI can clai and any help I can get
I've tried 
Universal Credits but I got told by the person in the job centre I can't get it until I have less than £16,000
I live alone with my dog in a very old house in the middle of nowhere and I can't manage to clean every week due to ill health issues. 
Apologies for the huge post but best to have lots of information than too little. 

Thank you for reading. 

(Removed by Forum Team)

poppy12345

It is correct that with capital of more than £16,000 you're excluded from all means tested benefits. This is because you have your capital to use to support yourself until it drops below £16,000. You could then claim UC but there would be a deduction of £4.35/month for every £250 or part thereof over £6,000. 

You can look at claiming New Style ESA. This isn't means tested so capital and other income will not affect the amount you're entitled to, apart from pension income of more than £85/week and then ESA would be reduced by 50p for every £1 over that amount. 

Whether there's entitlement to any payments for this will depend on your NI contributions in tax years 2022/23 and 2023/24. If there's entitlement you would receive £90.50/week, which increases to £138.20 from the 14th week of your claim if found to have LCWRA. 

You will need a fit note to claim this.https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/how-to-claim

sheramber

Are you claiming single person council tax discount?

Your savings are for a  rainy day and that rainy day has now arrived.

Some fixed rate accounts allow you to withdraw money if you pay a penalty of  X days interest. 

elsien

While appreciating that you want your savings to last, saying you can’t afford a cleaner when you have over 16 K in the bank isn’t entirely accurate. Particularly if it’s so important to preserve your remaining eyesight.

Even if you didn’t have that amount of money, and depending on when you gave your son the lump sum, that may well count as deprivation of capital for benefits purposes.

As Poppy says, you can look at sickness benefits, or alternatively reapply when your savings get down to 16 K - how far over that are you?- and hope that deprivation of capital is not an issue. But you do need to be aware that it could be. 

born_again

I took out gave my son a good lump sum towards getting a good mortgage

I would also wonder how that would be viewed as well. DoC?

HillStreetBlues

born_again said:

I took out gave my son a good lump sum towards getting a good mortgage

I would also wonder how that would be viewed as well. DoC?

Also did OP explain to his son that giving the "good lump sum" will leave him to struggle and not afford the cleaner

TELLIT01

PenniesInHeaven said:

I've tried claiming for other benefits but because I've got over £16,000 in my bank which I've worked 35 years for I'm not entitled to anything I'm being told.

My pension is slowly but surely running out. 
If I had no savings then I'd be entitled to loads of different benefits but I've worked my entire life until last year and I'm spending my pension to survive. My pension what's left is in a fixed rate savers account which maures in Sept so I can't access that anyway. 

When I worked for DWP I heard the same complaint on a weekly basis.  Although the sentiments are entirely understandable there is nothing the OP can do other than accept that it is how the system works.

Ironically, it would actually make sense to keep the weekly cleaner at least until the figure in savings dropped below £16k.  You would then be able to claim UC and potentially have a gateway to other benefits.

Many who have worked all their life don't feel comfortable claiming benefits, but having paid into the system all their lives they are entitled to claim something back.

The potential issue, as pointed out by others, is the gift to the son.  If that was made around the time a claim to UC was made it could be seen as 'Deprivation of Capital'.  If it was made months before claiming UC it will be far more difficult for UC to do that.

PenniesInHeaven

I've never claimed UC, jus said I need help seeing if I'm entitled to anything and haven't mentioned Universal Credits anywhere on my post but people keep mentioning it.

I didn't know anything about not being able to claim benefits if you've got £16,000 in savings because I've never claimed any thing in my entire life 
 
Since I gave my son money towards a mortgage I've had lots of stuff going on which I'm not going into detail but cost me lots of money. 

I can't access my savings and can't afford to pay for the cleaner asi its in a fixed savers rate account which matures in Seltember and can't access any of it till Sep as I've already asked the question an

I'm also paying £350 per month, every month in electric. .
Everything I've posted is fact despite some replies who've not read my post thoroughly and have come up with their own replies. 

My favourite saying which I've stuck to since starting to at 16yrs old. 

Don't ever assume, my ex boss always said to me, come back when you've got the facts. My boss instilled this I
into me and and totally agree.

Thanks for the replies. 

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poppy12345

PenniesInHeaven said: and haven't mentioned Universal Credits anywhere on my post but people keep mentioning it.

I didn't know anything about not being able to claim benefits if you've got £16,000 in savings because I've never claimed any thing in my entire life 
 

Are you sure about that? I think you should read your own post again. 

PenniesInHeaven said:

Please can anyone help me with whaI can clai and any help I can get
I've tried 
Universal Credits but I got told by the person in the job centre I can't get it until I have less than £16,000

You could access your savings but there would be penalty for doing so.  
Please see my comment above and read the link I posted about New style ESA.

Is that your full name you put in your last comment? If so then I'd advise you to edit and remove it, this is a public forum anyone can see what you post and you shouldn't give any personal information such as names etc.

born_again

PenniesInHeaven said:

I've never claimed UC, jus said I need help seeing if I'm entitled to anything and haven't mentioned Universal Credits anywhere on my post but people keep mentioning it.

I didn't know anything about not being able to claim benefits if you've got £16,000 in savings because I've never claimed any thing in my entire life 
 
Since I gave my son money towards a mortgage I've had lots of stuff going on which I'm not going into detail but cost me lots of money. 

I can't access my savings and can't afford to pay for the cleaner asi its in a fixed savers rate account which matures in Seltember and can't access any of it till Sep as I've already asked the question an

I'm also paying £350 per month, every month in electric. .
Everything I've posted is fact despite some replies who've not read my post thoroughly and have come up with their own replies. 

My favourite saying which I've stuck to since starting to at 16yrs old. 

Don't ever assume, my ex boss always said to me, come back when you've got the facts. My boss instilled this I
into me and and totally agree.

Thanks for the replies. 

(Removed by Forum Team) 

Universal Credits is the main benefit there is that people claim now. Which is why it gets mentioned.

I'm afraid my old boss had a few sayings & the above is one, another one was data in = data out.

Could your son sub you in the mean time?

You might want to delete you name from your posts for security 👍

JadedAngel88

There is also another old saying.

'Hindsight is a wonderful thing'.

Perhaps instead of giving your son a 'good lump sum', you would have been better to keep that to support yourself since leaving your employment due to health issues.

Maybe, as others have suggested, take the £16k out of savings and use that to help you afford the cleaner etc. Although you say it matures in September, why leave it till then when you need it now.