Help for my disabled partner.

wehey

Hiya all.

I have a dilemma that I need help with.

My partner of 25 years has long term health issues. She is registered disabled and claims the higher level of PIP. 

She is employed by the NHS who, because of her disabilities, allow her to work 21 hours per week from home.

Her conditions are deteriorating and she is rarely able to complete her 21 hours per week. I’m trying to prepare for a time when she may not be able to work any longer or her employers find a way to make her redundant.

I’m sure that she would be entitled to some other benefits but the problem we have is with me and my savings.

I am self employed and because of this have about 15-20k of savings stashed just in case I am unable to work for a while due to illness or injury etc.

Because of my savings I believe my partner is not entitled to anything other than PIP.

I would like some advice on my options as I see them below. I may have missed something, I don’t know?

1. Could we declare that we are just cohabiting as we are not married? We have a joint mortgage which we are 15 years into? Not sure about this option but open to advice.
2. I am 54 year old in September. Could I legitimately pay a lump sum into my personal pension to bring my savings under the 6K that the government deem the maximum savings that prevent my partner claiming for any benefits. In 1 years time i would have access to 25% of my pension pot anyways, so the money wouldn’t be tied up for long. Is this a legit way around this pickle I find myself in?

Any advise is greatly appreciated 

Torry_Quine

If you don't declare that you live together then that is fraud 

Muttleythefrog

Well  firstly you're a couple living together... saying anything else is fraudulent whether married or not. So you'd be considered as a couple for benefits purposes.

I presume New Style ESA (or JSA) is not possible but check - depends on NI record in couple years before stopping working but not sure whether she'd meet the requirements - others better to advise.

Time is on your side to remove excess savings... pay off debts... pension... but watch for any effects private pension income have on entitlements. I'd get the mortgage down personally... if flexible... or in renewal.

You would apply (jointly) for Universal Credit (a benefit which allow you to pay debts without being considered deprivation of capital) most likely but both your circumstances are considered... earnings, considered income and capital. Carers Allowance (if not carer's element of UC) for you may be option based on her PIP award and depending on any earned income you have if any.

If you were to ever be considered as separate for benefit claims you would need to convince them you're not partners but living together or move apart - marital status is essentially irrelevant.

Spoonie_Turtle

She will almost certainly be able to claim ESA if the time comes.  This is not means-tested but based on NI contributions/credits from working.

For Universal Credit:
1. If you falsely declared you lived separately or that you weren't partners, that would be fraud.  You are partners living together - co-habiting as you say - therefore you must claim together.  (The term in benefits parlance is 'Living Together as A Married Couple' LTAMC, the salient point there is living together as a couple, not whether you're married or not.)
2. l'm not sure if there's a limit to how much you can put into a pension pot but if you later withdrew a sum that would of course increase your savings again. 

You mention £6k being the savings limit, that's incorrect, £16k is the threshold for being ineligible. 
For savings between those two amounts there's a proportional deduction of £4.35 for every £250 or part thereof above 6k.

You could do a benefits calculation based on you having £15,000 in savings and your partner not working, to see if there would be any entitlement if/when she has to stop working. 
As she claims PIP you would be able to declare yourself as her carer if you provide 35hrs or more of care per week (this is a wide ranging definition, anything you do for her / on her behalf that you wouldn't if she weren't disabled) which increases any potential UC entitlement.

Keep_pedalling

Sorry to change the subject but have you both made wills? Have you both put lasting powers of attorney in place? If the answer to either those is no, As an unmarried couple both of those things should be at to top of your things to do list. 

Ordinary_Yet_Unique

Perhaps you need to investigate the ill health retirement route?

wehey

Keep_pedalling said:

Sorry to change the subject but have you both made wills? Have you both put lasting powers of attorney in place? If the answer to either those is no, As an unmarried couple both of those things should be at to top of your things to do list. 

Yes we both have wills 😀

sheramber

Your earnings will also be taken into account. 

Keep_pedalling

wehey said:

Keep_pedalling said:

Sorry to change the subject but have you both made wills? Have you both put lasting powers of attorney in place? If the answer to either those is no, As an unmarried couple both of those things should be at to top of your things to do list. 

Yes we both have wills 😀

Just LPAs needed then. These are critical if one of you looses mental capacity through illness or accident, especially for unmarried couples. 

Silvertabby

Is your partner a member of the NHS pension scheme?  If yes, would ill health retirement be a possibility?  

wehey

Silvertabby said:

Is your partner a member of the NHS pension scheme?  If yes, would ill health retirement be a possibility?  

Yes she is actually…
she has only been employed with the NHS for 8 years in a basic minimal wage role, so although she is most likely eligible, I don’t know if the payments would be enough to keep us afloat.
will definitely look into it though, and thanks for the heads up 👍