Hi Margaret, Thank you for your email. I have passed your suggestion on to my friend regarding contacting a welfare rights agency direct. I think she has become confused through the Class 2 contributions not counting for contribution based Jobseekers but count towards ESA. Thank you. VUB

Any advice would be appreciated or does anyone know where my friend could get a definitive answer? VUB

Any advice would be gratefully received. VUB

Hi I have previously sought advice for my friend regarding her financial situation and wonder if someone can clarify whether a mortgage payment protection insurance that covers less than half her actual mortgage will affect Income based ESA? Briefly, Husband on Contribution based ESA - Wife added to claim early July due to closure of business but not received anything other than the £71.70 Assessment Phase at this time. He does receive a small private pension of just over £60 a week. Recently he received letter from DWP regarding entitlement to Pension Credit in January 2014. Mortgage Policy due to kick in after 60 days waiting - I understand that will be end of this month. She has read that if the money is paid directly to themselves it is reduced pound for pound off any benefit whereas if they paid direct to the building society it is not affected. My friend is currently under the doctor for anxiety and depression. I wonder whether it would be advisable for her to claim ESA in her right and both go back to ESA Contribution Based. (She could not claim Jobseeker's as hadn't paid Class 1 contributions) Once again, any advice appreciated. VHB

Thank you Antone for explaining. My friend did speak with someone at a benefit advisory service yesterday and they advised her that they are entitled to £101.20 to include the mortgage interest. It has not been 13 weeks since she was added to his claim so I assume the mortgage interest part will not be added at this stage. So in essence if they take his pension from the £112.00 at this stage he will receive £49.00 as opposed to the £71.70 he was getting before she was added. As regards mortgage interest - they have a mortgage payment protection insurance policy which has a waiting period of 60 days which she is in the process of claiming. This pays less than half of their contractual payment. I assume that as this amount should cover the interest only element that they will not be eligible for the mortgage interest part of the contribution based ESA claim. The council tax appears to reduce from approximately £155.00 to £92 per month. This is still a huge slice to find out of their income. He is eligible for Pension Credit in January 2014 under the current legislation and it appears that they would receive more benefit then and pay no council tax at all. This really is a minefield! Thank you. VUB

Hi Thank you for that information. He is currently receiving £71.70 so basically would get £40 extra for his Wife to be added to the claim as a dependant - but then they would take £63.00 per week off that making him worse off for his pension. The mind boggles. Thank you for your help. VUB

Hi Thank you for the information I mentioned the mortgage interest to her but she thought the scheme kicks in after three months is that correct? It is something that she needs to look into. Will they deduct anything from the £112.00 because of his private pension do you know? Thank you. VUB

Hi I have previously posted about a situation regarding a friend of mine. Husband on ESA (Assessment Phase) awaiting tribunal hearing. She has recently closed her business. She tried to sign on Jobseeker's but was told she would be added to her Husband's claim. It could well be she didn't have the relevant contributions as she paid Class 2 and Class 4. It is now some eight weeks since the DWP were informed about this but they are still only receiving her Husband's £71.70 a week ESA. Their only other income is approximately £62/£63 a week private pension. They have no savings. Can someone please advise is income of approximately £135.00 deemed enough to live on? They have applied for CTB but heard nothing back. They have returned all necessary forms. CT is £155.00 a month (12 months). They have a mortgage of in excess of £800 a month which is now in arrears as is their CT (both 1 month). Her husband has been informed that it could be approximately 4 months before he hears about a Tribunal Hearing. I have tried to look at information for them and it would appear that he is entitled to Pension Credit from January 2014. That said, it looks like changes may effect this from October 2013 as my friend is younger than he is and it appears they may then go off the youngest age. Sorry for rambling on - trying to help a friend in need. Thank you for any advice. VUB

Hi My friend's Husband has now heard from the Tribunal service and been advised that it may be 4/6 months before he hears anything further as to his Appeal date. Can someone please advise is there any published information as to what minimum income a married couple requires to live on. As mentioned their sole income is approximately £133.00 per week. Thank you. VUB

Hi Thank you for the responses. I have seen my friend over the week-end and she informs that they have received nothing in writing at this time from the DWP as to what they are entitled to or indeed any additional benefit. The only income they have is £71.70 ESA (husband awaiting tribunal hearing) and a small private pension of her husband's that amounts to about £60 per week. As previously advised, she is being added to her husband's existing claim. The claim was started on 1.7.13. Do the DWP usually take this long to process claims. They have returned all forms sent to them - most recent was a form about her previous self-employment. Added to this is her mortgage company are pressing for income/expenditure etc. and without knowing if they are entitled to more than £71.70 how can they progress with sorting anything out. They have also applied for Council Tax Benefit and are awaiting to hear from that. Her Husband is aged 61 years and it looks to me as if he may be entitled to Pension Credit from January 2014 if she has not found employment before then. Any advice very welcome. Thank you for any help. VUB

Hi Thank you for your response. Yes, my friend has paid all required contributions - I think Class 2 and Class 4 NI. Not having been in this position before (fortunately) she is totally unaware of how the benefit system works. Her Husband is at this time only receiving contribution based ESA. She tells me they had to complete an additional ESA form about change of circumstances and send that in. She is also unsure as to what will happen with the council tax etc. and whether this all forms part of the claim. Any help is appreciated. Kind regards, VHB

Hi I am looking for some advice for a friend. Her Husband has been on ESA since January of this year. He is currently appealing his ATOS medical decision and is receiving the assessment phase rate. She has been self employed for almost twenty years but has had to close her business due to decline in work. She has paid all required NI contributions. She filled in an online claim for Jobseeker's Allowance and both of them had to attend for interview at their local Jobcentre. When they attended they were told that as her Husband has an existing claim for ESA that she would be added to that and was not required to sign on. She has since been told that a household cannot claim two contribution based benefits. It is two weeks since the interview and they have only received his usual ESA payment. They have a mortgage on their property and no savings. My friend is obviously very worried about their financial situation. She does have some sort of mortgage protection policy but this will only pay half her mortgage and only comes into force after three months. Could someone kindly advise whether this is the case - that she cannot claim Jobseekers in her own right or does this fact not really matter and it will even outself out. Her Husband is 61 years of age. Regards, VUP

Hi Thank you everyone for your input. It is appreciated. VUB

Hi They have requested the subpoena be sent to: Paypal Attn: Legal Department/Civil 2211 North First Street San Jose, CA 95131 I only want copies of the emails they purport to have sent to me! Thank you. VUB

Hi I did want to carry on using the account. Never had a problem in ten years. Had items for sale on auction site and was requested by a buyer to complete sale off site. My first mistake. Received payment - sent item - said I sent wrong one (only one for sale I might add). Wants to send it back. Paypal refund her money. I get a fake back. By this time I have transferred the money (selling for my daughter) and I am down about £120.00. Had to keep checking Paypal account to see what was going on and it transpired that from information in Resolution Centre emails purported to have been sent to me - I have not received. Asked for them repeatedly. No response. The final email (I got this one) was that as I hadn't responded in time - claim closed. Apparently they had offered me some compensation - no such email received. Won't be so trusting again. Their collections department keep chasing me. Not a prayer I've told them - take me to Court. Thank you. VUB