Thank you. I should be okay to do that then.

Thanks for that honeybee, that's made me realise I was entirely muddled. I'd thought you could draw down 25% of your whole pension pot tax free, but that clearly demonstrates that 25% of any tax year's withdrawals are tax free, the rest is taxed at your normal rate. So withdrawing 15,000 would be silly. That would be why the IFA recommended getting an interest free deal on a new car. So I could drawn down 5,000 and pay that as a deposit then a month later draw down 4,000 or whatever to pay the year's monthly installments. That would mean at any one time the amount I held would be beneath the savings limit for income related benefits. So my new question then is, do income related benefits and PIP count as taxable income? If not, then I could draw down up to a single persons tax free annual income of 11,000 without paying any tax? As income related ESA and PIP are my whole income. Thanks again.

If someone has an income draw down pension and decides to draw down a large amount to buy a new car, say £15,000 as an example. The day it arrives in their account they pay the garage having pre-ordered the car; how does that 15,000 they had in their account for less than a day affect their income related benefits? Thank you to anyone who can advise. Thank you.

Thank you so much Margaret. An adviser had told me they wouldn't be entitled to esa but that says different. Also the fact they can claim housing benefit is going to make the difference needed to be able to do the course so that's fantastic.

Hi I wonder if you can help me. Someone with various disabilities is starting a full time vocational undergraduate degree at university. They receive lrc and lrm of DLA indefinitely. They will be receiving all the necessary support via DSA though obviously that doesn't provide money. They are single with no dependants. Unlike other students because of their disabilities they will not be able to work at all to supplement their income. They have no parental support available. Are they entitled to housing benefit towards the cost of their halls fees? The cost of that alone is almost every penny of the bursaries and student loans available to them and they will also need to eat, travel and live. So it's not financially possible as it stands. Also, I know that students can claim esa if they are in receipt of dla. How does that work wrt the wca as they are not actually 'unfit' to work and are doing a full time degree? Thank you.

Yes the DWP are very rarely there at all and them not being there is no reason at all to adjorn a Tribunal. I've attended many Tribunal's and the DWP have only attended one and as you say, the Judge gave him a right earful!

Rapha, there is a difference between SDA (given to people with severe impairments regardless of their 'ability') and ESA (given to people who are unable to work due to disability or illness). On the face of it, I do agree with some of the ideology of it. However the flaw in the plan is many people are deemed fit to work by the ESA50 form and assessment process when they are definitely not just because they don't meet the set criteria. The ESA assessment needs changing NOW, rather than blaming and binning Atos as has been done. But looking at where we are now, your brother's partner is more likely to meet the needed criteria for ESA for their depression and anxiety than they are their hearing impairment. Have a look at the descriptors for ESA and see which of them they would meet and what scores they feel they would score for each question. If you have that knowledge from the start it is easier to complete the ESA50 form in more accurately at the start of the process.

I don't think being deaf in and of itself would make someone eligible for ESA. Do they have additional problems, socially, emotionally etc.? I think we would need to know more to be able to advise about an application. I have 2 close friends who have no hearing at all and both work full time for example.

Sometimes it would matter if the other people were deemed to be supporting you, such as a partner, and the form is such that it 'captures all'. Just fill the form in and you will be fine.

I think I'm getting somewhere with this. I've managed to arrange by email an inspection for a couple of months time when I ought to be able to have some support at home and e.on have said they will inspect both the gas and electric meters that day so that should then give me a 2 year break. I also had a letter from e.on today telling me applications are now open for the warm home discount for the coming winter so I have applied for that online. If I have any criticism of that process, it's that I don't get an email telling me my application has been received (though the webpage when I did it said application submitted, but I have no printer) and I don't have proof now that I have done so. I remember worrying last year about the same thing and it was quite a long while till I heard my application was successful. Last winter was known to be a mild one and it would be a struggle this winter without the allowance if it isn't as 'mild'. Helena, did you edit your original post? Was I imagining you posted details of a section of e.on where you register the fact that you have a disability and that makes you a priority etc.? I read that one of the things they could do was put meters on the outside of the property rather than inside and I liked that idea but didn't immediately react because it seems you have to phone to get registered with that and I struggle with phones. It might be me entirely as my concentration is poor but I can't find where I read about this now and I'd thought it was your post. Thanks everyone.

Not odd at all. A person would normally change their address for their accounts to their new address and if they are sofa surfing so that is difficult then they need to find a friend or relative who is not claiming benefits so that he can use their address as a care of address. Failing that, the DWP can provide an adress for mail to go to as they do for homeless people. Him having his accounts set at your address creates a financial tie between you and muddies the waters as to whether you are a couple. It's simple to reectify, ask him to change all of his addresses to somewhere else so you cut off all financial links with him. Once that is sorted he can reapply for a place on the LA housing waiting list. The DWP can run checks on accounts held at your address. If any household bills are in his name or are paid by him then they will definitely deem you to be a couple.

She can spend her savings on a holiday or such. Why would she need to pay for a council property? You don't even pay a deposit when renting a LA prooerty, just rent weekly in advance and HB can be claimed for that if needed. Some money is useful as the property won't be carpetted, and will need curtains and a cooker etc but £16,000 is signficantly more than would be needed for that. Maybe she is worrying unecessarily about expenses? Also as she is housed I would assume adequately at her parents she will be way down the list, in my LA someone like that would unlikely be housed at all and would remain on the waiting list for decades.

Because his mental health was such that he didn't have the strength to appeal so accepted the sanction that the Government gave him due to attempts to cut the welfare budget. So the budget cuts led to the increased sanctions which are impossible to deal with if you do not have the mental capacity to fight them so indirectly the budget cuts did kill him so the title is not misleading. It's only those who are mentally strong or have family support that can get through this.

Well done! It took about 5-6 weeks to get my backpayment when I won my appeal. Hopefully yours won't be too long.

one too many noughts then CitB Sad though that is, it's a totally different story/thread/topic.

That's tragic. Poor guy.

Yes the DWP letters cannot be forwarded on and are returned to sender and then the DWP stop benefits. With child benefit, they simply restart it once they hear from you as to where you are now living so I would hope that the same is true with ESA. Contact them with your new address. The DWP are a priority to inform of your new address always. In advance preferably, or on the day if absolutely necessary at the latest.

Have they only just realised this? The problem was the assessment not the company! That said many assessors were devoid of compassion or communication skills.

Thankfully the house is well insulated. I am getting all the benefits I am entitled to. I could perhaps apply for DHP to cover the 25% under occupancy reduction in HB but I can't mentally cope with the hassle. I can't move because I can't physically or mentally cope with the move, there are no smaller properties in my area to move to, and I have had a disabled facilities grant to adapt my bathroom and I legally have to pay that back if I move within 5 years of the work completion which happened just before the government brought in the under occupancy charge. I can't afford to pay back that four figure sum back for the DFG so am scuppered really. I am pinning my hopes on a government winning next years election with the promise of doing away with the under occupancy charge and then perhaps I can put the heating back on. It's ok, I manage and have much to be grateful for.

Afaik CTR and HB is just worked out on your income, rather than the amount of hours you work so you submit your wage slips etc.?

Thanks. It seems I am going to have to let them in even though they came last year. Once I gather up the muster to make the phone call I plan on asking if they can check both gas and electric meters at the same time to give me a 2 year break after this. I think I just struggled with this because I thought having managed last year's visit that was it for 2 years so was surprised by this. rebel, I have been wondering whether I can cope with another winter without heating because some nights it was difficult to sleep because my nose ran and I couldn't type because my fingers were numb but I worry constantly about money and never have any left, or if I do it is never there long because something breaks etc. I did get the warm home discount thankfully. Do I have to reapply for the warm home discount this year or because I had it in January will I automatically get it this winter too? If I need to reapply, when do I do that? September? There is only me in the house so it seems cheaper to keep one person warm with layers than a whole house. I managed ok this winter though it wasn't pleasant at times, often not washing because I couldn't bear to not be in clothes/layers, it was way too cold not to have any on. I will phone e.on in the next few days.

Yes but the law states you need to let them in once every two years and I let them in 14 months ago by prior arrangement thought that was it and could relax until 2015. It just seems the chap only looked at the gas meter while he was here but that's not my fault. I'm fairly sure I have done my legal duty by letting them in last year. I am thinking a magistrate wouldn't be happy with an application from e.on when they were allowed in last year? Or am I assuming too much.

Yes e.on last time and e.on again this time.

I am registered disabled due to mental health and currently receive help from my mental health team and NHS psychological services 3-4 times a week. One of the things I have problems with is people coming to my home and tend to retreat into it as my 'safe' place. Even my social worker has only been here once and no friends visit and only my children come here. I have my electricity and gas from the same company since I switched to them years ago and I read my own meters on the last day of most months and type the readings in online and pay at the same time. I decline to have my meters read by strangers unexpectedly turning up on my doorstep. I am very frugal as I live on benefits, gas wise I don't have the hot water on (boil a kettle to wash up and have an electric shower) and didn't use the heating at all this last winter, managing without, only using the gas hob once or twice a week (eating disorder helps). I don't use much electricity either so my utility costs are very low. I realise that by law I have to let someone come and inspect the meters once every two years so when I was written to in May 2013 I made the appointment and the man came within the two hour time slot agreed in May last year and I showed him the meters which are inches apart. Now I have had a letter stating that the company need to come and inspect my electricity meter and that if I don't comply they will apply to the magistrates court and charge me £208 to cover costs. I managed to telephone them and apparently when the man came out he only looked at the gas meter and now they need to look at the electricity meter. They are beside each other and I get both electricity and gas from the same company! Please can you tell me, do I have a right to decline this new inspection as I let them in last year or do they have a right to look at gas one year and electricity the next? I wish I didn't get into such a state about people coming into the house, I feel I am ridiculous but know that I will find another visit soon distressing as I am struggling at the moment and these threatening letters and legal action is just as bad. TIA eta the company is e.on if it's ok to name them. They seem to be unable to check gas and electricity meters at the same time

sometimes they do, sometimes they don't - but it is the claimants responsibility to inform the different agencies of any changes as per their claim