I wonder if somebody could give me some advice, please? Last year I split from my husband and moved overseas to get away from it all. I owe around 10K of money to various lenders - had a payment plan sorted with them (managed DMP) when I was in the UK. But due to the relationship breakdown I had to get away, quickly. I have now got myself sorted and I want to continue paying my creditors but the DMP company say that unless I can pay £50 a month they cannot help me further. Here's the thing.... I am only working part-time and cannot afford to pay anything to my debt (not even a token payment) as the money I earn only just covers my living expenses (rent, food etc). This debt is playing on my mind and I wonder what I can do about it. Should I write to the companies and tell them? I am hoping to find full time work in due course but that is very difficult..... I don't envisage ever returning to the UK and wonder what would happen to the debt if - in time - I was only able to pay a token payment. I am living in an European country. Any help you could give would be much appreciated.

I am a divorced man who has met a new lovely lady and we get on superbly. I own my house outright and I live on my private occupational pension. My new lady lives on benefits and lives in a rented flat. I understand that I cannot stay with her more than two nights per week in order not to affect her benefits claims etc. OK I understand that and have no problem with it. I have only stayed in her flat for one night in seven months. However, I've heard that she cannot spend more then two nights per week with me in my private house without it affecting her benefit entitlements. Is that correct? Any advice would be much appreciated.

I always fill out the typical Ingeus template forms when doing a jobsearch at the Ingeus office, I fill in the job i've applied for and the website I have used but have never filled out the space where it asks the name of the company/agency the job belongs I've applied for is with. Today I was told in pretty harsh terms I had to start filling this out or it was a sanctionable offence. I record my jobs applied for on the Universal Jobmatch website and I have email evidence of all jobs applied for which I produce every time I sign on at the local job centre. Does Ingeus have a right to see which company/agency I am applying for when I produce this evidence each fortnight when I go to the job centre and can they send a sanction to the job centre for me not putting down which company/agency I am applying for work at? I'm applying and recording proof of at least ten jobs each day at home and when I'm on a "jobsearch" activity at the actual Ingeus office too. Their claim today is that this is for their "records" but surely the only people who have a right to know which company/agency my applications are for is the job centre adviser when I sign on each fortnight and whom I provide the evidence of job search to every time? Could anyone please provide any feedback or information? Thanks.

nhs contracts? Hi all, i am now working in the nhs as part of the theatre department and in doing so signed the usual contract agreeing to working on calls, late shifts and weekends etc, the problem is that some staff are not taking part in this arrangement because of various reasons ( my cats scared of the dark or little johnny wets the bed) sanctioned by the managers and therefore the remaining staff are having to work extra shifts to compensate. My question is, are we all being treated equally and do we have any basis for taking action against the management. Any help would be great. Cheers.

Is it best to send medical records to the DWP when applying for disability benefits rather than them trying to locate them themselves slow things down? The form is so complicated to fill out so will the medical records act as a substitute?

Disability benefits should go to "really disabled people" not those "taking pills at home, who suffer from anxiety", a key Theresa May aide says. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39097019

My sister has been refused benefits because they think - erroneously - she is earning 130 a week, when in fact she hasn't worked since January. They said they based their decision on her tax return (actress, self-employed). When she asks, that's all they say. She needs to see their detailed calculations and what in the tax return they used to arrive at this wrong conclusion. Can we ask for that? Thanks.

In following scenario: Employee is on work from home contract but is in office 3 days a week, staying overnight in between. Company arranges and pays for train travel to and from office, and the hotel. Am I right in saying that both are a benefit in kind as the office will still be classed as a 'permanent workplace'? and therefore employer will pay class 1A contributions on both via P11D? Will the employee incur any additional NI and/or PAYE expense? Thanks in advance.

Hi I hope someone can advise me please. My father sadly passed away and I'm about to receive about £12k inheritance money. my family and I receive working tax credits/child tax and housing benefit as we are on a low income. my partner rents a taxi and pays a lot of money out on the car rent /radio settle and fuel before he even starts to make a wage We are aware that our housing benefit will be reduced but we are thinking of buying a taxi to reduce our out goings on the car and make us better off financially and my partner wont have to work all the hours god sends to make ends meet. If we used £6000 of the money to buy a taxi would the council still reduce our benefit as though we still had £12k or would they calculate how much we earn with our own taxi. thanks for any replies

I bought my semi detatched house about 5 years ago, the house next door at the time was empty. So I thought it was a good enough area and I would not have any problems. After 6 months the neighbours on social security moved in next door, the word chav is best to describe them......one of them have been in jail for robbery and gbh, he is a teenager, the rest of the family not good as well. if you think of shameless that would describe them! I spent £1200 on fencing so they could not walk into my rear garden and start smoking in the garden shed (which I have since thrown out) When they moved in they started playing loud music, their children would bring their teenage friends and they will drink and play loud music. They burn fires in the rear garden and have started to damage the fencing which i put up one of the children broke my bedroom window about 3 years ago and i reported it to the police at the time that i suspected the neighbours. i installed central heating about 2 years ago, which cost nearly £3000. At the rear of my house their is a massive field from which thiefs at night walk through and enter the rear gardens of the houses and break into the house that way. About a week ago, I was out of the house for a few days and when I returned I found my rear patio door glass panel broken, the lock damaged all the radiotors ripped off the walls all the copper piping with the central heating stolen inc under the floor boards 2 giant holes in the ceiling where the piping was pushed through I reported it to the police who came to my house, they found my radiotors behind the fence in the rear garden - in the waste land. The only people that knew I was away was the next door neighbour, even the police told me it must be the neighbour but there is no proof. I am now installing a metal security grill on the inside of the patio door - as the doors open outwards into the garden. installing security grill over the kitchen window Can anyone tell me.............. is there a good cctv system that I can use which my sister can watch from her house which is 5 miles away? I am often away due to work, I dont have internet at the house. How can I find out who the owner of the wasteland behind my house so i can sue them for not fencing off the wasteland and allowing fridges, washing machines, needles and lots of household waste to be thrown behind my rear garden fence? The waste land has an illegal pathway that runs into the next door neighbours rear garden, even if it was not there robbers can walk through the wasteland and enter any house from the rear gardens under darkness Which is a good alarm that can detect broken glass in case someone tries to break into my house again I have had lots of dirty nappies, bottles and rubbish thrown into my garden by the neighburs they have also damaged my fence from their side of the garden they have damaged 1 concrete post in the rear garden which the fences fits in legally can i get the next door neighbours landlord details and take him to court for letting his tenants damage my property? how can i get details of the person the owns the waste land and force them to put up security fencing across the entire wasteland field to stop people walking through it - its a danger and health hazard, with fridges, tyres bottles, needles and household rubbish thrown into it How can I get the landlord details - I asked the neighbour once and she refused to provide the details Can I take the next door neighbour landlord to court or even take the neighbours to court? please please help, i am a single lady at home and i don't know what to do, the police wont really help me I am now too scared to move back into the house and have put my house up for rent and moved in with my sister, i need to get the wasteland owner to fence up the wasteland and get a good cctv system which i can hide somewhere in the house (as i dont have a internet so cant use an IP or internet cctv system) and catch the people because i know it will happen again, now they now i have moved out and put my house up for rent

Employers need to provide details for all Benefits in Kind READ MORE HERE: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/employers-need-to-provide-details-for-all-benefits-in-kind

Could someone give me some advice my mortgage is outstanding around 30k and I have positive equity in my home. I am reaching near pension age and currently claiming ESA. If I decide to take out equity release to soley pay off my mortgage would my benefits be stopped. I am in a catch 22 situation what to do and am worried sick. I am under going cancer treatment and dont need this on top. As I would get one payout of say 30k from the scheme to solely pay to keep my house over my head would they stop my benefits. Or is it if they spread the 30K in instalments and treated as income if I was gong to spend it on OTHER things would they only stopped it because of this. REALLY NEED GOOD SOUND ADVICE PLEASE! I AM WORRIED SICK

PIP assessments: 'Lack of trust' in benefits systems READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43058789

Hello all my first post so be kind I am on ESA and DLA and also receive council tax benefit and housing benefit. My wife does not make a claim for any benefits in her own right I included her as you do . A relative of my wife who we had not spoken to for nearly 12 years or more has died but my wife has been told she will receive a share of the estate when it is sold and divided up. I am not mentioned in that the share at all. I need to know when I have to tell LHA and DWP about the money my wife receives as we have no idea of how much and - we have been told it could be many months before we receive any more information. Any help please -

My friend's mum has recently died and he has been left a part share of her property along with his son - this is what is says in the Will but I can't understand it:- 'real and personal property or by codicil hereto otherwise specifically disposed of as Tenants in Common in equal shares' there is a mortgage on the property. My friend claims IB ESA and would like to move into his late mum's property, his son is ok with this. Obviously a new mortgage would have to be taken out by my friend's son. The question is, if my friend moves into his late mum's property with his son taking out a new mortgage, will this affect his IB ESA and will the DWP class it that he has equity in the property? I know he cannot claim Housing Benefit for the property when he moves into it, but would like some info that I could pass onto him. Thanks for any advice.

Seems that these 'standardized' letters have been going out to all sorts of people for quite a while now - my father has just received one and he's about to turn 80 ! He's not in the best of health and it's causing much anxiety - would it have been sent to him by mistake ? The only 'benefit' paid to him by the DWP is his old age pension and surely they can't stop that for ANY reason ? He does receive Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support, but these are administered by the "Revenue & Benefits Dept" of his local council and periodically he is asked to provide details to them to maintain his entitlement. Any thoughts on this anyone - does he REALLY have to attend and provide details of his finances ?

http://welfarecentral.org/index.php/forum-home/universal-credit/1325-dwp-admit-no-plans-how-to-migrate-legacy-benefits#5432 Want to know how you will be migrated from legacy benefits to UC, Do not bother asking the DWP, http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/444360/response/1080845/attach/html/2/FoI%204762%20reply.pdf.html

Didn't see this anywhere so have posted, apologies if already done,. Needless to say, well, well, haven't they got themselves into a bit of a mess?!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42012116

I would like to know what the clearing times are for payments made by the DWP. I have heard some benefits are 5 days and others are 3. is this true? I had a payment released on Wednesday by the DWP so I would reckon I would get that Tuesday, Unless someone can correct me. I think this kind of information would be helpful to people here, The DWP are worse than useless at letting people know information like that. I'm sure someone here will have some knowledge about the process and I like many others will be grateful for the info.

I have mental health problems and alcohol misuse problems. I live with my mum and am soon moving into council supported accommodation for people with substance abuse issues. It's a rehab. I'm in the support group of esa and standard rate of pip. Do you think they'll take me of pip and put me into the wrag group for esa? It's just that I was only entitled to pip it because my mum cooks my food, washes my clothes, prompts me to take meds because I either forget or don't have motivation to take them, she washes clothes, tells me when i need to bathe etc... And also controls my money, pays bills. In supported living I will have to do this myself. I'm extremely worried they're going to take my pip away.

Hi all ... Hope this is the right place to post this. Having lost everything in the recession I then suffered a major breakdown and now have Complex PTSD and fibromalgia amongst other illnesses which are all getting worse. After two years of being homeless myself and my partner were given a council flat. Our neighbours are the local drug dealers and generally bad things happen daily. I now won't go out of the flat at all. I have a pension which I could cash in in 18 months and I wanted to do this and buy a small cheap house. I currently get PIP and my partner gets carers allowance and we get income support which I apparently claim for us both. I don't really understand it all as the CAB sorted it out for us. If I did cash in my pension and buy a house would our income support stop. Also would this affect my state pension when I get to retirement age. Someone told me that we wouldn't be entitled to pension credits. Thanking you in advance for any advice you can give.

Hi everyone I lost my job nearly 3 wks ago and not having much luck. I will need to start claiming. Last time I was on the dole was 12 yrs ago so I dont know how it goes these days. I will need rent help as well. Heres my problems though - Im not on thie electoral role and Ive got unpaid debt from 6 yrs ago. Pls dont judge at the time and still it was impossible. Low wages and temporary work. What I need is will those problems have any impact on me if I can claim or what I can. how wil my problems affect me. thanks for any comments

Hi, Looking for some help and advice, my partner has been off work for the last 6+ months with a long term illness (Mental Health). Her employer has now stopped paying her SSP. We have made a successful claim for PIP and also now receive tax credits. We haven't received an SSP1 form from her employer but are they required to send one or do we need to request one? Also how can I find out if she is entitled to anything else? Thanks in advance for your help with this, its just unfamiliar territory and need help and guidance. Have a good day

Stirling CAB publishes Plain English Guide to help sort out Benefits READ MORE AND DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE HERE: http://stirlingcab.org.uk/

Hi all and thanks for the help in advance. I returned back to the UK 3 or 4 months ago after travelling. I was on a working holiday in Australia for 1 and a half years, then travelling Asia (not working at all) for another year. After returning my Dad fell ill and is disabled. Therefore he began claiming PiP etc. He needs help and I have been caring for him. I made a new claim for carers allowance over 8 weeks ago. (still waiting for an answer) I have just attempted to make a claim for universal credit and after answering a question about being in the country for the last 2 years the website informed me I am not eligible for universal credit. I assume this was because I have been travelling. I then researched into carer's allowance and it says you can't claim carer's allowance if you have not been in the country the at least 2 of the last 3 years. Does this mean I have no rights to any benefits in the UK? I am a UK citizen and have lived here all my life and intend to stay. I have literally no money and my Dad needs round the clock care. What do I do? We are both living of his benefits which is only fit for 1 person. Can I claim jobseekers if my Dads condition improves? Thanks