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Income Support/ Caring question


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Hey all

 

i'm after some help.

 

i'm a single father caring for 2 children, one severely disabled. Due to my daughter's care needs, i rarely sleep at night, generally grabbing a few hours during the day while the kids are at school.

 

I've just been awarded DLA for myself (high rate mobility and middle rate care) after finally giving in and admitting to myself that i did in fact have a disability. So that was awarded last week and back dated to the beginning of Feb 13. Today i get a letter from ATOS telling me my Income support is changing and i have to go to some damned interview.

 

I currently get:

 

Carers allowance for me

Income support for me (on the grounds of illness/disability)

Child Tax Credits

and as just mentioned DLA

 

My question is this:

 

Should i continue to claim income support on the grounds of illness (obviously, DLA think i'm disabled otherwise they wouldn't have awarded it) or can i, as somebody mentioned somewhere, terminate my claim on disability grounds and make a fresh one on the grounds of caring?

 

Given that i care 24/7 for my daughter, it is hard to see how JC+ expect me to to work as well.

 

Also, as a side question, I've seen mention of a "carer premium" but i don't know if that is paid as tax credits or IS? I've checked my award notice from HMRC and get disability element and a severe disability element for my daughter but can see no mention of any "carer premium"

 

I have recently had lots of changes to my benefit (these were BEFORE the changes that have come in since April 2013) which has resulted in me being almost £80 a month worse off since i changed from IS to CTC, i was under the impression that payment levels would remain the same.....?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

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You need to claim separately for the carers premium for your daughter, and you wont be eligible for work whilst you have carers allowance for her. I have 3 children (single parent) and my eldest is severly disabled (8yrs old). I get DLA (high rate) for him, carers allowance for me to look after him. Income support (as a carer), CTC. Hope that helps.. Can I ask how much you get for your daughter as I get high rate on grounds of my son being severly disabled, but no mention of a severe disability element on the award? is it included in the high rate?

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You need to claim separately for the carers premium for your daughter, and you wont be eligible for work whilst you have carers allowance for her.

 

Hey

 

Not sure what you mean won't be eligible for work? There is a £100 earnings limit before you lose/start to lose you CA isn't there?

 

Also, not sure about carer's premium - what benefit is that attached to?

 

The severe disability element is part of the CTC award.

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Carers premium is awarded with income support.

 

Any money for you = income support

Any money for your children = tax credits

 

If you receive any housing / council tax benefits, inform them of the carers allowance, carers premium and DLA.

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Carers premium is awarded with income support.

 

Any money for you = income support

Any money for your children = tax credits

 

If you receive any housing / council tax benefits, inform them of the carers allowance, carers premium and DLA.

 

the HB/CT people are already aware that my daughter recieves DLA and that i get CA. Do you mean i need to tell them that i now get DLA in my own right?

 

With regard to Carer Premium on income support, does anybody know how much that is? i've gone through my IS award notice and can find no mention of a "carer Premium" if i know how much it is, then i can trace it that way.

 

thanks

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Then you are entitled to Income Support on the grounds that you are caring for somebody. Then you won't be migrated. You need to change the grounds under which you are claiming IS, your award of DLA is irrelevant to this.

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Then you are entitled to Income Support on the grounds that you are caring for somebody. Then you won't be migrated. You need to change the grounds under which you are claiming IS, your award of DLA is irrelevant to this.

 

ah, thanks. So how would i go about doing that? would it be best to wait and see what happens with this ATOS (my gut feeling is to wait and see in light of my newly awarded DLA. Also, i would lose the extra money i get on my IS due to being ill/disabled wouldn't i? - and there would be nothing to replace that lost amount?

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Nope, don't wait. Many people on highest rate of DLA are deemed fit for work by ATOS, whereas you qualify to claim IS automatically because you are a carer for your dd.

 

You need to phone the DWP, say you are claiming IS due to your entitlement as a carer who is claiming carers allowance, also put that in writing and send it recorded so you have proof it arrived.

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abc is right, its the CA for your dd that exempts your from needing to work, and allows you to claim income support. You can earn up to £100 whilst on DLA, or in receipt of DLA for your dd, but you would then lose some/all of your income support!

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ah, thanks. So how would i go about doing that? would it be best to wait and see what happens with this ATOS (my gut feeling is to wait and see in light of my newly awarded DLA. Also, i would lose the extra money i get on my IS due to being ill/disabled wouldn't i? - and there would be nothing to replace that lost amount?

 

No you would retain it due to your DLA award. You should also request an IS10 form if there are no other adults living with you, and no one claims carer's allowance for looking afer you, as you will also be enttled to an extra amount called a severe disability premium.

 

What happens with carers allowance and income support is that they should be subtracting the amount of carer's allowance you receive from your award and then adding an extra amount called a carer premium. This should have been done from when when your carer's allowance was awarded - are the Income Support section aware of the carer's allowance award?

 

And as others have said, you are best of to contact the Income support team and change the basis for your claim from 'incapacity' to 'carer'.

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office ~ Aesop

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Nope, don't wait. Many people on highest rate of DLA are deemed fit for work by ATOS, whereas you qualify to claim IS automatically because you are a carer for your dd.

 

You need to phone the DWP, say you are claiming IS due to your entitlement as a carer who is claiming carers allowance, also put that in writing and send it recorded so you have proof it arrived.

 

ok great, thanks abc. - one last question if i may.......

 

would you happen know what i would be entitled to IS wise as a carer rather than being "unwell" any premuims etc?

 

thank you so much for your help

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the HB/CT people are already aware that my daughter recieves DLA and that i get CA. Do you mean i need to tell them that i now get DLA in my own right?

 

Yes

 

With regard to Carer Premium on income support, does anybody know how much that is? i've gone through my IS award notice and can find no mention of a "carer Premium" if i know how much it is, then i can trace it that way.

 

thanks

 

It's roughly £30 a week. Carers allowance is counted as income for IS. But you won't actually lose any money.

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abc is right, its the CA for your dd that exempts your from needing to work, and allows you to claim income support. You can earn up to £100 whilst on DLA, or in receipt of DLA for your dd, but you would then lose some/all of your income support!

 

so you lose some money from earnings...... is that pound for pound? given that i get DLA and CA myself, roughly how much could i earn theoretically before i lost entitlement or worse where it would not pay to work? i know with CA there's a disregard of about ten pounds a week.

 

I'd love to get out to work at some point but as long as i'm caring, i really can't see it happening because my daughter needs specialist help, not some off the street moron that can't communicate etc etc :-(

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Yes

 

 

 

Carers allowance is counted as income for IS. But you won't actually lose any money.

 

eh? this is the wording from my current IS award notice:

 

 

IS

 

For you.........................................£71.00

because i'm sick.................................30.35

because you are caring for someone........32.60

----------------------------------------------------------

133.95

------------------------------------------------------------

 

income you told us about

 

Carer's Allowance...............................92.85

 

weekly amount you will recieve

 

law says i need 133.95

less CA............92.85

---------------------------

41.10 is what i get - actually it's less because CA went up slightly so now it's about 39 quid a week so unless i misunderstood your statement, i'm losing 92.85 a week??????

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abc is right, its the CA for your dd that exempts your from needing to work, and allows you to claim income support. You can earn up to £100 whilst on DLA, or in receipt of DLA for your dd, but you would then lose some/all of your income support!

 

This isn't right:

DLA isn't affected by work, unless the work you do contradicts why you claim DLA. (such as claiming you can't walk and then work on a building site) DLA isn't based on income at all.

 

You can claim up to £100 a week after deductions with carers allowance. There's a disregard (I think it's £20 a week for carers) on IS if you work. After the disregard, your IS is reduced £ for £.

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No you would retain it due to your DLA award.

 

you mean i would retain the extra IS (£30.35)?

 

What happens with carers allowance and income support is that they should be subtracting the amount of carer's allowance you receive from your award and then adding an extra amount called a carer premium.

 

can't see a "carer premium" is that an amount of £32.60?

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you mean i would retain the extra IS (£30.35)?

 

Yes

 

 

can't see a "carer premium" is that an amount of £32.60?

 

Yes that's right, looks like you are receiving it.

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office ~ Aesop

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This isn't right:

DLA isn't affected by work, unless the work you do contradicts why you claim DLA. .

 

so i could if i was able to find something, probably working from home, go to "work" and that wouldn't affect my DLA? but after the first £20 earnings, i'd lose pound for pound from CA, even though i would still be giving over a 100hrs a week care?? Talk about having the odds stacked against you :-( .

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so i could if i was able to find something, probably working from home, go to "work" and that wouldn't affect my DLA? but after the first £20 earnings, i'd lose pound for pound from CA, even though i would still be giving over a 100hrs a week care?? Talk about having the odds stacked against you :-( .

 

No were you to take up work, carer's allowance is not affected until you earn over the threshold which is around £100 a week, at which point it stops completely..

 

However, income support has a threshold of £20 a week for carers, so after earning £20, your earnings are taken off pound for pound each week.

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We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office ~ Aesop

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Yes that's right, looks like you are receiving it.

 

Great, thank you! It would be so much easier if the DWP told you the name of the premium or extra amount instead of describing what its for Grrrrrrrr!!

 

before my claim changed to CTC and IS, my previous award notice had something called a "Disability Income Guarantee" £22.89 that disappeared when my claim changed even though my circumstances never. I questioned this, IS told me it was down to HMRC and predictably HMRC told me it was down to IS. I never got to the bottom of it and it was actually making me quite ill worrying about it so gave up in the end - even the CAB couldn't get to the bottom of it and stopped returning my calls............. any thoughts?

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No were you to take up work, carer's allowance is not affected until you earn over the threshold which is around £100 a week, at which point it stops completely..

 

However, income support has a threshold of £20 a week for carers, so after earning £20, your earnings are taken off pound for pound each week.

 

i see...... it's so hard to work out wether or not i'd be better off trying to something if i could find it :| i did check the directgov benefits checker but it's not the easiest tool in the world to use - or maybe it's me!!

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Well the wheels are in motion, i've just called DWP about changing the basis of my claim from that of incapacity to one of Carer........ gonna call me back to discuss...... guess i'll start chewing on my fingernails then...:behindsofa::fear::rolleyes:

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You can earn up to £100 a week before losing any CA, however your earnings would be deducted from your IS after the first £20, so basically you can earn up to £20 a week in your situation before any deductions start.

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