Coming off income support HELP !!!!

[onestressedwoman]

Hi

 

I need to come off income support as my husband has secured work - how do I do this ?

 

I will still qualify for my incapacity benefit will all payments stop until paperwork sorted out?

 

I currently have my bills paid directly from benefit will I still be able to do this?

 

I am about to log on now and get my husband to sign off his carers allowance as that seems easy

 

What do I do about changing details in Child Tax Credit to have reductions in payments applied?

 

Can anyone confirm if things detailed below are correct? Please

 

£250 payment as bonus for getting back into work?

1 month run on for SMI payments

1 month run on for council tax?

Council tax has been paid up to end of March do I make full payments from there on in or wait for bill?

 

My husband has taken on this position even though its at a childs wage we will, I hope be £5 a week better off??

 

I need to pay all bills weekly so I can keep my head above water so ideally would like to set up regular payments now before I end up behind or they even ask for £

 

But with Direct fuel payments i am worried as there is an arrears balance and I dont want them to start court proceedings just because payment not coming from DWP

 

If things don't work out and he doesn't keep the position will there be a big delay in income support being reinstated (especially the SMI part)

 

I need to ideally sort this all out today as my head is working

 

Any advice you may be able to offer would be great

 

OSW

[Mr.P]

My husband has taken on this position even though its at a childs wage we will, I hope be £5 a week better off??

 

Errmmm... If your husband is over 21, he should be paid a minimum of £6.31 per hour - This is a legal requirement, and the employer will be breaking the law if it is any less. Get this resolved before doing anything else.

 

Others will be along shortly to answer your other questions.

[onestressedwoman]

Errmmm... If your husband is over 21, he should be paid a minimum of £6.31 per hour - This is a legal requirement, and the employer will be breaking the law if it is any less. Get this resolved before doing anything else.

 

 

 

Others will be along shortly to answer your other questions.

 

Mr P

 

Wage not that low but not much more either :/ after deductions its silly money then monthly council tax of £185 etc...

 

3 children etc...

 

I used to make his wage when I was 19 and that was a long time ago

 

Just want to make sure I get everything done properly -

[onestressedwoman]

Many people have read this thread although no one has commented

 

Just to let you all know I found a wonderful woman at DWP who guided me through the process

 

Keeping my finger crossed now all paperwork goes through smoothly

[**Margaret**]

:onestressedwoman:

 

Sorry there haven't been many responses to your thread. Weekends are always quieter. But the main problem is that cos benefits are incredibly complex, it's unlikely that any of our contributors (or a Jobcentreplus contact centre) can answer all of your questions.

 

Your husband's allowed up to £100 per week take home pay before carers allowance is affected.

 

There's a four weeks mortgage interest run on. Should your husband need to reclaim income support within twelve weeks, support for mortgage interest can be paid from day one of the claim. Takes Jobcentreplus ten to fifteen working days to process a new claim for income support.

 

Most councils offer a four weeks run on of council tax reduction when starting a job from an income related benefit. As council tax reduction depends on low income/savings rather than other benefits you may find you're still entitled to some reduction. Jobcentreplus may have offered, but don't rely on them to inform the council of your changed circumstances. It's the claimant's responsibility!

 

Given the potential for mistakes, especially lost phone calls, I'd confirm your changed circumstances in writing via recorded delivery. To Jobcentreplus, Disability n Carers (no they don't always talk to each other) and your Local Authority.

 

Job grants and the return to work credit ended from April 13.

 

Child tax credits needs a letter to the address on your last award letter.

 

You may get an answer to the direct payments query in CAG's utilities forum;

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?121-Utilities-Gas-Electricity-Water

 

Hope the new job works out, good luck, Margaret.

[onestressedwoman]

Margaret

 

Thank you - I don't really know what the woman at DWP is doing as she said again today that she is going to leave it until tomorrow to inform Belfast ?

 

She told me to contact local disability advice centre to see if they can help with anything else I can claim

 

I am now glad that I have been contacting the woman at DWP via email so it is clear I have been trying to get them to amend records

 

One thing the disability advice centre said was about ESA ??? I wonder now as there has been a change in my claim will the incapacity benefit be stopped and bring my paperwork up the pile for ESA review ?

 

Woman at DWP told me I didn't av to contact the council which I thought was strange but disability advice centre said I should and also told me to contact child tax credit too which DWP woman said I didn't need to do - my previous description of her as a lovely helpful lady I am slowly retracting

 

I'm getting worried now -

 

Part of my husbands return to work is also an effort to get things back to normal between us as caring for me for so many years has taken its toll on "Us" other than a roof we would be classed as separated

 

Looks like I have many phone calls to make tomorrow

 

Does anyone know if this change is going to push me up the pile in moving from incapacity benefit to ESA

 

You'd think this would be easy but its becoming apparent that's not the case

 

OSW

[**Margaret**]

:onestressedwoman:

 

Your husband's return to work won't have the slightest effect on your reassessment for a conversion award of employment n support allowance, but last week's news might;

 

http://blog.atoshealthcare.com/2014/02/clarification-about-the-completion-of-work-capability-assessments

 

The closure of your husband's claim for income support should be easy but the fall out, spread across three different offices, is going to be messy. And although you shouldn't lose money, there's going to be some gaps in payments while the processing catches up. Personally I'd forget the phone and inform every office concerned in writing via recorded delivery. Evidence that you/your husband as the claimant(s) notified changed circumstances to all who needed to know. Unless you've got unlimited calls to 0845 numbers it'll be cheaper too.

 

Unfortunately it looks like the lady at Work n Pensions doesn't know what she's doing either. (Work n Pensions don't encourage managing claims via electronic mail cos they don't consider it secure. And Belfast's a dead letter sorting office!)

 

Margaret.

[onestressedwoman]

Margaret

 

I have already had and submitted my ESA form its been maybe 4 months now since I sent it back - but as I have no concept of time that could be last week or last month :/

 

woman at DWP has been putting this off since last Thursday -

 

So letter to income support section - incapacity benefit section - council tax department & child tax credit office

 

Is that it ? Or have I forgotten anyone ?

 

I'm hoping I don't qualify for working tax credits because if I do we will be destitute £97.50 a month in prescription charges £90 to send children to school a week although I know I can get pre paid prescription at £10 a month the children's school money alone would cripple us

 

My husbands extremely low wage is the problem really and I am sad my sister has now had to become my carer but where needs must

[onestressedwoman]

After thought Belfast dead letter sorting office ??? Where do I send them to then

[Helen2264]

After thought Belfast dead letter sorting office ??? Where do I send them to then

 

One thing I would say never trust anyone from the DWP, I have a whole list of all regional DWP Manager across UK, what part of UK you live? Before you do anything try to read guidance and legislation about your benefits like that you'll be protecting yourself before getting in touch with the DWP. Without any guidance or knowledge about your benefits would be asking for trouble or worst still just get cut you off, please I am not trying to scare you just wanting you to be careful and be very viligant when dealing with the DWP. [problem]

 

hope this helps.

[onestressedwoman]

Oh this is getting more and more difficult apparently - Woman from dwp just called again !

 

She now says that she thinks that my whole claim will stop and my incapacity benefit will cease what do I do this is so stressful why is nothing easy anymore !

 

I have now contacted turn 2 us to see if they can help I have drafted all letters to all departments listed above and now have put sending them on hold until

 

Maybe it would be better if my husband just left - our relationship is strained enough without all this and I am now feeling extremely annoyed with him because he has taken this on with no thought about how it will effect "US"

 

Helen 2264 LONDON REGION

[onestressedwoman]

Thats it

 

After speaking with turn to us it seems that my husband is not going to be able to take this position

[**Margaret**]

:onestressedwoman:

 

Unfortunately you're trying to deal with two very difficult issues at the same time; an incredibly complex benefits scenario, and the stresses that caring can put on a relationship. Is there a deadline for your husband to accept this new job? For the moment my instinct's that you and your husband need to discuss a balance between your care needs and his reasonable wish for a break to earn some money.

 

For the moment I'd forget closing any benefit claims until you've both decided what you want. Which CAG can't help you with, but the organisations below might be able to;

 

http://www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice

(Have an advice line on 0808 808 7777)

 

http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/carerslives/updates/Pages/new-to-carers-direct.aspx

 

http://www.relate.org.uk

 

When you and your husband have decided the balance between caring and him taking some paid work, you'll need help from Citizens Advice or Welfare Rights with a 'better off' calculation.

 

Should you eventually decide to close some of your claims;

 

Letters to Jobentreplus (incapacity benefit and income support) Disability n Carers, Tax Credits, and your Local Authority, to the addresses on the last letters you received from them.

 

Forget the DWP lady you've been talking to. I've no idea where she's coming from cos so far her advice hasn't been correct. Incapacity benefit and disability living aren't affected by a partner's earnings, your whole claim won't stop and closed claims don't need to be notified to Belfast.

 

Best wishes, Margaret.