Income related ESA

jothesoss

Hi, my 29 year old son lives at home with me and his dad. He still gets (the old) income related ESA and I seem to recall when I filled out the forms (ten years ago) that our income was not part of the calculation. I just got a letter with the latest uplift and leaflet of changes I need to let DWP know about. This included any savings of £6000 or more in the household, or household income above the threshold (not actually stated). Am I right in thinking the situation is the same, our income does not count and he gets ESA in his own right??  Many thanks for any help, I have had a few days of total panic...

66Mustang

Your son is treated as a separate household for the purposes of savings and income.

jothesoss

Thank you so much. I have seen on the national autistic society site that parents income doesn't count. Why do the DWP send a leaflet that terrorises instead of explaining??

66Mustang

I think they do it this way because, if parents' savings/income were taken into account, kids would lose all support, and may well decide they are better off to leave home...then the government would have to pay them housing benefit in addition to all of the other benefits they are currently claiming.

In other words, it suits the govt. to have people living with parents as it saves them money.

For clarity...I am only speculating, not saying this is fact!

jothesoss

Absolutely, and I agree.
For goodness sake if one is not able to work because your adult son/daughter needs 24 hour care there has to be some kind of mutual benefit. Otherwise going into care would be the only option for some families to stay out of poverty, at much higher cost to the public, and emotional cost to parents. Thanks again 

jothesoss