Can someone please advise regarding my benefits and change of circumstances

Beesteph

Hi, I’m hoping someone can give me some concrete advice as I visited citizens advice and they could not help. 

I am living in my own single mum with three children. I am expecting my 4th child in May. 

I currently receive high rate Pip mobility and care and receive sever  disability premium. 

I also have ESA support group. I receive child tax credits and my housing benefit and council tax are paid in full. 

I have recently got back with my ex (father of my children) we do not live together and he has had to stop working because my health is not good so he has to be here to help me. 

We are considering him moving in and also claiming carers allowance. 

I’m very nervous about this because financially I have everything sorted out to support me and it was not easy getting these benefits and I’m very worried what position this will leave me in financially. 

I am not on universal credit. So my questions are :

1. Is it best to change to universal credit first before he moves in so u get the  transitional protection as I’m very worried I will be on less money on universal credit ?

2. Should he claim carers allowance before he moves in?

3. will I loose my transitional protection if my partner moves in but is not working and receiving carers allowance for looking after me ?

4. will I still receive full housing benefit and council tax benefit if he moves in but is not working on carers allowance? 

5. Do I loose any of my benefits or do they reduce once my partner claims carers allowance? 

6. Will my child tax credit, esa or pip reduce or stop if he is to move in not working claiming carers allowance? 

Many thanks for your time and help with this I just want to ensure I know exactly where I stand before making such a big decision. 

Beesteph

Hi thankyou but yes I’ve done this already but it doesn’t answer these questions I’ve asked and whether I should transfer to universal credit first before he moves in etc. thank you 

poppy123456

Very shocked that citizens advice couldn't help you! That's a lot of questions but i'll do my best. Firstly, if you move in with your partner then your tax credits will stop.

1/ It doesn't really matter because the SDP transitional protection of £132.12/month will erode anyway once he moves in because the increase in the standard allowance and the addition of the carers element will be more than the TP.

2/ If he claims Carers allowance now then your SDP will stop.

3/ Answered in question 1 above.

4/ Housing benefit will end after 2 weeks if you claim UC unless you're living in either supported or temporary housing. Rent will be paid through UC known as housing element. There shouldn't be any changes to the amount your entitled to if he doesn't work.

Council Tax reduction is likely to change because you will lose your single person discount. I can't advise on what exactly you'll be entitled to for this because all local Authorities have their own rules.

5/ Answered in number 2 above.

6/ Tax credits will end because you can no longer start a new claim as a couple. It would be UC that you will need to claim as a couple. This will then end any Income Related ESA and housing benefit you're claiming 2 weeks after you submit your claim for UC.

If any of your ESA is contributions based, this will continue but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement.

PIP won't be affected. Your UC will include the LCWRA element from the start of your claim, this is the equivelant to Support Group. As a carer then he would be able to claim carers element of UC for looking after you. He will not need to claim carers allowance to be entitled to carers element. If he does claim carers allowance it will be deducted in full from any UC entitlement.

Beesteph

Hi Poppy!
thankyou for such an informative answer that’s such a big help! I just want to ask a few things to understand better what you have said if that’s ok 

where you say I will get an increase in standard allowance what do you mean? What is this? 

If my tax credits end will I loose that money completely when we go onto universal credit? Or is something else given to replace that money? 

If we was to split up after all of this and I become a single parent again would I end up being worse off on the universal credit than I currently am now on old style benefits as a single parent ?

what is the lcwra, do you mean this replaces the ESA support group benefit i receive ?  So I still receive this money ? Even with ny partner living with me 

Is the carers element in addition  to carers allowance or is this instead of? 

Thankyou so much for your help and time with this 

poppy123456

No problem. UC is one benefit made up of many different elements. Standard allowance is an element of UC and the amount you receive will depend on whether you're single Under 25 or 25+ or whether you're claiming with a partner. 

If you're claiming as a single person you will be entitled to less than you would be with a partner. Assuming you're 25+ single person then your standard allowance will be £368.74/month, for a joint claim with at least one of you 25+ then your standard allowance will be £578.82/month.

If your tax credits end then yes you will lose that but then your UC will include the child elements, £315/month for your first child (if born before 6th April 2017 and/or £269.58/month for each additional child. If all children were born after 6th April 2017 then it will be the lower amount for each child. 

Remember the 2 child limit for children born after 6th April 2017 so when your next child is born you will not receive any extra money for them.

If you split up then yes your UC would be reduced because you will be a single person again. As a single person then UC would be less than your ESA which includes SDP.

LCWRA element, as i advised above this is the Support Group equivalent. If all your ESA is Income Related then yes it will replace that.

Carers element is part of UC and will be included in your maximum entitlement but he must report being your carer. He can claim carers allowance as well but as i advised, this will be deducted in full from any UC entitlement so there's no financial gain to claiming it. Also if he decides to do some work then with carers allowance there's an earnings limit but with carers element there's no earnings limit.

I can do a calculation for you but i will need you to answer some questions before i can do that. How old are your children? Are you or your partner at least 25 or over?

Beesteph

Hi 
thank you so much for your detailed answer your help is invaluable and really apreciated!!

we are both over 25, our children are 16,13,2 and I’m pregnant. 

Just to advised I currently receive the following: 

1. child tax credit £ 132.74 week
2. child benefit. £55.80 week
3. Pip highest rate of both £691 monthly
4. ESA £450.90
5. full housing benefit 
6. full council tax benefit 

I just wanted to ask two things please-  I had my ESA assessment done in I think 2016 and it was due to be reassessed in 2021, however I have not heard from them. I’m assuming it’s because of a Covid backlog. However do you think if I’m to change to universal credit that this will flag me up that i need to be reassessed and may trigger them to reassess me for this? 

My PIP is due for reassessment in 2025 would they want to reassess me again early when changing to UC? 

Many thanks 

Beesteph

Woodbine I just wanted to let you know the link you sent me using the calculator it is showing answers already input in to it which I’m assuming is your own? Just thought you should know 

Beesteph

woodbine said:

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=0f7622ef-5918-4c90-a1cb-0c27792b31fd

woodbine said:

https://www.entitledto.co.uk/benefits-calculator/Intro/Home?cid=0f7622ef-5918-4c90-a1cb-0c27792b31fd

Woodbine I just wanted to let you know the link you sent me using the calculator it is showing answers already input in to it which I’m assuming is your own? Just thought you should know 

poppy123456

Thanks. Your UC will include the following..

Standard couples allowance £578.82

child element x 1 £315

child element £269.58

carers element £185.86

LCWRA element £390.06  Total monthly amount without housing element = £1,739.32

You need to add the housing element on top of that because i don't know what your entitlement is. If you're privately renting you can see the local housing allowance rates here https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/ You will still be entitled to the same amount of bedrooms. You will need to convert the weekly amount to monthly. To do that you times it by 52 and then divide by 12.

If you're renting from social housing then your whole rent will be covered unless you have a spare bedroom.

At the moment your ESA and child Tax credits gives a monthly amount of £1,552.15/month.

You won't receive any extra money for your 2 youngest children. Though you will receive an extra £15.90/week child benefit for the baby once they are born.

PIP continues as normal. For council tax reduction then you will lose the single person discount. Other than that i can't advise because all LAs have their own rules.

If any part of your ESA is contributions based then this will continue £129.50/week but be deducted in full from any UC entitlement.

Beesteph

Thanks that’s so helpful! It’s made everything so much clearer now thank you for taking the time to help me! 

Do you think me contacting the DWP to notify them of change of circumstances will flag up my ESA assessment is overdue now and trigger them to do a reassessment on this? 

I’m just not well enough to go through that at the moment so I’m worried to rock the boat

thank you  

poppy123456

You're welcome. Moving to UC shouldn't start the process of another work capability assessment. If you are eventually referred then it will be because you were due a review anyway.

If you do claim UC once you submit your claim i'd advise you to put a message onto your journal to tell them you're in the Support Group for ESA. If you have a recent letter from ESA then i'd also advise you to take this with you to your first job centre appointment. This will help to speed up the process of transferring your details from ESA to UC, although it can still take a few weeks. Once it's done your only work commiments will be to agree to report all changes.

Claiming UC will not trigger and early PIP review.

Beesteph

Thank you 
do you know what will happen if I’m physically unable to go to the job centre? Am I able to do this uc change over the phone? As I am bedbound and house bound a lot. 

My ESA award period ended a year ago but I have not heard from them for a reassessment so I’m worried this will flag it up. Do you know if the UC equivalent to ESA assessment is  a similar system to ESA ? 

Thank you 

poppy123456

Yes the appointment can be done over the phone but you will need to ask for that. ESA and UC work capability assessments are identical, even the UC/ESA50 forms are the same.

Beesteph said:

My ESA award period ended a year ago but I have not heard from them for a reassessment so I’m worried this will flag it up.

No, it didn't end. It's an ongoing award until a new decision says otherwise. The timescale they give you for a review is just a guide and nothing more. Reviews were suspended for a few years anyway.

Beesteph

Oh I never realised this with the ESA reviews, that’s good to know. 

When I contact them to change do you know if I will continue to get my current  benefits untill it all changes over to UC as I’m sure I’ve heard people get left with no money for a time period. I’m wondering if this will be the case if I’ll have no money coming in as I live week to week and would have nothing to fall back on. Or will I still get sone money 

thank you 

poppy123456

As i advised, ESA and housing benefit will end 2 weeks after you claim UC. Your first UC payment will then be 1 month and 6 days after you submit your claim.

You can request an advance payment for UC but this will need to be repaid back and your future UC payments will be reduced until it's repaid back.

Beesteph

Ok thanks but would you know what happens about the other benefits I also get will these stop straight away? 

1. child tax credit
2. child benefit.
3. Pip highest 
4.council tax benefit 

poppy123456

No problem. I already answered all those questions. Tax credits will stop, whether you claim UC or not, if you live with your partner. Child benefit and PIP continues as normal. Council tax reduction see below.

poppy123456 said:

For council tax reduction then you will lose the single person discount. Other than that i can't advise because all LAs have their own rules.

Beesteph

That’s great thank you for all your help with this it’s really helped make everything clearer for me going forwards. And I can now think about how best to move forwards 
thank you 

poppy123456

You’re welcome. ☺️