Migration and ending self employment

Poppyangel2004

Hi all, not sure whether anyone can help. I am a complex case lol, I am migrating over to UC and have been self employed at home around my health and caring for my son. UC have already put me in no work commitments group because of carers, and not gainfully self employed. I am currently filling in a UC50 form for my health too. Now I asked citizens advice about me ending my self employment and it's affects on my claim transitional protection and everything and the email they sent back was very sketchy and mentioned sanctions and stuff. I thought as being in the none work group meant I didn't have to work and I wouldn't be penalised in anyway? But now they are worrying me. Has anyone had any experience of being in the none work group and finished their self employment etc did you have issues? And also what did you need to do with UC and HMRC to end it. My health is just at the point where I feel like I'm being pushed over the edge and I just can't cope but don't want to cause issues and have no money coming in because I want to stop working. Any advice for this will be great fully received as my anxiety is through the roof xx

poppy123456

Terrible advice you've had there from Citizens Advice. As a carer you have no commiments anyway, as you correctly stated. Therefore ending employment will not cause a sanction.

For UC just report a change of circumstances and click work and earnings and report it this way. You also need to report it to HMRC. Full details of this here.

https://www.gov.uk/stop-being-self-employed

If you're claiming UC as a single person are you also aware that if you're found to have LCWRA after the work capability assessment then your carers element will end. This will be replaced by the LCWRA element because the same person can't receive both elements at the same time so only the higher element is paid.

Also if your UC includes Transitional Protection, you may not be any better off by the LCWRA addition because the extra will just erode any TP by the same amount. It will depend on how much TP is included with your UC.

Poppyangel2004

Hi Poppy thanks for replying, the woman did mention something about a case has gone to the upper tribunal about people transferring from carers element to LCWRA and transitional protection eroding, and that it should be the "difference" between the LCWRA and carers element that should be eroded, but at the moment it is the full LCWRA amount. I was applying due to my health being awful, and how paranoid I am with how things are that when my son has to transfer from DLA to PIP that for some reason if I have to fight them for it, and they stop my carers etc they will expect me to work when I physically cant cope with it, and they would expect me to work etc. The whole system worries me on so many levels and I so wish that I was well enough to work a well paid job and not have to worry about going through all of this. You will be surprised what I worry about with my son, he has autism but terrible mental health issues and seperation anxiety and depression and he doesn't cope with people and outside world and I know when he finishes education at 19, the whole thing is awful as he will lose his child element and his disabled child element, and reading that I need get him assessed as credits only ESA when he is 16 while he is still studying to establish lwcra for him, so when he applies for UC in his own right he would be automatically transferred into the payment group if assessed right. The whole thing worries me for him to as well as me with my needs, I do not want them hounding him as he cannot cope bless him. The whole thing of everything is such a huge stress and worry all the time, thank goodness for this forum and people like you who are there to advise and support xx thank you for being there xx

Jimm_Scope

It sounds like you're a very caring mother @Poppyangel2004. It can be frustrating and worrying sometimes, but there are thankfully some safety nets and appeals processes to help.

I'm sorry if you've already tried this, but it might be beneficial to look up coping strategies and maybe go through them with your son? See if any of them help?

Mind have quite a few resources on it and more: Managing stress and building resilience - tips - Mind

Again, I'm sorry if this has already been attempted and didn't go well. I am just trying to think of ways that you could maybe help your son and also yourself at the same time

Poppyangel2004

Thank you Jim that's so lovely of you xxx