caring for someone question

Pete1

Hello, we are on a couples Income related ESA, we also receive the severe disability premium [£165.80] as a couple [husband in support group & PIP and wife on standard care pip], my wife is also an appointee for my adult son [over 30 years old and in ESA support group and PIP], I have a few questions; -

1. As we are awarded SDP because we don’t claim carers allowance would SDP still be awarded if my wife cared for me [or son] for more than 35 hours even though she doesn’t get a carers allowance or would the SDP only stop if she claimed carers allowance?

2. If she did care for me [or son] for 35 hours or more would this exempt her from attending looking for work with a work coach or would the exemption only apply if she was actually claiming a carers allowance?

3. as my wife is an appointee for my son would this alone exempt her from attending looking for work with a work coach regardless of caring for more or less than 35 hours?

Thank you very much for any help or advice in working through the Migration process

chiarieds

Hi @Pete1 - if your wife claimed Carer's Allowance (CA) for looking after you, then your SDP would stop, but not your wife's. Claiming CA (£83.30 a week) would just make you 40p a week better off.

If she claimed CA for your son & he also receives SDP, then the same thing would happen. If he's not in receipt of the SDP, then financially you'd be better off as a family if she claimed CA for him.

Citizen's Advice can help guide you through migrating to UC if you've received a letter saying you need to migrate: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/moving-from-other-benefits/if-youve-got-a-migration-notice/

& one of our members has written a guide about the process:

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/121150/uc-managed-migration-guide