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Inheritance and ESA

Trying to find the silver lining in an inheritance.
Ok so my uncle passed away, shuffled off his mortal coil, became an ex parrot ...err sorry person. Black humor sorry ( but he loved Monty Python so would be chuckling now I am sure). He had dementia and had been going for quite a while. We had done the funeral and all the other really not fun stuff you gotta do when a relative dies.
I have depression and extreme social anxiety so pretty much bad the whole way through. My husband has COPD, Diabetes, arthritis and many other issues (including some anxiety too). It has been a challenge is probably the most positive way of putting it. Today I got a letter from his solicitors with the "super" news I am to inherit £26000. I have been stressing out ever since.
Currently get IB ESA (awarded to husband but done as a joint claim as I also unable to work), CA (kinda both care for each other but we only get it once), PIP (for myself, husband should receive but lost his temper during telephone assessment and said he would not bother). CTB and HB. Effectively we "live" on the kindness of the state.
It was a long stressful journey to get to the stage where we can plan our budget and not have to be filling in forms, waiting in terrifying waiting rooms or forwarding doctor letters and all the rest. Now its all gone upside down and back to front. As far as I can tell we have to tell DWP and then use the inheritance as though it were our benefit till its gets below £6000 or £16000?? If I were "normal" and could do as I saw fit this money would be exciting. Instead I am terrified, confused, conflicted and stressed.
Anyone who has gone through this with words of wisdom or warnings of pitfalls please respond. Thanks hopefully Jen73
Ok so my uncle passed away, shuffled off his mortal coil, became an ex parrot ...err sorry person. Black humor sorry ( but he loved Monty Python so would be chuckling now I am sure). He had dementia and had been going for quite a while. We had done the funeral and all the other really not fun stuff you gotta do when a relative dies.
I have depression and extreme social anxiety so pretty much bad the whole way through. My husband has COPD, Diabetes, arthritis and many other issues (including some anxiety too). It has been a challenge is probably the most positive way of putting it. Today I got a letter from his solicitors with the "super" news I am to inherit £26000. I have been stressing out ever since.
Currently get IB ESA (awarded to husband but done as a joint claim as I also unable to work), CA (kinda both care for each other but we only get it once), PIP (for myself, husband should receive but lost his temper during telephone assessment and said he would not bother). CTB and HB. Effectively we "live" on the kindness of the state.
It was a long stressful journey to get to the stage where we can plan our budget and not have to be filling in forms, waiting in terrifying waiting rooms or forwarding doctor letters and all the rest. Now its all gone upside down and back to front. As far as I can tell we have to tell DWP and then use the inheritance as though it were our benefit till its gets below £6000 or £16000?? If I were "normal" and could do as I saw fit this money would be exciting. Instead I am terrified, confused, conflicted and stressed.
Anyone who has gone through this with words of wisdom or warnings of pitfalls please respond. Thanks hopefully Jen73
Replies
Had lot to
So to answer the original posters question the DWP will expect the couple to live off the inheritance just as they would if they were working until they had almost none of it left.
Shame you cant enjoy a windfall.
xxx