My sister in law is on PIP and wants to go self-employed

happyfella

Hi, my sister in law who has been on PIP and the old disability allowance for i think around five or six years, could be longer wants to go self-employed but she is concerned how it will affect her PIP.

She has COPD, and this year we thought we were going to lose her. She receives the high rate of PIP for both elements and uses the mobility part of PIP to get a car so she can go out. Without it she would be in the house 24/7.

She is getting fed up now and is thinking of going self-employed and working from home or working for her daughter from home. However, she is worried about how going self-employed would affect her PIP. Her PIP runs out next year, she did tell me when but i have forogtten now and she relies on it. She is worried that if she sets up a business that her next PIP assessment will say well you are well enough to start your own business then you don't need PIP. SHe is not looking to be the next Richard Branson, she just wants to try and start a new business to bring more money in and more importantly to have a purpose.

Her last assessment they downgraded her from high rate to normal rate. She talked about in the assessment about wanting to find a job because she was fed up with being at home each day, and also mentioned that when her husband was off work they would go out each day for days out so she could try and relax, which was two days a week.

Can I ask, is anyone on the high rate of PIP for both and either working or is running their own business. Not sure if i have put this in the right place but I am hoping for a lot of feedback so i can pass on to my sister in law. It is like she is just existing at the moment and she wants more than that.

woodbine

PIP is not affected in any way by any form of employment, it might only be an issue if the claimant started to do work that contradicted the reasons for being awarded PIP.

happyfella

She gets Pip for COPD, when she goes out she uses a wheel chair, she suffers from confusion and cannot stay anywhere overnight as she has an oxygen machine. She would be doing the work from home.

woodbine

Then as I said becoming SE shouldn't affect her PIP at all, does she claim any other benefits?

happyfella

I don't know if she claims other benefits. it was just a conversation we were having. her husband works but not sure if she claims anything besides pip. I do know that someone comes in and helps her and claims carers allowance for doing it.

MarkM88

happyfella said:

She gets Pip for COPD, when she goes out she uses a wheel chair, she suffers from confusion and cannot stay anywhere overnight as she has an oxygen machine. She would be doing the work from home.

Remember she doesn’t get PIP for having a specific condition/illness/disability as PIP is not awarded for what you have been diagnosed with. 

She receives PIP because she was assessed as needing extra support or help with daily living and/or mobility in accordance with the PIP descriptors. 

You can receive PIP whilst working and I know many people that do this. 

As already pointed out though, she shouldn’t be doing work that is a contradiction to what she told the assessor she can’t do and was assessed not able to do. 

As long as that is the case, then course she can go self-employed. 

happyfella

thank you for the info.

janer1967

Hi @happyfella hope the info given has been useful and puts your sisters mind at ease 

Any further questions just ask 

happyfella

i will pass it on. Not sure if people know, but if you have an oxxygen machine then you can get a rebate from your electricty company. My Sister in Law is on oxygen and she receives a big rebate each year

woodbine

happyfella said:

i will pass it on. Not sure if people know, but if you have an oxxygen machine then you can get a rebate from your electricty company. My Sister in Law is on oxygen and she receives a big rebate each year

Thats interesting, do you have details or a link to that info?

lisathomas50

@happyfella I get thst with my electricity company and I am on the priority list if we have a power cut that lasts over two hours they bring a generator to get the electric on I help my neighbors out then ? 

happyfella

woodbine said:

happyfella said:

i will pass it on. Not sure if people know, but if you have an oxxygen machine then you can get a rebate from your electricty company. My Sister in Law is on oxygen and she receives a big rebate each year

Thats interesting, do you have details or a link to that info?

Hi, no i do not have a link but will ask my sister in law for a link. She also gets priority with her electricity company, which i got an email yesterday to say that i also get it with being on PIP but never applied for it. An advisor applied for a discount for me on my electricity and i got the email within five days to say they have added £140 to my account. I think it is a warm front thing, but not sure.

My sister is also on a priority list with the ambulance service. So, if she or her husband phones 999 they come out very fast. She was scared the other week because her husband called 999 and two ambulances came out. She was scared and thought she was not coming back. Apparently there was a mistake and only one should have come out. Sadly, she spent a week in hospital. They were going to operate but tried something else first and that worked.

lisathomas50

@happyfella I did mine over the phone with my  company 

woodbine

2019/2020 has been the final year for the £140 warm home discount .

MarkM88

woodbine said:

2019/2020 has been the final year for the £140 warm home discount .

It could potentially get extended though, they did a consultation on whether it should be extended, whether any of the eligibility criteria should be reconsidered and if the payment is a sufficient amount. 

lisathomas50

lisathomas50

@MarkN88 its been extended i judt posted a screen shot 

MarkM88

lisathomas50 said:

@MarkN88 its been extended i judt posted a screen shot 

I thought I had read the consultation paper online, so I'm glad to see it has been extended. 

woodbine

yes @lisathomas50 we all saw that, when it started in 2011/12 the end date was always planned as 2019/20, if they do extend it that will be good news. We will wait and see.

lisathomas50

Its extended to 21/22