Moving house

starbuck

My husband is getting more and more mobile and is in training for a guide dog. Now he doesn't rely on me so much to get around he wants to move somewhere on a bus route and on level ground so he can get out more. We presently live in a rural village with a terrible bus service and lots of steep hills. 
We'd like to move nearer to our adult kids but that means moving out of our county. 
It's only just dawned on me that moving from this area will trigger a change from legacy benefits to universal credit, something we've dreaded happening for years. 
We currently claim esa, contribution based, income support, pip and housing and council tax benefit and child tax credits.
😭😭😭

calcotti

If you move your contribution based ESA, IS and PIP are not affected and you can claim CTR at your new address. However your existing HB claim will end if you move from your local authority and you will not be able to make a new HB claim.

If you want help with rent you will have to claim UC which will then end the IS claim.

I am confused as to why you are getting Income Support. Although you didn't mention it are you claiming Carer's Allowance? Is it just your husband taht gets PIP?

You may get slightly more money on UC than on your existing benefits. You can use a benefits calculator to check.

starbuck

Yes I forgot the carer's allowance. I get income support because my husband was put on the wrong rate of esa when it was introduced so they top up the difference with income support.

starbuck

Just my husband receives pip.

calcotti

starbuck said:

Yes I forgot the carer's allowance. I get income support because my husband was put on the wrong rate of esa when it was introduced so they top up the difference with income support.

It should have been possible to get the ESA corrected and I would have expected him to get an income based top up. I think c-ESA plus IS may be giving you less than you would get if it was c-ESA plus i-ESA.

So you currently have contribution based ESA and PIP for your husband, CA and IS for you plus HB and CTR.

At the moment i would calculate your weekly income to be c-ESA £114.10, CA £67.60, Income Support £23.45 plus PIP, HB and CTR.

If you were claiming UC your IS and HB would stop and you would get UC equivalent to the HB plus £53.05/week a gain of £29.60/week (if my original calculation is correct).

The CTR you get may be different in a different local authority because each local authority sets its own rules.

starbuck

We get £48.05 income support, full housing benefit and council tax reduction and £121.40 child tax credit for two children.

calcotti

starbuck said:

We get £48.05 income support, full housing benefit and council tax reduction and £121.40 child tax credit for two children.

I obviously got the IS calculation wrong, I think that means you get more on IS than you would on ESA.

You didn't mention the Tax Credits previously. That again changes the basis of any calculation/comparison. If you claim Universal Credit the Tax Credits will also stop. 

Was at least one of your children born before 6th April 2017? If so I calculate your UC entitlement will be roughly the same as your existing benefits. If both children were born later it will be less.

standard allowance £509.91, child born before 6/04/2017 £282.50, second child £237.08, carer element £163.73, LCWRA element £434.63 = maximum UC £1536.85/month plus housing element. This is equivalent to £354.66/week, Deduct the c-ESA and CA leaves £172.96/week compared to IS plus CTC of £169.45 at the moment.

starbuck

Yes they're both teenagers.

starbuck

Is it true that universal credit doesn't pay up to 19 for kids in full-time education? Someone told me it stops at 18 unlike tax credits who paid for our son up until his 20th birthday.

calcotti

Even if you don't move the government's intention is that you will be required to change to UC at some point in the next few years anyway. In your case, if my calculations are correct, it looks as if financially it makes very little difference. 

You may find it beneficial to switch to UC slightly before you actually move. When you claim UC the Tax Credits stop instantly but the IS and HB carry on for two weeks (even though UC will pay you money for those same two weeks) but I don't think the UC can carry on beyond the date you are living in your existing house. You probably also don't want to be trying to sort out moving house at the same time as changing your benefits claims.

calcotti

starbuck said:

Is it true that universal credit doesn't pay up to 19 for kids in full-time education? Someone told me it stops at 18 unlike tax credits who paid for our son up until his 20th birthday.

There is a difference between Tax Credits and UC which can mean that UC stops sooner. It isn't true to say that it stops at 18. A lot depends on date of birth
Some information here
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/child-over-16

starbuck

Many thanks for the info 👍👍👍

starbuck

Now the house is quieter I can get my head around this better. Our 2nd youngest is 19 this coming August, so if we were on uc their element would stop on 31st August. 
If we are still on tax credits we will continue to receive them throughout their final year of college. I think I've got that right. 
Wow, that's a chunk of money to manage without. 😳 I don't understand why the ages change from one benefit to the other. That must leave a lot of families struggling when their kids are in their final year 😦😦😦

poppy123456

starbuck said:

Now the house is quieter I can get my head around this better. Our 2nd youngest is 19 this coming August, so if we were on uc their element would stop on 31st August. 
If we are still on tax credits we will continue to receive them throughout their final year of college. I think I've got that right. 
Wow, that's a chunk of money to manage without. 😳 I don't understand why the ages change from one benefit to the other. That must leave a lot of families struggling when their kids are in their final year 😦😦😦

For the 19 year old the child element would stop on 1st September this year, if you were to claim UC. Tax credits and UC are 2 different benefits, with different criteria.

For tax credits, if the young person remains in full time non advanced education then it will continue up until the day before their 20th birthday.

If you moved to a different local Authority and need to claim for help with the rent, then you'll have no option but to claim UC.

starbuck

Thanks for the info. I guess we'll have to stay put until they've finished their course then 😪

calcotti

starbuck said:..I don't understand why the ages change from one benefit to the other. 

Simply because that’s what the government decided to do.

pokeve92

You are right , moving house is really a big issue . We’re moving house and the buyers of our buyer’s house are being really slow. Which is causing our seller to get really annoyed and we risk losing the house. We can’t buy the house until ours completes. No doubt there are many city guide like kuavo or guide posts at different forums .

L_Volunteer

I can hear your frustrations @pokeve92. How's everything going for you at the moment? I recognise it has been a little while since you last posted on this thread now. Please don't hesitate to let us know if we can do anything to support you