Benefits amount

dp267p
dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
in Benefits and income
Hi,

I know this is a weird question but is it normal to receive around 1,300 a month in benefit entitlement?

It seems an awful lot of money but then again I am a gay man with no kids and share a house with a friend / joint tenant. 

It just seems a lot of money and I think at times maybe they’re overpaying me?
«1

Comments

  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    It depends on your circumstances and what benefits you are claiming.
  • dp267p
    dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
    Standard PIP and standard mobility on top of ESA and UC but also housing element. 
  • dp267p
    dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
    I get £315 
  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    So the PIP is 89.30/week (386.97/month)
    Your UC with LCWRA (ESA taken off) is £689.19/month.
    So you’re on £1076.16/month plus your help with rent.
  • dp267p
    dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
    I think it works out

    ESA - 509 a month
    UC - 492 a month (including the rent)
    PIP - 386.97 a month

    is that right? Or is it an error / overpayment. 
  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    That is completely plausible.
  • dp267p
    dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
    Plausible that it’s an overpayment or that I’m in receipt of the correct amounts?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 59,054 Championing
    dp267p said:
    Plausible that it’s an overpayment or that I’m in receipt of the correct amounts?

    Correct amounts. See calcottis breakdown here.
    calcotti said:
    So the PIP is 89.30/week (386.97/month)
    Your UC with LCWRA (ESA taken off) is £689.19/month.
    So you’re on £1076.16/month plus your help with rent.


  • dp267p
    dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
    edited July 2022
    It works out 1,300 a month. Is that right???

    or are you excluding the rent?

    my UC is £492 after ESA is taken off. 
  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    edited July 2022
    dp267p said:
    It works out 1,300 a month. Is that right???
    or are you excluding the rent?
    my UC is £492 after ESA is taken off. 
    I didn’t include the rent originally because I didn’t know how much your rent is. That’s why I said
    calcotti said:
    So you’re on £1076.16/month plus your help with rent.
    So £1300/month is entirely plausible when rent is added
  • dp267p
    dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
    Seems an awful lot of money. Is this normal for benefits?


  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 59,054 Championing
    edited July 2022
    dp267p said:
    Seems an awful lot of money. Is this normal for benefits?


    As advised it depends on a persons circumstances. As you are claiming PIP as well as LCWRA then your benefit entitlement will be higher than a single person that doesn’t have a disability. The amount you’re receiving is correct for your circumstances. 
    It’s very unusual for someone to question whether their benefits are too much. Usually people question because they aren’t receiving enough to live off. 
  • dp267p
    dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
    Maybe it’s because I live in shared accommodation. So the bills are halved? 

    No idea. Does that sound realistic?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 59,054 Championing
    edited July 2022
    Bills are not taken into consideration when claiming any means tested benefits.
    Although sharing the cost of the bills with others certainly helps to budget better. 
  • dp267p
    dp267p Community member Posts: 69 Connected
    Yeah that’s right and to be fair. That isn’t a huge amount. Some people earn 22k-32k. I think max is 14k in benefits. 

    But if you remember I was the OP who said was it okay to share with a friend / ex partner for UC housing element. That I was worried about. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 59,054 Championing
    dp267p said:
    I think max is 14k in benefits. 


    That's not exactly correct. Maximum entitlement to benefits will totally depend on a claimants circumstances. For example, a couple with 2 children, with disabilities that both receive DLA could be entitled to a lot more than £14,000 in benefits.
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,922 Championing
    As your getting 1300 per month then you are getting £15, 600 per year so the limit is obviously more than 14k 
  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    edited July 2022
    dp267p said:
    Seems an awful lot of money. Is this normal for benefits?
    I have already explained how it is made up and seems completely appropriate based on what OP has said. Would be higher if their OP was higher.
  • Biblioklept
    Biblioklept Community member Posts: 5,160 Championing
    You have to remember that everyone's amount is tailored to their specific situation. So not everyone will receive as much as you and some will receive more. But two people with identical circumstances should receive the same.

    Someone with different circumstances to you could get just £265.31 a month to live off. Which really wouldn't go far at all. 
  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,925 Championing
    Thanks for highlighting this @Biblioklept :)

Categories