Carers allowance and ESA

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Comments

  • Debbie1234
    Debbie1234 Online Community Member Posts: 184 Contributor
    Hello Poppy
    I hope you are ok?
    I am a little worried with the money uc have told me I will receive 😔 
    is this correct do you think?
    £1493 a month 
    £525.72 standard for a couple 
    £544.14 for housing 
    £290 for our son
    £168.81 carers money for my husband Richard 

    then Richard earns for himself £100 a week 

    obviously I then get my pip monthly at £624 monthly

    this seems very low


    i used to get
    £660 monthly ESA severe element I think it’s called 
    £256 monthly child tax credits 
    and obviously my pip at £624 a month 

    I seem to be worse off or is it me 🤣
  • Debbie1234
    Debbie1234 Online Community Member Posts: 184 Contributor
    Or is this amount just for this month do you think? 🤔 and next month will be more?
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,178 Championing
    Your UC should include the LCWRA element (£354.28) because you were in the Support Group for ESA. 
    You need to put a message onto your journal under the payment section and tell them you were in the Support Group and your UC should include the LCWRA element. 
    Are you 100% sure your ESA included the severe disability premium? It shouldn’t have been unless your husband also claims a qualifying disability benefit such as PIP daily living or DLA mid/high rate care or he’s registered blind. 
  • Debbie1234
    Debbie1234 Online Community Member Posts: 184 Contributor
    No sorry we weren’t getting the severe disability….
    I have left a note on my journal to explain. I am really panicking now and there is no one to speak to on the phone they just tell you to write on your journal

    thank you for replying Poppy
  • Debbie1234
    Debbie1234 Online Community Member Posts: 184 Contributor
    Good morning Poppy 🥰
    I spoke to someone at uc yesterday and she was bemused herself but she made a note on my account for a case manager to look at it for me. Her only explanation was that sometimes it take ESA a long time to get back to them and let them know for certain that I was in the support group. It seems crazy as the caring money is on there ….
    it’s so worrying 

    I will let you know the outcome 
  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,922 Championing

    Thanks for continuing to have the courage to tell us what is happening for you @Debbie1234 and how you are feeling. I can hear you are finding things tough at the moment, particularly with panicking and worrying. 

    Would anything, in particular, help this to feel more manageable for you at the moment? Wishing you the best of luck but please don’t hesitate to let us know if we can do anything to support you in the meantime  <3  

  • Debbie1234
    Debbie1234 Online Community Member Posts: 184 Contributor
    Thank you so much for your response 😊
    I am ok I think 🤣 
    many are in a worse position. It Just has taken me many years to be put in the support group and I am worried that I will have to start the whole process again 😌
    Hopefully I will be covered by the transitional period that I’ve been told about and they will sort it out soon

  • Debbie1234
    Debbie1234 Online Community Member Posts: 184 Contributor
    I do I don’t believe it!!!!! I have qualified for LCWRA and have been told I will have to pay council tax monthly £167 this seems so cruel as on ESA I didn’t have to pay any council tax. I could cry 😭 
    It just seems the disabled and disadvantaged get the worst deal again 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,178 Championing
    That does seem a lot. Are you sure they're calculated it correctly?  For council tax reduction all local Authorities have their own rules.
    If you had stayed on ESA with the deductions for your partners earnings the council tax would have been recalculated anyway because of the earnings, so although you weren't paying anything before he was working, you may have had to once the work started. Thinking back to the calculations, i still don't think you're any worse off.
  • Debbie1234
    Debbie1234 Online Community Member Posts: 184 Contributor
    Good evening Poppy 
    it is a huge amount and unfortunately our areas council have gone whole hog as they say. The gentleman I spoke to really did empathize with me and told me to put in for discretionary housing payment 🙏
    we will be a little better off actually because as you rightly said with my husband’s wages we would of had to pay something. 
    Thank you once again 
    have a lovely weekend 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,178 Championing
    edited September 2022
    Debbie1234 said:
    The gentleman I spoke to really did empathize with me and told me to put in for discretionary housing payment 🙏


    That's quite bad advice you were given here. a DHP sadly doesn't cover council tax. See link. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/claiming-discretionary-housing-payments/claiming-discretionary-housing-payments

    What a DHP cannot cover

    DHPs cannot cover council tax, even if you get Local Council Tax Support.



  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    As poppy says, a DHP cannot be awarded to help with Council Tax. It will only be worth applying for a DHP if the amount you get in UC to help with your rent is less than your actual rent. The DHP could make up the difference. Any DHP is likely to be short term.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 174 Listener
    I'm not claiming Carers Allowance until I'm on UC, I will have to or I will be forced to work because I'm on my boyfriend's claim, and I don't get disability premiums but he does( I don't want to attend WCA) but I do get PIP. I'm gonna wait until I'm migrated over.
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,005 Championing
    KerryBemmy said:
    I'm not claiming Carers Allowance until I'm on UC, I will have to or I will be forced to work because I'm on my boyfriend's claim, and I don't get disability premiums but he does( I don't want to attend WCA) but I do get PIP. I'm gonna wait until I'm migrated over.
    Impossible to comment meaningfully on that without knowing what benefits are involved. Worth noting however that if you are on UC in the future then claiming CA will not 8ncrease your income because the UC would be deducted from the UC.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 174 Listener
    edited September 2022
    ESA Support Group it's my boyfriend's claim,(I fill in all his ESA50 forms he can't read or write) I'm added on, they do pay me a partner allowance, although I have disabilities I only claim PIP. I have no interest in asking for me to be in the Support group as I despise medical assessments, it's bad enough I attend his assessments and my PIP assessments because I'm his carer. But I'm assuming on UC I will be forced to either claim CA or apply for LCWRA (which I don't want to do). I have schizophrenia so don't like doctors or any medical staff so I'm not getting sick notes. He also gets PIP.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,178 Championing
    KerryBemmy said:
    ESA Support Group it's my boyfriend's claim, I'm added on, although I have disabilities I only claim PIP. I have no interest in asking for me to be in the Support group as I despise medical assessments, it's bad enough I attend his assessments and my PIP assessments because I'm his carer. But I'm assuming on UC I will be forced to either claim CA or apply for LCWRA (which I don't want to do). I have schizophrenia so don't like doctors or any medical staff so I'm not getting sick notes.

    No, you won't be forced into anything. If you're partner claims a disability benefit such as PIP daily living or DLA mid/high rate care then you can claim carers element of UC for looking after him. If you claim this then you will not have to look for work or prepare for work.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 174 Listener
    edited September 2022
    Thanks yes he gets PIP also same as me Enhanced on both. Don't you have to claim CA to get carers element I have no idea how UC works
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,178 Championing
    KerryBemmy said:
    Don't you have to claim CA to get carers element
    No.

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 174 Listener
    Thanks.  I just looked it up on a UC website.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,178 Championing
    calcotti said:
    KerryBemmy said:
    I'm not claiming Carers Allowance until I'm on UC, I will have to or I will be forced to work because I'm on my boyfriend's claim, and I don't get disability premiums but he does( I don't want to attend WCA) but I do get PIP. I'm gonna wait until I'm migrated over.
    the UC would be deducted from the UC.
    Typo the CA would be deducted from UC, not UC from UC.


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