Need help regarding benefits — Scope | Disability forum

Need help regarding benefits

BigBen
BigBen Member Posts: 13 Listener
edited October 2018 in Benefits and financial support
Hello I've got a cousin who is a single parent but lives with his mum who owns the house they live in he pays no rent or bills and claims to have no money. He's got an autistic son who goes a special school and 2 other daughter who a main stream primary school who live with him as well.

Does anyone know what benefits he should be on and claiming for his family?

I would not normally ask this but nearly every other day it's a can I borrow £20 or £30 and rarely pays a penny back and surely he is getting a considerable amount of benefits each week and doesn't pay rent or bills what we all wish we didn't have to pay but unfortunately we have to. 
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Comments

  • Ami2301
    Ami2301 Member Posts: 7,945 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @BigBen welcome to the community!

    Is your cousins son on DLA? If so, your cousin could be eligible for Carers Allowance. Do you know what benefits he is claiming?
    Disability Gamechanger - 2019
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  • BigBen
    BigBen Member Posts: 13 Listener
    He's very defensive about what benefits he's on and  asking for money every other day without fail. He doesn't pay bills, rent or food for his kids his mum pays for all that.

    I'm not sure if he gets DLA or PIP for his son but he's let slip to my mum he gets Carers Allowance. 

    His son who is autistic is 11 and is on the higher end of the autism spectrum and goes to a specialist school and I forgot to say my cousin is out of work and has been for a number of years. 
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  • Ami2301
    Ami2301 Member Posts: 7,945 Disability Gamechanger
    I now see why you're annoyed by this. If he isn't paying for anything then where is his money going? Sorry I'm not quite sure what to say!
    Disability Gamechanger - 2019
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Member Posts: 29,522 Disability Gamechanger
    If he claims Carers Allowance then one of his children must either be claiming PIP or DLA. If he claims carers allowance then he could also be claiming Income Support. There's also child tax credits weekly too and if one of his children is claiming DLA that means he'll be entitled to extra tax credits for that child. This can all add up to quite a fair amount of money each week, depending on what award of DLA or PIP they have.

    Maybe it's time for his mum to stop paying everything for him...
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  • BigBen
    BigBen Member Posts: 13 Listener
    It’s ok Ami thanks for replying to me I totally agree with you there it’s annoying because he’s been asking my mum several times a week for a while and if my mum goes out with his mum (her sister and my aunty) he phones my mum up until she gives and aks for money and to me that is some form of harassment.
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  • BigBen
    BigBen Member Posts: 13 Listener
    Thanks for that information Poppy and I agree he must be on a fair amount of money each week and the annoying thing is he doesn’t go out of the house and spends most of the time sleeping I know he smokes weed and does not drink but things are ridiculous regarding him and his mum.
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  • Ami2301
    Ami2301 Member Posts: 7,945 Disability Gamechanger
    Sadly, that's probably where the extra 20-30 is going...
    Disability Gamechanger - 2019
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