What benefits are there out there for lower incomes

DeeOxnard
DeeOxnard Online Community Member Posts: 26 Connected
in Money and bills
I’ve been on contribution ESA for 3 years in the support group after being diagnosed with CRPS, FND osteoarthritis, plantar fasciitis, & this week being diagnosed with sinusitis & 3 discs in my neck bulging and the nerves are pinching my arms giving me tremors.
I only came out of hospital after a few days stay after I had a massive sinus bleed and couldn’t stop it
my husband reduced his hours to 25 to help me at home, as I struggled with every day to day activities,, then in September he was diagnosed with a skin cancer around his eyes, OMG OUR DAY TO DAY LIVING BECAME A NIGHTMARE, he has now had surgery on both eyes, and went back to this week, but with the cost of living we are just plotless all the time, during his illness we both needed dentures, and I needed glasses at a cost of £1.028, he earns £1100 month, and we get topped up by universal credit of £280 month I get £509.00 month as I’m in ESA support group
we have been lucky as we don’t pay rent or a mortgage 
and I do get higher rate of pip on the 3 days he works I have a lady come in to walk dogs, help me dress and some lunch it costs me £75 week, but couldn’t be without her 
but How do people manage our income is £2,200
sounds great doesn’t it but the cost of living we just live day to day,
we were £27 month over to claim for free dental and prescription glasses

i was told I’m better off moving to universal credit and coming off contribution ESA support group 

Monthly out goings 
council tax 165.00
Help lady £300
gas £248.00
electric £128.00
petrol £100
log burner £80
funeral plans £60
house insurance £55
car tax £20
car service mot £30
mobile phones £100 in contract till November 
internet & home phone £40
water rates £55
prescriptions £20
tv licence £15
food £300 
lifts on Monday & Tuesday neighbour £80 weekly hospital physio
credi card £100 due to teeth & dentures 
Our disposable income is £75.00 month which gets ate up with price increases in food
and if the prices go up on the gas and electric we won’t be able to keep up the repayments 

during the cold spell in a week our prepayment metre took £140 we are too frightened to put it on, my neighbour says I can sit round hers as she thinks my house is too cold, but I can’t leave the dogs I get them to cuddle up under the quilt to keep them warm we thought we would get help with cold weather payments but according to universal credit we don’t qualify but I got the extra £150 from dwp due to pip I think, but was told it doesn’t cover the £25 for the 7 days it’s was minus

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    edited January 2023
    I don’t understand the advice that you would be better off coming off your ESA and moving to UC. 

    In your comment you said you were claiming ESA with a UC top up so coming off ESA will not make you financially better off. You’ll still be entitled to the same amount of money each month. 

    As your ESA isn’t means tested then it could be helpful in the future, so I don’t advise stopping that. 

    Does your UC include the LCWRA element? As well as standard couples element. If your partner cares for you for at least 35 hours per week they can claim carers element of UC which will increase your maximum UC entitlement by £168.82/month.

    Council tax reduction can be claimed from your local Authority but with your partners earning there maybe no entitlement. 

    Unfortunately UC is based on household income and the bills you pay are not taken into consideration. 

    You’re not entitled to the cold weather payment because your partner works. The £150 you received was for the Cost of living payment because of your PIP award. You should also be receiving help with your energy bills if you’re named on an electric account. £66/67 month from Oct to March. 

    For your prescriptions you can have a look at the NHS low income scheme https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-scheme
    Or the NHS prepayment prescription certificate, which is much cheaper than paying £20/month. https://services.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/buy-prescription-prepayment-certificate/start 
  • DeeOxnard
    DeeOxnard Online Community Member Posts: 26 Connected
    my husband does get the LCWRA and standard couple also the carers element when all deductions are made we get £280.00 from universal credit are worry is when the heating costs go up again I’m hoping we can cover the payments it’s such a worry half of my husbands income is just fie gas & electric 

    thank you for your reply 

    kind regards Dee
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    The LCWRA element is for you and carers element for your husband, as well as standard element. That means you’re already receiving the maximum benefits for your circumstances. 
    That’s a huge amount of money for energy bills as well as a log burner. 
    Do you have any family near you that can help you when your husband is in work instead of paying someone £300 a month, which is a lot of money. 
  • calcotti
    calcotti Online Community Member Posts: 10,001 Championing
    edited January 2023
    -
  • iza
    iza Scope Member Posts: 696 Empowering
    Hi, I wonder if you could use internet from phone ( as long as you have unlimited) and transfer to your computer/laptop/ PC via personal hot spot? If yes you could probably than cancel the home phone and broadband. That would save you perhaps the 40 £ per month. Personally, I had also canceled myself TV license as I don’t watch it at all. Could save you the 15£ a month. 
  • vikingqueen
    vikingqueen Scope Member Posts: 1,802 Championing
          House insurance of £55 a month seems extremely high, I would try a comparison site. I know insurance can vary a lot but I pay less than £100 a year for buildings and contents. My daughter gets hers from the bank where her mortgage is and they charge a ridiculous amount and hers is only £300 a year. I would be shopping around. 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    vikingqueen said:
          House insurance of £55 a month seems extremely high, 
    I agree with this. I rent my home and have contents insurance and this year my policy has recently renewed at just £7 per
    month. 
    Also if you’re not still in contract with your broadband, BT have a home essentials package for those claiming benefits such as Universal Credit, regardless of earnings. Worth taking a look. https://www.cable.co.uk/broadband/providers/bt-broadband/home-essentials/
  • DeeOxnard
    DeeOxnard Online Community Member Posts: 26 Connected
    My house insurance is with Saga, we had a main water pipe burst under the house flooding it,they had to did up foundations of house to repair it, we made a claim the damage was nearly £8,000 our insurance went from £41 to £55 reasons why it’s so expensive we have fried other insurance companies but no different in price really, so we stayed put, to be fair Sage were amazing when it happened.

    my family all work full time, most of them for the NHS, The lady that comes in does travel about 10 miles a day to help and does  9-1 12 hours a week so she roughly gets about £6.50 an hour and does not charge me travel or petrol for travel I didn’t think that was expensive my mum pays double this amount for 2.5 hours, so I’m not sure how much it costs maybe I need to cancel the help and put it towards the cost of living, I can dress later in the day maybe, and let dogs in garden till husband finishes work.
    just until the cost of living improves 

    kind regards Dee

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