finances in supporting living

Hello Bubba,

Sorry for the delay in responding to your post. Do you still need some information on this subject?

It depends on who the provider is to start with, I'm guessing this could be a care provider or housing provider? I think you will find that yes they can look at the joint account even if that person has capacity.

There is a way around this though and that would be to keep the joint bank account if you wish and then have two separate accounts for each joint account holder. That way you have the joint account for the money going in and then any joint bills can come out of this account. Anything left over can be split and paid into the separate accounts, this would separate the finances down and make it easier to work things out. It would make it easier to see what disposable income the service user is left with after all priority outgoings have been paid.

A quick example of this can be in a case where Mum/Dad has a joint bank account with their disabled adult child. All the money coming in goes into the joint bank account. Mum/Dad opens 2 new accounts (or 1) and transfers disposable income into separate account for their child.

It's a bit complicated but worth it in the long run if it makes the finances easier to understand and ensures that the service user doesn't miss out on any help.

I hope this is helpful, do get in touch if there's anything else I can help with.

Best wishes
Debbie