Old style ESA PIP and carers allowance urgent advice needed please

tusumcornw
tusumcornw Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

Hi,

I'm on old style ESA in the support group as a couple.

My partner claims carers allowance and i lose £81 odd each week from the ESA payment.

I have enhanced pip for daily living and mobility

She has standard daily living she's only just been awarded it last week.

No mobility

Am I right in thinking she should cancel her carers allowance claim so our ESA would be substantially higher with the couple severe disability rate of £160+ a week on ESA ?

We have no severe disability premium currently, I receive £345 a fortnight from ESA that's after deductions for social fund loan repayments.

How much could I expect the ESA to go up if I am right and we should claim for the severe disability premium couple.

I did call ESA and she offered to apply for the severe disability premium but said she'd need to cancel carers first.

Also if she doesn't cancel carers and we decide to stay as it is would we get the single severe disability premium instead of couples ?

How long would it take for my ESA to go up after she's cancelled her carers allowance claim and I've applied for the severe disability premium?

Sorry for any confusion I desperately need advice

Thank you very much in advance 🙏🙏

Comments

  • tusumcornw
    tusumcornw Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Anyone?

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,185 Championing

    Most people on the forum give advice freely in their own spare time and the majority of them have health conditions their self. For this reason it may not always be possible to have an answer to your question straight away. Please have a little patience.

    To answer your question..

    Yes carers allowance is deducted in full from your ESA. However, they also include the carers premium, which is £45.60/week. Therefore, you're £45.60/week better off by your partner claiming CA. 

    If you are the main claimant of the ESA claim then only you would receive NI credits towards your State Pension. As your partner is claiming Carers Allowance they would also be receiving NI credits for their self. If they cancel the carers allowance they will not receive any NI credits. 

    You can claim single person SDP which is £81.50/week extra in your ESA, providing there are no other adults living with you. If there is, they must also be claiming a qualifying disability benefit or be registered blind.

    Yes you would be better off claiming couples SDP but your partner will lose their NI credits, as I advised.

    I don't know how long it will take for Carers allowance to stop but I do know they don't always stop it straight away if your partner cancels the claim. 

  • tusumcornw
    tusumcornw Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Ok thanks A lot

    So yes we'd be better off on couples SDP but it would ruin her potential future life as a pensioner? As in she won't be able to get a state pension if she has no contributions?

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,185 Championing

    That will depend on how many more years of contributions she needs. At the moment she's claiming carers allowance and is receiving class 1 NI credits for this.

  • tusumcornw
    tusumcornw Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    She worked for most of her life but hasn't worked for the last 8-10 years but has claimed carers for a while she is 34.

    We did get contribution based ESA for a while.

  • Jimm_Scope
    Jimm_Scope Posts: 5,409 Scope Online Community Specialist

    Hey @tusumcornw, welcome to the community 😊 This site is a little slower than your other online spaces like facebook or twitter. But there are people here, just it's a bit more relaxed I suppose? So it might take time for someone to respond or answer questions. Hopefully we can find the answers! I can see Poppy is already answering a lot of your questions, she is incredibly knowledgeable about the benefits system, knows far more than I do.

    I was just wondering, you mentioned your partner only got standard daily from PIP, is this about what you both expected or did you think she met more criteria for points than the DWP has decided?

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,185 Championing

    At that age she will obviously have some NI contributions but she will be a long way off the amount needed for a full state pension. Then again, she's also a long way off state pension age.

  • tusumcornw
    tusumcornw Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Im just not sure if we should end her carers allowance claim or not

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,185 Championing

    You will be £35.90/week better off if you stop the carers allowance and claim couples SDP. Ask yourself is the extra money worth more than the NI credits? Only you can decide that.

    If the carers allowance continues then it will just be single SDP, which is £81.50/week.

  • tusumcornw
    tusumcornw Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Would we be moved onto universal credit if we report the change of my partner receiving pip and apply for single rate SDP?

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,185 Championing

    No, not at all. It's not a change of circumstances that will prompt a move.

  • tusumcornw
    tusumcornw Online Community Member Posts: 7 Listener

    Thank you very much for all of your assistance you are a star 💯🙏🙏🙏

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 63,185 Championing

    You're very welcome.