Hi, my name is ferguson931! Advice please I'm worried 😟

ferguson931
ferguson931 Online Community Member Posts: 3 Listener
edited September 2024 in Benefits and income

I'm currently in receipt of SDP with income support and PIP higher rate, my two sons live with me one suicidal on ESA and PIP the other special needs on PIP and UC. I have been asked to provide 2 months bank statements and let them know my two sons are still at home. Problem is my younger special needs sons money is paid into my bank account so at times my account looks basically like I'm slightly well off. What do I do ? Do I provide the statements, as i already have been told the DWP inform housing benefit of what I receive anyway.

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  • ferguson931
    ferguson931 Online Community Member Posts: 3 Listener
  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 10,798 Scope Online Community Coordinator

    Heya @ferguson931 and welcome to the community. 😊

    Many people are being asked to provide bank statements at the moment, so I'd try not to worry too much, it's just a review. Though if your savings go above £6k by the time the next benefits payments are due, then that can effect the amount of UC you'd be entitled to. If above £16k then any means tested benefits would stop so you'd still receive the PIP.

    As Vikki has asked, would separate bank accounts for you sons be something you could do?

  • ferguson931
    ferguson931 Online Community Member Posts: 3 Listener

    My account has a lot less than £6,000 in it , it's just when my sons money goes in it raises the balance to over £1,000. My son can't get a bank account he's special needs, I'm his appointee. He doesn't have the right ID to open an account either way I would have to be named on it as his appointee. It's only because my youngest sons money goes into my account it raises the amount. He doesn't go out the house due to his autism and learning disabilities. I'm probably just overthinking 😕

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing

    The money from the benefits payments is not treated as capital/savings until the end of the period it's paid for.

    Your son having ASD and a learning disability doesn't mean he can't have a bank account in his own name. He can still open a bank a basic bank account without photo ID. See link below.

    Being his appointee only applies to his benefits, it doesn't cover anything else financially. Opening a joint account with him could still cause issues because 50% of the money in that account will still be his.

    There's also other options for managing his financial affairs such as Lasting Power Of Attorney (LPA) or Power Of Attorney (POA) but for those he must have the mental capacity to make the decision to allow you to that. If he's been officially assessed as lacking mental capacity you will not be able to put either of those in place. In this case there's other options but it's complicated and you would need to get some expert advice on that. See link below for more information.

    https://send-money-to-prisoner.service.gov.uk/en-gb/help/setup-basic-bank-account/

    https://www.gov.uk/make-decisions-for-someone

    My daughter has ASD and a learning disability and she has a basic bank account, when she opened that she didn't have photo ID so yes it's possible to do that. I'm her appointee for all her benefits, which are paid into my bank account. I take out her share of the bills (we live together) and transfer the rest to her. I then help her manage her bank account.

    The reason she has her own bank account is because I worry that if anything happens to me, she would not have access to any money, having her own bank means she will still have access.

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