Debt agency recommendation that doesn’t take dla/pip into account

[debtadvice]

Bit of a tricky one ..
I need some recommendations as currently the agency we are with takes into account dla and pip ....

Some month we Use it all others some carries over to next month as we use it for varying things not always the same
So it’s taken into account as it’s for ‘miscellaneous’ apparently it’s nit like I have a dd for a service with the whole amount (some I do for eg swimming as therapy I pay some of the dla monthly) some of it we need to keep hold of for various

Step change take disability benefits into account is there another which doesn’t ?
Tia

Would CAB be able to point you in the right direction?

Every debt advice organisation will include DLA/PIP as income but you can include the amount in your outgoing as "health costs" which effectively cancels it out.
As an adviser (a generalist but I do a lot on benefits and debts) I would look at the whole picture in terms of income, outgoings and debts, consider all your debt options and ensure that any repayment arrangements are realistic and affordable.
Do you already have a DMP or something else in place?

It’s hard as they wanted bank statements and for things to be a regular set amount with proof so using dla for example for swimming sessions or massage etc set tones and price and regular proof of payment was fine but I couldn’t say I used it one month for say sensory classes then the next for extra bedding etc as they were variable

So we are in the crap position of some dla is classed as disposable income when it’s not iyswim it’s just limiting how we can manage needs
We have a dmp I tried to re negotiate but then even things like the electric bill I’m told to reduce but that’s hard. Use a lot for tumble dryer etc for bedding and it’s hard to explain I just feel some things should be disregarded like dla

Which organisation are you getting help from atm?

I would be a bit more flexible when preparing a financial statement, so I would want to see bank statements but it would be fine if you didn't pay the same amount for the same activities every month - it's pretty easy to average it out (eg £x on swimming over 3 months, £x on massages, etc).

However, no debt adviser is going to disregard income, that's against the rules. They might be encouraging you to find ways to reduce your spending but you don't need to worry about expenditure too much as long as you're not hitting the "trigger figures" (which are the industry-wide figures for what is thought to be a "reasonable" amount to spend)... the budget can be realistic and no one is expected to live so frugally that they can't sustain it long term because that means they won't be able to meet the debt repayments.

DLA/PIP would be disregarded in the calculation if you claim means-tested benefits. That's a separate issue though.

Oh and if you have high water or energy bills because of a disability or health condition, there may be discounted rates you can apply for.