To think that people who purposely live apart in order to claim more benefits are hard faced, entitled idiots?

[SecretlyLaughing]

Can't help but feel annoyed, pissed off and rather fuming following a conversation with one of my so called friends this morning, and I just want to know if I'm being unreasonable, because as far as I'm concerned I'm not, but according to my friend I'm blowing things out of proportion.

For a while now I've suspected that something dodgy was going on between her and her partner and without sounding bitter or nasty I've always wondered how she's been able to live the life she does and afford the things she has when she's supposedley a single parent on minimum wage. She supposedley split from her partner (to her four children) two years ago, whilst they were together they lived a modest lifestyle with the occasional treats etc (rather like me and my dh) but since they've separated she's suddenly bought herself a new Audi, she's out every weekend with friends, she has weekly spa/hair/tanning appointments, is splashing out on designer clothes et etc and whilst usually this sort of thing doesn't bother me and good on people who can afford these sort of things, like I said, I always wondered how she was affording it all, well now I know.

I decided as she was a friend to ask her outright what was going on, and after doging a few questions and acting kind of awkward she finally admitted the truth. She admitted that she made her partner move to his dad's house so that she could claim more in benefits ie housing benefit, tax credits, council tax relief, and income support (she works 10 hour a week).

I asked her if her and her partner were struggling and is that why they felt the need to do what they had done and she said no, and that they were simply sick and tired of not being able to afford all the little extras, such as holidays, nights out, fancy clothes, lavish Christmas's etc etc and that they knew they'd get at with it. Basically she was told by another friend (a rather dodgy friend!) that if her other half is registered elsewhere or for mail, doctors, dentist, bills etc then the "benefits people" can't touch her and that's she'd get away with claiming as single, despite still be very much involved with her "ex".

Well to say I was shocked (despite my initial suspicion) is an understatement, I mean if she had done this because she was struggling that would still be bad enough but maybe I could have understood but she's done this out of pure greed! And to top it off she knows that me and my dh have been struggling lately (nothing too serious) and that we've had to budget like crazy to afford the essentials and all she has done is brag about her upcoming foreign holidays, that her "ex" is also going on! So this morning I'd had enough, I told her exactly what I thought of her and stormed off, she's dunce phoned me around thirty times and text saying she wants to sort things out. But how can I be friends with such a lying, manipulative person?

This "friend", "acted kind of awkward" before spilling all the beans Arendelle, so that was a nice literary flourish (or stab at one).

On these threads, the OPs are always bold and ask outright about earnings. The 'friends' are always very open and forthcoming, practically providing a spreadsheet. Apart from the friends I have through my work, I have zero idea of how much any of my friends (or family, except my DP) earn

How true! In my young day and even now I never ask anyone about their income, it was/is considered to be majorly rude.

Reminds me of when, quite a few years ago, a person who phoned in an Irish radio talk programme claiming that a Romanian gypsy had told him that they had only come to Ireland because the benefit system was so great. Romanian gypsies had only appeared in Ireland a matter of months before, so I seriously doubt that first of all any of them spoke any level of English at the time and secondly that they would get so intimate with an obviously racist bigot as to confess their "evil" motives.

What a load of goady bollocks

At least get your facts right. 10 hours a week on minimum wage means no income support or tax credits as you need to work at least 16 hours a week to qualify for tax credits. She wouldn't get income support as earning too much.

How much Is her rent?
She saw you coming.

Lostlight - people who don't work at all get child tax credits which can amount to a substantial amount if you have a few kids. It's only working tax credits that you need to be working 16 hours for if a lone parent. If the partners wages were taken into accont they most likely wouldn't be getting ay tax credits, but because she claims to be a lone parent she's probably getting hundreds a month in tax credits.

If they took her partners declared income into account they'd get more tax credits as they'd get wtc with the 30+ premium and second adult premium. They'd be no better off apart with the circumstances in the op

Legally elsewhere or not they can prosecute. I know as my sister did it. If they suspect for any reason they will investigate and photograph how often they visit eachother houses. If they have used any money they receive as joint means they too will be caught out. A friend of a friend had a compliance officer round and was questioned and she lied saying her DP rarely slept at the house, they then pulled out phone records which proved he had been at the house using gps tracking on his device.

Only a matter of time before she's caught

Szeli - Of course they are better off living apart ! Claiming as a lone parent she will be getting income support ( assuming she has children under 5), large amounts of child tax credits for four kids and child benefit not to mention housing benefit possibly worth hundreds a month. Then they have his wages too. If they pay nothing in childcare, then his income would only need to be something like £17k for them to get no working tax creidts at all, and depending what his income was their child tax creidts would be significantly reduced. As it stands they have between them all his wages+ her income support , child tax credits etc based on her lone parent status. If they claimed as a couple they would just have his wages and a much smaller amount of child tax credits. They would also most likely have no help with housing benefit based on his wages.

Does anyone know what the rules are for a married couple doing this. Not legally separated, just choosing to live seperately so the wife can claim benefits. Still go on weekends away together without the kids, family hols, attend family weddings/parties together etc. the man just lives at his mum's.

living together is not based on such simple assumptions as joint income etc

If you dig around online you will find dwp have a criteria thing that they work off, "living together" can be seen in their eyes by -

friends/neighbours viewing them as a couple
doing food shopping together
cooking each other meals
her washing his clothes

and a whole host of other things, just because they aren't living together doesn't mean dwp will see it that way at all. If you feel that incensed by it, report it anonymously to dwp-if they are doing wrong they'll get caught, if they aren't they wont.

See I think that folk who never seem to have posted before coming onto sites stirring up hatred about those on benefits is pretty low. About as low as folk fiddling benefits but far, far more common.

his wages are £6k so they'd get full everything if they lived together. The lower level for the taper is around £6.5k

So; full wtc plus the premiums, full hb and ct relief, full ctc, cb, 2yr education grant and reduction thru ctc for subsequent childcare hours

The only thing she'd get extra living alone is income support, less the 10 hours she works which is unlikely to be more than the wtc they would get if her dp lived at home

Financially it's only worth pulling this trick if your partner is a high earner, on paper her dp isn't so they're pulling this scam for nothing - assuming of course this thread is true....

Oh and babyroobs child benefit is taken off income support etc. it's counted as 'money you already have coming in'. Just like carers allowance.

Aah sorry didn't realise his income was so low, have to admit I haven't read the whole thread.

His wage is more like 35k but claims he earns 6k.