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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to cancel my benefits claim.

165 replies

Housingcraze · 14/07/2017 18:06

I have 45k in savings from several inheritances, and am out of work off ill, my partner has moved in with me to my home i own from an inheritance (no mortgage), and earns in excess of 30k a year roughly.

i applied for ESA for my national contributions to be paid, not expecting any money from it to today receiving a letter - to be paid 125.25 per week, which i was pretty shocked tbh, and feel a bit guilty in accepting the money, and even phoned informing them i have savings which im assuming i need to use firstly.

My partner disagrees and says i should openly accept the money and use it?

OP posts:
Addley · 14/07/2017 20:28

You need to claim it because it keeps up your NI contributions. Several years back DP got ill and didn't claim IB, even though he was entitled to contribution-based IB, because he had a private scheme which paid out when he got ill and chose to live on only that instead. But now he's not entitled to contribution-based benefits any more, because he hasn't paid NI contributions in the last few years, so he can't decide to claim it.

Babyroobs · 14/07/2017 20:28

Migraleve - many pensioners claim attendance allowance when they become frail in their old age. It is a non means tested disability benefit and some people it even if they have £50k in the bank, you would be surprised. I had a client last year who owned a business and 2 houses and 2 generous private pensions and was still quibbling that he had been put on the lower rate when he thought he should have been awarded the higher rate ( a difference of £30 a week ). You'd be amazed. Then again you get some lone parents who have large amounts of maintainance coming in ( I met one a few months back who got £1400 a month for 2 kids), she still claimed every penny of tax credits and working tax credits she could.

Roomba · 14/07/2017 20:34

It is possible to claim it and just claim for the national insurance payments part of it (this is also true if you're not entitled to receive payments due to savings IIRC). It's really important to do that or you're buggered when it comes to getting your state pension, or if circumstances change and you have to claim other benefits in future.

Migraleve · 14/07/2017 20:34

baby

No I am not surprised nor amazed. Just because it happens doesn't make it right though.

bimbobaggins · 14/07/2017 20:39

This is exactly why I cancelled my tax credits clame. Even though when I phoned to cancel it they told me to keep claiming it .

Just because you can doesn't mean you should

Babyroobs · 14/07/2017 20:47

The thing is if you are entitled to claim something and you don't , then that money isn't going to go to someone else worse off than you , they will still get what they are entitled to. Better to claim it and give to a foodbank or shelter or or any other charity helping the poorest in society.

Huffletuff · 14/07/2017 20:53

It's mad to think of all that money that could be going to helping actual people in need. Like, the NHS don't have funding to provide me with an electric wheelchair, so I'm bedridden because I can't push the manual one they've given me. My occupational therapist told me to crowdfund one. I don't have any family, so it didn't work - I got £80 and the chair costs 2k. There are so many others like me. Posts like this open my eyes to see why :(

Migraleve · 14/07/2017 20:54

The thing is if you are entitled to claim something and you don't , then that money isn't going to go to someone else worse off than you , they will still get what they are entitled to.

This is true, but there is a bigger picture. When the pot is running low the benefits will start getting cut. For everyone, which will hit your hard up single parent or pensioner a long long time before it touches the sides of someone who owns their home, has substantial savings AND a fairly decent household income.

Better to claim it and give to a foodbank or shelter or or any other charity helping the poorest in society.

No, it's better not to claim it, for the reasons above. If people can afford to claim and then donate then they do NOT need to claim. If people who don't need this money stopped claiming this money it would help prevent the benefit system from collapsing

user1468353179 · 14/07/2017 21:02

You don't need it, don't claim it even if you can.

Babyroobs · 14/07/2017 21:13

Migraleve _ If I had a pound for every person who comes into my clinic and says " well if I'm entitled to it I'll claim it", I'd be a very rich woman. I also see huge immigrant families with 8 or 9 kids who have been granted asylum by Norway or the Netherlands form Somalia or other African countries then come to the UK after a couple of years and claim literally hundreds of pounds in tax credits a month whilst never having worked here previously. It happens and when I see that I can understand why other people who have worked all their lives take what they can. because they know it happens too.

SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning · 14/07/2017 21:41

Migraleve I hear what you're saying but if we means test disability benefits like Attendance Allowance, then aren't we on a slippery slope to means testing DLA and PIP?

Migraleve · 14/07/2017 21:52

we are already on a slippery slope by handing out money to people with tens of thousands in the bank.

Babyroobs · 14/07/2017 22:03

Pip is the same as Attendance allowance it's just that AA is or older people. There are younger people claiming PIp with thousands of pounds in the bank too.

SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning · 14/07/2017 22:12

I don't think we should means test the current non out of work disability benefits for any age. Rich pensioners claiming AA is no different to rich under 65s claiming PIP.

isadoradancing123 · 14/07/2017 22:50

I really really wish that people would stop useing just letters instead of words, what is ESA? Same on threads about children with special needs, half the assessments, statementing etc are just abbreviations, mumsnet is supposed to be a helpful site, but anything to do with welfare it is assumed we all know the jargon

Migraleve · 14/07/2017 22:56

ESA is the benefit earning support allowance. The abbreviation comes from the DWP (department of work and pensions) who issue the benefit though, it's not something mumsnetters have made up.

People will call it ESA because that is what it is called.

Babyroobs · 14/07/2017 22:59

Esa - Employment support allowance, PIP- personal independence payment ( Disability benefit), DLA is Disability Living allowance.

Huffletuff · 14/07/2017 23:01

Uh? Why wouldn't people use the abbreviations? The benefits themselves are abbreviated. They're called ESA and PIP.

Huffletuff · 14/07/2017 23:01

Google is quite a handy tool.

Babyroobs · 14/07/2017 23:08

Contributions based ESA is limited to 12 months anyway unless you get put in the support group.

MagicMarkers · 14/07/2017 23:14

The savings don't matter if it's contribution based. If you're on income related ESA then you wouldn't be entitled to it with more than £16K in savings.

If you're not sure, I would suggest calling the DWP and checking if you're still on contribution based. If not, you'll need to disclose the savings or you would be building up an overpayment.

Firesuit · 14/07/2017 23:14

No, it's better not to claim it, for the reasons above. If people can afford to claim and then donate then they do NOT need to claim. If people who don't need this money stopped claiming this money it would help prevent the benefit system from collapsing

Even if people want to selflessly do good with the resources they have control over, there are more worthy uses of money in the world than the UK benefits system. The benefits system is not primarily a moral enterprise, the main reason it exists is because the poor in this democracy use the power of the ballot box to put their hand in the pockets of the better off. We might not mind it, because we think it does some good, but if it did not exist and we were given the same amount of money and told to spend it on doing good, the vast majority of it would not go to the same people. It would not go to people in the UK at all, as it would go a lot further if applied to populations of much poorer countries.

Surprisetimeee · 14/07/2017 23:58

I think if you have been working previously and paid into the system then you are entitled to claim - so contributions based. If you are not working, the bills continue to arrive and some times things break and you need money to replace things eg washing machine or old car. The Op could invest her 45k into pension then she would have no accessible savings

Migraleve · 15/07/2017 00:17

If you are not working, the bills continue to arrive and some times things break and you need money to replace things eg washing machine or old car.

What's wrong with the household income of 30k being used for these things Hmm

This is the problem with the UK. It's all about entitlement and nothing to do with being self sufficient. Messed up.

Addley · 15/07/2017 00:26

the poor in this democracy use the power of the ballot box to put their hand in the pockets of the better off

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…wow.

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