What benefits/ support might we get?

[Kona84]

Hi, i am expecting my first child in October.
I am in a perm full time job earning £21,400per year. after my tax/student loan and pension i take home £1484 a month.
My partner has been out of work for a while due to health related issues. he has tried to return to work in the last 2 years but it hasn't worked out. His PIP ended in January this year and he no longer qualifies.
We have a universal claim for him for job seekers but due to my income he gets between 0 and £84pm depending on if i worked a bit of overtime. this month he received £42

our plan is for him to be a Stay at home dad and for me to return to my WFH job after 6 months maternity leave.
I know we will get child benefit but ideally i wanted to be saving this in a savings account for the child.
I work flexi hours so i am confident i can maintain a 35 hour week when i return and am thinking of doing this over 4 days rather than 5.

I have used the benefit calculator on the turn 2 us website and although it says we might be able to get universal credit for the working tax element i am guessing - i am wondering if there is anything else i should be looking into. and also will my earnings then reduce the entitlement as it does now with his job seekers element?

I know some will judge why are we having a kid if one of us doesn't work but we have been together 18 years - we have wanted to start a family since we were 30 but life has not dealt us the best hand unfortunately. at 37 time i feel time is running out for us.

Plenty of households have 1 parent as a stay at home dad/mum and 1 person working so that’s not an issue.

I’m not sure it’s realistic to expect to put child benefit away as savings whilst relying on additional benefits. Generally speaking earning will impact entitlement but hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along.

Have you checked
www.entitledto.co.uk/

I'm a SAHM whilst my DH works. Child benefit and a very small amount of child tax credits.
You will most likely be on universal credit, so jobseekers, child tax and any working tax credits will be paid in one lump sum, monthly or weekly.

You may get a little more UC but I think you will have to spend the child benefit.
Is there any work he can do? It may be worth looking on the earn £10 a day threads. I'm not recommending matched betting but its fairly easy to get £40 per month on surveys more if you make more effort. Other suggestions are collecting free things on facebook and selling them on ebay. I know other people have done well on websites such as Appen for micro jobs.
Its a bit of an effort but extras can easily add up to £5k a year

You can’t afford to save the child benefit so I would forget about that idea.
Use this link to work out your UC entitlement with a pen, paper and calculator. It’s far more accurate than turn to us/entitled too etc
www.uceplus.co.uk/how-much-will-my-payment-be.html

Oh and re apply for pip if your dh still has health issues. A different assessor can give a completely different decision. Also there is an element on UC if you are unable to work/unable to look for work apply for that too.

I presume you dh must be getting the LCW or LCWRA element on your Uc claim to be getting any Uc at all, or do you have rent to pay ?
Once your baby is born you will get an extra £231 child element on your claim and £20 ish a week child benefit. I think you could already be getting a work allowance on your claim but if you aren't then you will get one when the baby is born and if you claim UC rent element that will go up to 2 bedroom local housing allowance once the baby is born. There is no such thing as wtc on Universal credit .

We have rent to pay and our joint claim is entitlement of £1583per month then for every £1 I earn they obv reduce that so When it first started and I saw the -90 I thought we actually owed them money.

We are lucky to be in a 2 bed for 425pm
But we want to move and find somewhere with a garden- which would stretch us to the local housing allowance rate.

I will do some manual calculations-
Either way we will make it work. There are a few cut backs I can make

I was well off with how much we currently are entitled to we are jointly entitled to £1019 not £1583 no idea where I got that from.
It’s a 63pence reduction for ever £1 earned

@MyDcAreMarvel thank you I have used that calculator and if I’ve done it right things are looking a bit better.

For my partner his physical issues are minimal now - he has bad days where he can’t walk too far or struggles to sleep. But PiP deemed that he was okay.
It’s his mental health that is the struggle- after a few years of health issues and then covid he has struggled socially and his anxiety and panic attacks have increased.
He started work in a bike shop a few months ago but his panic attacks meant some days he couldn’t get out of bed, he physically couldn’t function.
He has had counselling now and everyday gets a bit better with his medication so I’m hoping he might be able to manage a few hours a week of work just for his sanity but I can’t put that pressure on him right now

@Kona84

We have rent to pay and our joint claim is entitlement of £1583per month then for every £1 I earn they obv reduce that so When it first started and I saw the -90 I thought we actually owed them money.

We are lucky to be in a 2 bed for 425pm
But we want to move and find somewhere with a garden- which would stretch us to the local housing allowance rate.

I will do some manual calculations-
Either way we will make it work. There are a few cut backs I can make

If your husband is unfit to work or even only fit to work part time he needs to hand in sick notes to Uc and wait to be assessed for work capability if he wants to go down that route? once you have your child you will get a work allowance meaning the first £293 of your earnings are disregarded before deductions occur on your UC plus the child element, so you will get significantly more UC each month.

@Kona84

We have rent to pay and our joint claim is entitlement of £1583per month then for every £1 I earn they obv reduce that so When it first started and I saw the -90 I thought we actually owed them money.

We are lucky to be in a 2 bed for 425pm
But we want to move and find somewhere with a garden- which would stretch us to the local housing allowance rate.

I will do some manual calculations-
Either way we will make it work. There are a few cut backs I can make

Your husband must surely have the LCWRA element already on the claim for your total Uc to be that high?

Pardon my ignorance but if he is too ill to work, why is he capable to look after a new born.
I have had 2 children myself and they are hard work.

Not being rude OP...just genuinely concerned.
Your dh needs more help OP. Having a baby/child is not a walk in the park. He will NEED to socialise with the baby at groups n such...will he do that or will he just stat home all day? (That will more than likely compound his MH Issues tbh) I wouldn't be too sure about him being a Sahd with his issues.

His mental health issues are complicated and not something that stops him from helping me, interacting with family etc.
We know he will need to interact with baby groups etc but when you are doing something like that to benefit someone else it’s an hurdle that seems a bit easier.
For example he has panic attacks about going to the doctors, strangers coming to the house (like workmen etc mainly because he worries about judgment and what people think of him) but he attends my appointments with no issues, he can communicate with friends when they visit or family with no issues.
We also have support from family.
My flexi time wfh will also allow me to schedule baby things around work so he won’t be alone.
It might be that once we get into a routine he decides he wants to go back to work rather than be A stay at home dad and that will be fine I will reduce my hours at work and sort childcare but we are not at that scenario yet.
We are in the scenario that we are 17 weeks pregnant with a long awaited baby that we have been waiting for 6 years to try for hoping things will be better. Every year things will be better next year.
I know the concerns I think about the concerns everyday but I also know that Over the years I have worried about sooo much and then realised with hindsight that I needn’t have worried.

We haven’t needed to get sick notes etc for UC yet due to covid but once they start doing the follow ups we will be looking at getting fit notes from the doctor.

@Kona84

Can't help with the amounts but just to say he's not alone in slipping through the cracks with pip, my dd can't leave the house alone due to anxiety and depression but because physically she can leave the house and can prepare food and can shower unaided she doesn't qualify - the fact she won't eat unless I sit over her, won't shower unless I make her and only goes out when I drag her (she's an adult) theres no points for that

I agree with prior poster, reapply for PIP. DWP tends to reject most new claims because they know people will just give up. My friend got zero points when she applied for PIP, then zero again after Mandatory Reconsideration. Then she appealed and tribunal awarded her 28pts, so enhanced on both daily and mobility. So go to tribunal! Don’t take DWPs initial assessment that he shouldn’t have PIP. Benefits and Work is a good website with guidance especially for mental health disabilities.

He should also apply for ESA and have a work capability assessment done and not stay on JSA. Even on ESA you can do a bit of part time work..not sure what limit is...16hrs? You’ll have to look that up.

@PlanDeRaccordement

I agree with prior poster, reapply for PIP. DWP tends to reject most new claims because they know people will just give up. My friend got zero points when she applied for PIP, then zero again after Mandatory Reconsideration. Then she appealed and tribunal awarded her 28pts, so enhanced on both daily and mobility. So go to tribunal! Don’t take DWPs initial assessment that he shouldn’t have PIP. Benefits and Work is a good website with guidance especially for mental health disabilities.

He should also apply for ESA and have a work capability assessment done and not stay on JSA. Even on ESA you can do a bit of part time work..not sure what limit is...16hrs? You’ll have to look that up.

Income related ESA and JSA have been replaced by Universal credit which op and her husband are already claiming ! If he has not worked for some years he is not going to qualify for contributions based JSA or ESA which even if he were would be deducted pound for pound from UC. He would need to hand in sick notes to Uc if he is unfit to work, but looking at the total UC amount it looks like he is possibly already getting a LCWRA element so has already been assessed for work capability on UC. Op has yet to confirm this.

@minniemomo

Of course there are points for that!! My adult son, I get full pip and Carer's allowance for him despite him not having a single physical issue. He won't shower unless I force him, won't eat unless I cook, doesn't brush his teeth unless I hound him. There is a whole separate section for non physical ailments.

the fact she won't eat unless I sit over her, won't shower unless I make her and only goes out when I drag her (she's an adult) theres no points for that

That’s not true, you should also reapply.
Prepare food:
-Needs supervision or assistance to either prepare or cook a simple meal. 4 points.

Taking nutrition (eating)
-Needs prompting to be able to take nutrition. 4 points.

Washing/bathing
-Needs supervision or prompting to be able to wash or bathe. 2 points.

Engaging with other people face to face.
-Needs social support to be able to engage with other people. 4 points.

Planning and following journeys
-Cannot follow the route of an unfamiliar journey without another person, assistance dog or orientation aid. 10 points.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-points-system

@Babyroobs
Sorry, thought that the DH could claim new style ESA which is still separate from UC, because she mentioned he got some JSA so I thought it was new style JSA which is also still separate from UC. But you’re right, they’re probably claiming the income related benefits and both income related ESA and JSA are replaced by UC now.

plan is for him to be a Stay at home dad and for me to return to my WFH job after 6 months maternity leave.

OP, you might have to shorten your maternity leave unless it is on full pay? I went back to work FT at 10-11weeks post birth for financial reasons. Especially since WFH, he could bring baby in for breastfeed as needed. (If you’re breastfeeding).

Also, have DH claim the child benefit so that he gets credits towards state pension. If it is in your name, you will lose out as a couple because you’ll get credits towards your pension anyway through working.

[quote PlanDeRaccordement]@Babyroobs
Sorry, thought that the DH could claim new style ESA which is still separate from UC, because she mentioned he got some JSA so I thought it was new style JSA which is also still separate from UC. But you’re right, they’re probably claiming the income related benefits and both income related ESA and JSA are replaced by UC now.[/quote]
He could claim new style ESA or Jsa if he has paid enough NI contributions in the past 2-3 years but it sounds like maybe he hasn't worked for some time? Unfortunately even claiming contributions based benefits don't help unless the amount is more than what they are getting on UC as they are just deducted from UC pound for pound.

@Babyroobs
Yes agree, it does sound like he hasn’t worked enough in past 2-3yrs to get contribution based (new style) ESA or JSA.

As PP said they will disregard £293 per month of your earnings and then reduce universal credit by 63p for every £1 you earn. When you are calculating bear in mind that the standard couple allowance is £20 per week higher now due to Covid. Government says that will end after September.
This link related to England
www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/on-universal-credit/check-how-much-universal-credit-youll-get/

I do not know if we get the LcWRA all I know is rent is added in his claim and my wage deducts from his total allowance of 1019 resulting in some months him getting zero.

He had PIP for 3 years for physical ailments.
At the review it was Over the phone and he sounded calm, was able to communicate well.
They asked him if he could bathe shower unsupervised but didn’t ask him if he needed prompting.
asked about preparing food but again didn’t ask him about needing prompting to eat.
He’s not good at fighting for himself and will only provide info that is asked.

He is much better physically he has been able to ride his bike for 10 mins a day for example but in the report they wrote that he now enjoys bike rides ( he rides his bike indoors)
We have started looking into appealing it.

I worked out from the calculator provided above that we will get enough to survive.
As my maternity pay reduces it will then be topped up by UC so I think we will be okay

Thanks for everyone’s advice