Savings in my name stopping Universal Credit despite low income

[slowingdown1]

can anyone more financially savvy than me help?
Recently divorced, ex DH pays minimum child maintenance. Have a low
income due to home working in low demand role so I can care
for 2 x disabled children. Yearly
salary is £31k before tax, I save £100 monthly into pension. I claim Scottish disability payments for both kids which go on private treatment / therapies. Each month I scrap by and have a constant low credit card debt despite my best efforts. I have savings that were gifted to me by my mum as long-term financial security of £80k. Although the money is legally in my name, I have made a firm promise to her that I will not use it, so morally I do not feel able to touch it until she is no longer with us.
My current income is low, but because these savings are in my name, they are preventing me from applying for Universal Credit as above
the threshold.
I understand I can’t eg transfer the savings into trusts for my kids as this would constitute deprivation of capital. I can’t ask my mum to eg take it back for the same reason.

How amazing! I’ll definitely buy it, adding to basket now. FWIW I’m not trying to play any system, I don’t even want to be in the system. I hate the system. It’s a hard life as you clearly know only too well. I hope life gets easier for you.

She was far too muddled and forgetful by then to have come up with this.

But it may well have been something that she had discussed with others - friends of her own age - in the years or months before the diagnosis. Perhaps a friend of hers suggested she do it or encouraged her to do it.

To be honest, I don't think you should have accepted a large sum of money from an elderly woman that you admit was muddled and forgetful at the time - and had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. I've already said that you should have immediately returned it and made sure that there was a written record of that.

You are not entitled to benefits if your capital is over £16k. You can apply once it is under that amount. If you have spent it on living such as paying housing etc that is fine. Citizens advice have given you bad advice.
deprivation of capital is when you give the money away such as putting it into an account for your children which will still deemed to be your money or if you fritter it.

OP - my DF has Alzheimers - first showed the signs when he was 80 - he's now 92 and has been in a nursing home for 3 1/2 years. He is extremely frail - can't move, speak or do anything for himself. He's been in that state for a couple of years now - seems to be existing on a plateau, and could possibly live for more years yet.

The nursing home cost £60k per year when he went in. It now costs £80k a year.

Another poster mentioned taking out an annuity to cover care costs. With your brother being abroad, and you having enough worries of your own - this would be something well worth looking into. Then even if your brother's circumstances change in future years, you have the comfort of knowing that your mother's care costs are covered.

I really, really hope hat you are right and he does come through - care is extremely expensive.

And I know you hope to care for her, but advanced dementia is a 24 hour job - very different to a nurse on shift.

I am so sorry. Thank you, that’s a really helpful suggestion.

I know this.
I just don’t think OP’s Mum was deliberately trying to move her assets to avoid care costs.
That’s all.

If she isn't reliable with her finances, do you have power of attorney?

Actually if the grandchildren are severely disabled op should get advice now on setting a trust for them. Mencap give advice.

If she was that muddled and forgetful by then perhaps you should have given her money straight back?

Nothing the OP says makes much sense. It's all contradictory and inflammatory.

Aye, it's all nonsense.

Or seek help from children services which, as they are profoundly disabled she should, as I did, have a hotline to. Mine is now an adult and all services still fully engaged.

Hoists are supplied and renewed when required.
Grants are given for wet rooms etc. etc. etc.

OP and bro have tried to squirrel away DM's savings and now it's come back to bite them.
House with staff😂

Depends where you are. Grants can be extremely hard to get unfortunate. And replacement of even necessary equipment can take weeks or months. Social care funding is absolutely bottom of the heap in some areas.

These are essential things you can spend money on though.

Paying down some of your mortgage is also a good plan

Sadly this is my experience

takes a pretty small minded person to laugh at an older person with demetia and 2 complex needs medical kids. Out of all the helpful comments here you pick up on the fact my brother lives abroad and can afford staff which is fairly common there? I hope you aren’t bringing up your children to be embody schadenfreude as much as you.

If that's your interpretation of my post, OP then it's no wonder you didn't understand the advice the bloke from CAB was giving you.

the world could do with some more kindness to those facing hard medical scares each day. Maybe one day you’ll get that. I hope so. Not because you’ll face it yourself, but because you’ll mature in your understanding.

I earn £19k pa and have £2k in the bank. I get UC. You don’t need it.

OP

Did the CAB say how much UC you would be entitled to if you did not have savings?

Just 'pay yourself' that amount out of the lump sum.

So if UC would be £300 a month, then take £300 a month out of your £80K. That means you will be living on what the law says you need as a minimum.

To be fair your post wasn’t nice.