Latest news with #Turn2Us
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Seven reasons DWP could stop or reduce PIP payments including missing form
Changes in your circumstances can alter your benefits entitlement, but a number of simple mistakes can also put your PIP payments in jeopardy PIP offers crucial financial aid and opens doors to a variety of other support for nearly 3.7 million individuals in England and Wales alone. With up to £749 on offer each month, any sudden cessation or reduction of these payments can blow a gaping hole in household finances. There are numerous reasons why the DWP might adjust someone's benefit payments. In relation to PIP, one of the most common causes is a shift in the claimant's condition or needs, meaning they no longer fit the eligibility criteria for the disability benefit. Changes in your living circumstances can also trigger a stop or cut in your benefits. For instance, if you're hospitalised or in a care home for 28 consecutive days, your payments will be put on hold, but should automatically resume once you're discharged. Even while in a care home, the mobility component of PIP will continue to be paid as usual, according to Citizens Advice. Another scenario where this benefit could be reduced is due to inadequate communication with the DWP, such as failing to return a review form. if you're in contact with the DWP, they may grant you extra time to submit the documents, stopping your benefits from going off-track. If you fail to show up for a medical assessment, your benefits will be halted until you attend one. You can arrange another assessment with the DWP and if it's determined that you're still entitled to the benefit, they'll backdate your payment to cover the period you missed out on. Travelling abroad can also affect your benefit payments. If you're overseas for more than 13 weeks, your PIP payment might be stopped. This limit is extended to 26 weeks if you're abroad for medical treatment. If you plan to be away for over four weeks, you must notify the DWP before you depart. More information is available on the website. In cases where you've been accused of benefit fraud, your payments could be suspended or reduced while the investigation is ongoing. This measure is taken to limit potential overpayments if the allegations prove to be true. If you've previously received overpayments, which can occur due to various reasons, your future payments may be cut as the DWP recoups the money. The specifics of how much and for how long your benefit will be reduced will be detailed in a letter from the DWP. Some PIP payments cease simply because individuals have reached the end of their fixed-term award and haven't filled out the review form, or because they've reached state pension age. Reaching the age of 66 doesn't necessarily put a halt to your PIP payments, according to Turn2Us. However, it might prevent some from renewing their claim. If you fail to renew your claim within a year of your award ending after reaching state pension age, you'll need to apply for Attendance Allowance or Pension Age Disability Payment instead. While PIP could see you pocketing up to £749 each month if you're eligible for both enhanced components, both Attendance Allowance and Pension Age Disability Payment only offer a maximum of £441 monthly.
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
How you can claim up to £20K a year to help with kids during summer holidays
Do you know the Government will pay £2 for every £8 you spend on childcare HOLIDAY HELP How you can claim up to £20K a year to help with kids during summer holidays HAVING kids is expensive – and the financial pain only gets harder in the summer holidays. Summer clubs cost an average £1,075 for the six-week break, according to Coram's Holiday Childcare Report, so it's vital you claim all available support. Anna Stevenson, benefits specialist at Turn2Us, says: 'There are a lot of schemes to navigate and often people don't know where to start, but there is help there when you know where to look.' Mel Hunter considers what help you can apply for — and it's worth up to £20,247 a year. FREE CHILDCARE PLACES - up to £7,500 a year ALL families in England are entitled to 15 hours' free childcare a week for three and four-year-olds. Working families can also access some free childcare hours from when their children are nine months old. From September, eligible parents will be able to get 30 hours' free childcare a week from nine months until school age — but you need to apply by August 31. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have alternative schemes, so it's worth checking what applies for you. HOLIDAY ACTIVITY FUND - £720 THE Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme gives children from lower income families access to holiday activities, including a free meal. It is mainly for primary school children who receive free school meals. Three key benefits that YOU could be missing out on, and one even gives you a free TV Licence However, some councils keep places for other children considered in need. Anna says: 'Schemes like this, which are administered by the local authority, can go under the radar.' TAX-FREE CHILDCARE - up to £4,000 a year THE Government will pay £2 for every £8 you spend on childcare, capped at £2,000 per year per child (or £4,000 for a child with a disability). But around 825,000 of the 1.3million families who are eligible do not claim it. Anna says: 'People don't always realise that they can get help covering the cost of childcare once their kids are out of nursery, when they may be using after-school or holiday clubs.' CHILD BENEFIT - £1,355 a year THIS is paid to anyone with a child under 16, or under 20 if they are still in education. It is worth £1,354.60 per year for a family with one child and £2,251.60 per year for a family with two. It seems a no-brainer, but around £1.6billion in child benefit goes unclaimed each year. With child benefit, there is no cap so you can claim for as many children as you have. The level at which you are entitled to the full amount changed last year. Now you can get it if no one in your household earns more than £60,000, up from £50,000. If you earn between £60,000 and £80,000, you are entitled to some of it. If you earn more than £80,000, you are not entitled to any. It is still worth filling in the claim form, even if you do not want to get payments, to get National Insurance credits which count towards the state pension. UNIVERSAL CREDIT - £5,772 a year UNIVERSAL credit is the main benefit that can be claimed by families on a lower income, but the 1.4million households that don't claim could be missing out on an average of £5,772. You cannot get universal credit if you or a partner you live with have more than £16,000 in savings. But you may still be able to get it if you work. Mandy Jackson, a rights adviser with the charity Working Families, says: 'Anyone with a child should check if they are eligible.' SURE START MATERNITY GRANT - £500 THIS is a one-off payment of £500 to help with the costs of having a newborn in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. You can apply if you have no other children under 16 and you or your partner get certain benefits. If you live in Scotland, you can apply for a Best Start grant, worth up to £767.50. Designed to support families with young kids, it comes in three payments. FREE BREAKFAST CLUBS - up to £450 a year FREE breakfast clubs are being rolled out in primary schools across England. These give kids an extra 30-minute session before school where they get a free breakfast. If you are eligible for these you may be able to get help from your local authority during the summer holidays. Check to find out. My nursery costs are cut by £1,440 3 Sam Kennedy Christian is a coach who helps parents juggle work and childcare Credit: Suppleid MUM-of-two Sam Kennedy Christian is a coach who helps parents juggle work and childcare. Sam, 39, uses the tax-free childcare scheme and finds it very helpful. She explains: 'I started using it when [my daughter] Rose, who's now seven, started at nursery – and over the years it has saved us a fortune.' Currently, it cuts nursery fees for her son James, two, to £480 a month instead of £600 – saving £1,440 a year. The family has been getting 15 hours' free childcare for James each week, but that will rise to 30 hours in September. That will cut their bill by a further £240 a month. Sam, from Herne Bay, Kent, says: 'It's a lot to get your head around, but it's so worth it.' It can also be a godsend for clubs in the school holidays for Rose, Sam adds. With the average cost around £30 a day where Sam lives, she ends up paying £24 herself, with the rest covered by the govern-ment payment. Sam says: 'Saving £6 a day is very helpful. Over the summer, it will save us £60.' PENSIONS ARE TAX TARGET 3 Pensions will become subject to Inheritance Tax from April 6, 2027 Credit: Getty GRIEVING families will soon find the process of sorting out a loved one's finances much harder following a huge change to Inheritance Tax. The government has confirmed that pensions will become subject to Inheritance Tax from April 6, 2027. Currently, money left in your pension after you pass away can be passed on to a loved one without any need for them to pay Inheritance Tax. The Inheritance Tax rate is 40 per cent, and is charged on the estate – the property, possessions and money, of someone who has died – if it is worth more than £325,000. A loophole means many wealthy pensioners are using pensions as a way to pass down most of their money because they are so tax-efficient. The changes mean that this loophole will close – but experts have warned that it will pile pressure on grieving families. Inheritance Tax needs to be paid within six months, and usually before you can apply for probate. But tracking down pensions takes time, delaying the process of applying for probate. Probate is the legal process of dealing with a person's death, and it can take months to get it granted. Former pensions minister Steve Webb said: 'Life is tough enough when you have just lost a loved one without having extra layers of bureaucracy on top. 'It is hard to see how these changes will be good news for bereaved families.' ADELE COOKE STARLING ACCOUNT UPSET 3 Starling bank will no longer let its users open a second current account Credit: Reuters ONLINE bank Starling has shaken up its current accounts, causing a big stir among customers who are desperate for the change to be reversed. The bank, which has more than 4.6million UK customers, will no longer let its users open a second current account. Starling previously let customers open an extra everyday bank account, free of charge. Savers raved about the perk because it was a great way for them to manage their money. But the digital bank has told The Sun it has temporarily stopped allowing customers to open additional accounts while it 'improves our account offering'. It quietly suspended additional accounts last year, and clients have been calling on the bank to bring back the feature. One customer posted to X this week: '@StarlingBank when will additional accounts be back? I had one and would like to enable it again.' Another posted in January asking: 'Can I create a second personal account in @StarlingBank?' One customer said on Reddit: 'I'm sure it used to be a thing when I first started with Starling, but now I get 'you've reached your personal account limit' with one account, and 'you're not currently able to apply for this account' when I go to open a Personal Additional.' Starling said: 'Customers are still able to apply for a joint account, provided both are Starling customers. 'Joint accounts are limited to one per customer.' BLATHNAID CORLESS
The Sun
5 days ago
- General
- The Sun
How you can claim up to £20K a year to help with kids during summer holidays
HAVING kids is expensive – and the financial pain only gets harder in the summer holidays. Summer clubs cost an average £1,075 for the six-week break, according to Coram's Holiday Childcare Report, so it's vital you claim all available support. Anna Stevenson, benefits specialist at Turn2Us, says: 'There are a lot of schemes to navigate and often people don't know where to start, but there is help there when you know where to look.' Mel Hunter considers what help you can apply for — and it's worth up to £20,247 a year. FREE CHILDCARE PLACES - up to £7,500 a year ALL families in England are entitled to 15 hours' free childcare a week for three and four-year-olds. Working families can also access some free childcare hours from when their children are nine months old. From September, eligible parents will be able to get 30 hours' free childcare a week from nine months until school age — but you need to apply by August 31. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have alternative schemes, so it's worth checking what applies for you. THE Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme gives children from lower income families access to holiday activities, including a free meal. It is mainly for primary school children who receive free school meals. Three key benefits that YOU could be missing out on, and one even gives you a free TV Licence However, some councils keep places for other children considered in need. Anna says: 'Schemes like this, which are administered by the local authority, can go under the radar.' TAX-FREE CHILDCARE - up to £4,000 a year THE Government will pay £2 for every £8 you spend on childcare, capped at £2,000 per year per child (or £4,000 for a child with a disability). But around 825,000 of the 1.3million families who are eligible do not claim it. Anna says: 'People don't always realise that they can get help covering the cost of childcare once their kids are out of nursery, when they may be using after-school or holiday clubs.' CHILD BENEFIT - £1,355 a year THIS is paid to anyone with a child under 16, or under 20 if they are still in education. It is worth £1,354.60 per year for a family with one child and £2,251.60 per year for a family with two. It seems a no-brainer, but around £1.6billion in child benefit goes unclaimed each year. With child benefit, there is no cap so you can claim for as many children as you have. The level at which you are entitled to the full amount changed last year. Now you can get it if no one in your household earns more than £60,000, up from £50,000. If you earn between £60,000 and £80,000, you are entitled to some of it. If you earn more than £80,000, you are not entitled to any. It is still worth filling in the claim form, even if you do not want to get payments, to get National Insurance credits which count towards the state pension. UNIVERSAL credit is the main benefit that can be claimed by families on a lower income, but the 1.4million households that don't claim could be missing out on an average of £5,772. You cannot get universal credit if you or a partner you live with have more than £16,000 in savings. But you may still be able to get it if you work. Mandy Jackson, a rights adviser with the charity Working Families, says: 'Anyone with a child should check if they are eligible.' SURE START MATERNITY GRANT - £500 THIS is a one-off payment of £500 to help with the costs of having a newborn in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. You can apply if you have no other children under 16 and you or your partner get certain benefits. If you live in Scotland, you can apply for a Best Start grant, worth up to £767.50. Designed to support families with young kids, it comes in three payments. FREE breakfast clubs are being rolled out in primary schools across England. These give kids an extra 30-minute session before school where they get a free breakfast. If you are eligible for these you may be able to get help from your local authority during the summer holidays. Check to find out. My nursery costs are cut by £1,440 3 MUM-of-two Sam Kennedy Christian is a coach who helps parents juggle work and childcare. Sam, 39, uses the tax-free childcare scheme and finds it very helpful. She explains: 'I started using it when [my daughter] Rose, who's now seven, started at nursery – and over the years it has saved us a fortune.' Currently, it cuts nursery fees for her son James, two, to £480 a month instead of £600 – saving £1,440 a year. The family has been getting 15 hours' free childcare for James each week, but that will rise to 30 hours in September. That will cut their bill by a further £240 a month. Sam, from Herne Bay, Kent, says: 'It's a lot to get your head around, but it's so worth it.' It can also be a godsend for clubs in the school holidays for Rose, Sam adds. With the average cost around £30 a day where Sam lives, she ends up paying £24 herself, with the rest covered by the govern-ment payment. Sam says: 'Saving £6 a day is very helpful. Over the summer, it will save us £60.' PENSIONS ARE TAX TARGET GRIEVING families will soon find the process of sorting out a loved one's finances much harder following a huge change to Inheritance Tax. The government has confirmed that pensions will become subject to Inheritance Tax from April 6, 2027. Currently, money left in your pension after you pass away can be passed on to a loved one without any need for them to pay Inheritance Tax. The Inheritance Tax rate is 40 per cent, and is charged on the estate – the property, possessions and money, of someone who has died – if it is worth more than £325,000. A loophole means many wealthy pensioners are using pensions as a way to pass down most of their money because they are so tax-efficient. The changes mean that this loophole will close – but experts have warned that it will pile pressure on grieving families. Inheritance Tax needs to be paid within six months, and usually before you can apply for probate. But tracking down pensions takes time, delaying the process of applying for probate. Probate is the legal process of dealing with a person's death, and it can take months to get it granted. Former pensions minister Steve Webb said: 'Life is tough enough when you have just lost a loved one without having extra layers of bureaucracy on top. 'It is hard to see how these changes will be good news for bereaved families.' STARLING ACCOUNT UPSET 3 ONLINE bank Starling has shaken up its current accounts, causing a big stir among customers who are desperate for the change to be reversed. The bank, which has more than 4.6million UK customers, will no longer let its users open a second current account. Starling previously let customers open an extra everyday bank account, free of charge. Savers raved about the perk because it was a great way for them to manage their money. But the digital bank has told The Sun it has temporarily stopped allowing customers to open additional accounts while it 'improves our account offering'. It quietly suspended additional accounts last year, and clients have been calling on the bank to bring back the feature. One customer posted to X this week: '@StarlingBank when will additional accounts be back? I had one and would like to enable it again.' Another posted in January asking: 'Can I create a second personal account in @StarlingBank?' One customer said on Reddit: 'I'm sure it used to be a thing when I first started with Starling, but now I get 'you've reached your personal account limit' with one account, and 'you're not currently able to apply for this account' when I go to open a Personal Additional.' Starling said: 'Customers are still able to apply for a joint account, provided both are Starling customers. 'Joint accounts are limited to one per customer.'
The Sun
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Exact amount you can earn while working on Universal Credit before your payments are stopped
UNIVERSAL Credit can help people struggling with the cost of living - but you won't be able to get it if you earn too much. The benefit is paid out monthly and the amount you get will depend on your personal circumstances. 1 For example, whether you're living with a partner, have any health conditions or have children. If you're single and under 25 the monthly standard allowance is £316.98, but this rises to £400.14 when you hit 25. A couple living together who are both under 25 will get £497.55 in total, while if one person is over 25 the allowance rises to £628.10. How do my earnings affect my Universal Credit payments? If you or your partner are working, how much Universal Credit you get will depend on how much you earn. There's no limit to how many hours you can work and still get Universal Credit. But if your wages go up then your Universal Credit payment will reduce. For every £1 you earn from working, your Universal Credit payment goes down by 55p. You can use a benefits calculator like this one to see how your Universal Credit payments will change if your wages goes up. For example, a single person renting in London with no children or health conditions could see their payments cut if their earnings rose from £24,000 to £35,000. Based on the Turn2Us benefits calculator, someone in this position might see their payments go down from £206.62 per month to £130 per month. I lost 'everything' when UC stopped my £4.3k-month payment... now I've been sacked from my new job It's worth noting some people are eligible for what's known as a "work allowance" - where deductions aren't made until you earn over a certain amount. You get a work allowance if you (or your partner) are responsible for a child or have "limited capability for work". Limited capability for work is when you may not be able to look for work now, but have to take steps to getting some. The allowance is lower if you get help with housing costs through Universal Credit. The monthly work allowances are: £379 if you get help with housing costs £631 if you don't get help with housing costs So you can earn up to these amounts per month without your Universal Credit payments being affected. What is the maximum amount I can earn? There isn't a set maximum amount you can earn before you stop getting Universal Credit. That's because the benefit is tailored to your circumstances so there isn't a hard cut-off point. For example a single person living with their parents may only be able to earn up to £18,000 before they stop being eligible but a single parent of two children living in an expensive city could earn up to £50,000. Most employers will report your wages for you but you will need to report your monthly earnings if you're self-employed. An example of when you could stop receiving Universal Credit Sarah, a single parent with one child, is currently on Universal Credit. Her monthly Universal Credit payment is £1,200, which includes her standard allowance, a child element, and housing support. As she receives the housing element, her work allowance is set at £411 per month. Sarah's "Nil UC Threshold" – the maximum amount she can earn a month before her Universal Credit payments stop – is £2,592.82. So if she earns £2,592.82 or more during an assessment period, her Universal Credit payment will be reduced to £0. In May, Sarah received a work bonus bringing her total take-home pay for the assessment period to £6,000. This far exceeds her Nil UC Threshold of £2,592.82, so her Universal Credit payment was stopped. What happens if you earn over your limit? If you're self-employed and earn a lot one month, or if you get a bonus from work, you could end up going over your earnings limit for that month. The Government says if you earn £2,500 or more over your earnings limit then you will not get your Universal Credit payment. The amount over £2,500 will be carried over and counted as earnings in the next assessment period. This extra amount is known as "surplus earnings". You won't get any Universal Credit payments until your earnings - including the amount that's carried over - go under the limit. If your wages reduce enough for you to become eligible again within five months, your payments will be automatically restarted. But if it takes more than four months then you'll need to apply again. Who is eligible for Universal Credit? There is no set type of person who can apply for Universal Credit, but the benefit is generally aimed at working-age people who are struggling with general costs. You'll either need to be out of work or have a low household income, and have less than £16,000 in savings. You have to be 18 or older to claim, although there are some exceptions for 16 and 17-year-olds. Both you and your partner, if you live with them, also need to be under state pension age and live in the UK. What if I claim other benefits? You can also have your Universal Credit payments reduced if you claim other benefits. For every £1 you get from the following benefits, your Universal Credit payment will reduce by £1: Bereavement allowance Carer's allowance Employment and support allowance (new style) Incapacity Benefit Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Jobseeker's allowance (new style) Maternity allowance
Daily Mirror
21-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
PIP assessment checks that will not change in DWP shake up
The Government says the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments will be changing next year, in a move that will see many people lose out on the benefit The eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) is set to change next year, limiting the number of people who qualify for the disability benefit. However, this will only impact 10 out of the 12 questions on the PIP assessment. The final two activities on the assessment, which are about the mobility element of PIP, are set to remain unaffected by the welfare reforms. At the lower end, the mobility element of PIP offers £29.20 per week, but can provide up to £77.05 on the enhanced rate. Turn2Us, a charity helping people in poverty, says the first of the PIP checks that won't be affected is around planning and following journeys. This question assesses how safely, quickly and efficiently you can plan and execute a journey. READ MORE: High blood sugar and pressure can be lowered by eating these carbohydrate - filled foods You'll score no points if you can plan how to get somewhere, and find your way there, without any assistance. Four points are available if you need someone with you to leave the house and eight points if you can't plan how to get somewhere. Ten points are awarded if you can't leave the house or travel to a new place without the help of someone else or an aid like a guide dog, cane or braille map. The maximum number of points available is 12, for those that can't travel to a place they already know without the help of someone else or a special aid, reports the Liverpool Echo. The second check being left untouched by the reform is moving around. This largely focuses on the distance you can cover comfortably and safely. If you're able to stand and move more than 200 metres, with or without an aid, you'll score no points. You can earn four points if you can move between 50 and 200 metres with or without an aid, or eight points if you can move up to 50 metres without an aid. Should you require an aid to move up to 50 metres, you could be awarded 10 points. If you can only move 20 metres, can't stand or can't even move one metre without a special aid, you may be eligible for 12 points. To qualify for the mobility component of PIP, you need to accumulate a total of eight points across both of these activities for the standard rate. To receive the enhanced rate, you need to tally 12 points in total. The other 10 activities in the PIP assessment that are being affected relate to the daily living component of PIP. This offers up to £110.40 per week on the enhanced rate. At present, you need a minimum of eight points across all 10 questions to get the standard rate and 12 points in total to get the enhanced rate. However, by next November, applicants will also need to secure four points in any single activity. The other 10 checks are about: Taking nutrition Preparing food Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words Engaging with other people face to face Dressing and undressing Managing toilet needs or incontinence Managing therapy or monitoring a health condition Communicating verbally Making budgeting decisions Washing and bathing
