Making payments into your UK State Pension to ensure you get a pension

Trish said:
I have that problem with my daughter. If she needs to communicate by phone with benefits agencies I do the call, explain that she isn't well enough, they ask me to pass the phone to her so she can confirm she wants me to speak on her behalf, then passes the phone back to me to deal with it.
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When that happens, can you ask them to register your details as a named representative, so the next time they just talk to you, subject to security checking? That is certainly the case for some organisations. Part of the information they store is that you have the primary account holder's authority to speak on their behalf. It's not a particularly unusual situation at all, and I would have thought there might even be guidelines that organisations should follow.
 
There is a list of benefits where your NICs (National Insurance Contributions) are paid here.

https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-credits/eligibility

You do get NICs with ESA and JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) but not PIP.

To get ESA, your savings need to be under £16 000. There is no savings cap for PIP

Suggestion? Start the application process for both (by making a call to the DWP), this will get you the forms. The claim will be back dated to the date of the call.

Citizens Advice Bureau can help you with your claim form.

@Action for M.E. & the ME Association both have benefits helplines.

Good luck @Hip
 
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Estherbot said:
There is a list of benefits where your NICs (National Insurance Contributions) are paid here.

https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-credits/eligibility

You do get NICs with ESA and JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) but not PIP.

To get ESA, your savings need to be under £16 000. There is no savings cap for PIP
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Thanks very much Estherbot, that's a nice summary and a useful link.

It's interesting that in the link in the section "Ill, disabled or on sick pay" it says that you can get contributions (NICs) to your pension paid for, even if you are not on ESA but qualify for ESA (by these eligibility rules).

Unfortunately in my case, looking at those rules, I don't think I am going to be eligible for ESA, due to having savings above £16K.
 
Estherbot said:
To get ESA, your savings need to be under £16 000. There is no savings cap for PIP
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That's only partly correct.

Your income and savings
Your income may affect your income-related or contributory ESA. Income can include:

  • you and your partner’s income
  • savings over £6,000
  • pension income
You will not qualify for income-related ESA if you have savings over £16,000.

‘New style’ and contribution-based ESA do not take into account any savings you have.
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https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility

My understanding was that you need to be in the support group and on contribution based ESA. The work related group was time limited to 12 months of contribution then converted to income related. However it looks like the situation may have changed for the better. https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/types-of-esa
 
ArtStu said:
However it looks like the situation may have changed for the better. https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/types-of-esa
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Thanks for pointing that out. It does say in that link though that to get the 'New style' ESA or the contribution-based ESA you need to have been working and paid National Insurance contributions in the last 2 to 3 years. So I don't think those apply to people who have not been able to work for many years.
 
ArtStu said:
That's only partly correct.


https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/eligibility

My understanding was that you need to be in the support group and on contribution based ESA. The work related group was time limited to 12 months of contribution then converted to income related. However it looks like the situation may have changed for the better. https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/types-of-esa
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Your understanding is only partially correct. The rules are complicated :)

A new claimant for ESA can be put in the Support Group or Work Relared Activity Ràte. Essentially WRAG is that you have the potential to work, Support more disabled.

In the WRAG is get less money. New claimants get the same as Job Seekers Allowance (JSA). Existing people get more but the amount does not have up with inflation.

The changes to WRAG are designed to try to get people off the benefit.
 
For the first year of ESA (Support & WRAG) you normally get Contributions Based ESA providing your NICs have been paid.

There is no savings cap for Contributions Based ESA

If you don't have NICs then you may qualify for Income Related ESA.

For Income Related ESA, there is a savings cap and £16 000, above that you don't qualify

As @ArtStu said above £6000, the amount you get is reduced.
 
The reason for the knowledge is that I've got 2 Appeal Tribunals on the go against the DWP.

One has been going on for a year with no end in sight. I have sent off more paperwork this morning.

I really need a lie down now.
 
Estherbot said:
it's bloody complicated, so see an expert.
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Would you know who the best experts are for ESA? Is it a Citizen's Advice bureau, local job centre, unemployment benefits office?

My postcode area also has the new Universal Credit fully rolled out, which I understand will eventually replace ESA, so that's another option (which only further adds to the complexity!).
 
@Hip, I've posted several times on this Forum (on other threads) about the fantastic people who helped me with my PIP Tribunal (after the MR I wrote myself didn't make any difference, not that I really expected it to!). Fightback4Justice. They're also on Facebook if you can be bothered (I'm only on facebook to keep in touch with daughters and a few old school friends :cautious:). They deal with most of the benefits stuff for disabled folks. :)

Work all over UK via email and telephone if too far away from clients. I know this sounds like an advert, but honestly these people really helped me right from the first time I contacted them.

Please feel free to PM me if you want more details. Short message is that I lost my Motability car after PIP face to face assessment, F4J got me back the points I needed at Tribunal, and after a year without I got a Motability car again. Plus they got me top whack on the points for Activities of Living too. :)
 
ladycatlover said:
Work all over UK via email and telephone if too far away from clients. I know this sounds like an advert, but honestly these people really helped me right from the first time I contacted them.
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Wow, Fightback4Justice look really good. I like the team photos on the website, which convey a sense that they know what they are doing, and are enthusiastic to help. I am going to contact them. Thank you very much ladycatlover.
 
Hip said:
I am going to contact them.
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For me they were the best possible way to go, as was over 65 when got the DLA to PIP thing. So no way could re-apply for PIP if lost at Tribunal. I was gobsmacked that they managed to get me top rate on Activities of Daily Living (or what the f*** it's called) as before I only got the lowest level of that on DLA due to not being able to make a meal.

I joined on top level of F4J and I still remain a member to support their work. They are very friendly, which is nice. I was able to visit them with my paperwork since they ain't so very far from Liverpool. But I think that although that was nice for me to actually meet with them I'd trust them to cope with the long distance stuff - they do a lot of it! Oh, and on their website you can have live chat too if you need to contact urgently. I never had to use that though.
 
Forgot to say, though you have to sign up for a year of monthly payments, you can cancel at any time. My impression is that if you're on benefits and skint it makes it a bit easier to not have to pay a year's worth. But they need the money to keep going, so my guess is that most folks will at least go for the year if they can.

Jees, I do sound like an advert! But these people really did make a huge difference to my life - getting a new car after losing my old one was a big deal to me! Not that I drive (haven't for about 13 years now) but OH drives me in it, and it's my choice of car.
 
Hip said:
I don't mind that, if there's a chance at least that their expertise will result in some disability benefits. I was actually thinking of finding some private advisor that I could pay to get good advice.
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I think that these people give good advice. They will tell you if they can't help with your problem (eg I think they don't do Employment Tribunal stuff). So far as I understand they cover most disability benefits.

I was lucky that an advocate was free to come to my PIP Tribunal. They didn't guarantee that till last minute - I guess depends on how much work they have on. Costs were reasonable for the Advocate.

Plus travel costs, which weren't much for me as they didn't have to travel very far. But they do travel to anywhere in UK mainland for what I would term normal mileage costs. (they don't rip you off for travel costs) If they have to stay overnight if far from home they would also need hotel cost.

Sorry, gone off topic from the payments into pension this thread is about!

Best of luck to you @Hip! :) :emoji_four_leaf_clover: :)
 
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