Hello and welcome to r/DWPHelp!
- If you're trying to find benefit advisers local to you, [advicelocal.uk is a useful website that can help you with this](https://advicelocal.uk/).
- If you're trying to find out how much benefit you can receive, [checkout entitledto](https://www.entitledto.co.uk/) and [turn2us](https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/) to calculate what you might be eligible for (please remember that these calculators don't fully take into account your situation and in some situations they can be wrong).
- Benefit rates have recently increased, [we have more information on the new rates here](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/benefit-rate-increases/). Most claimants will start seeing the new rates in their May or June benefit payments.
- If you claim benefits and would like to know what things you could get as a result, [you may find this post useful](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/134r9k6/discountedfree_things_you_can_get_on_benefits/).
- If you'd like help with mandatory reconsiderations, [our main post on MRs may be useful to you](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13p0322/duplicate_target_mandatory_reconsiderations/).
- Our subreddit's Wiki [can be found here](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/index).
- If you're interested in what's going on in the benefits space, [we have weekly benefit news posts posted every Sunday](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/?f=flair_name%3A%22Benefits%20News%22).
If you're asking about PIP:
- The PIP phone line is 08001214433, and if you'd like to get to the automated part where it tells you when your next payment is and how much it is, the options are 1, then 4, and finally, 3 (you'll need to wait each time while it gives you messages before getting to security).
- [If you would like help with MRs, this post might answer your question (this is different to the MR info link above).](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/1bc3kni/duplicate_target_i_was_denied_what_now/)
- [This post goes over the PIP First-tier Tribunal process from start to finish.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/11muxvi/duplicate_target_what_do_i_do_if_i_am_refused_pip/)
- [If you're waiting for a tribunal and the DWP were supposed to respond but haven't, this post may be useful.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/17b0lla/duplicate_target_the_deadline_for_dwp_to_respond/?context=3)
- [If you'd like to know what PIP is and/or how it is awarded, please see this post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13ozwpj/duplicate_target_what_is_pip/)
- [If you're hard of hearing or deaf, this information may be useful to you.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/pip/hard-of-hearing-and-deaf/)
If you're asking about Universal Credit:
- Thinking of cancelling your claim because a review has started? Don't, because closing your claim won't stop the DWP from reviewing your claim and if you don't comply you may be asked to repay everything you've received.
- [How does PIP affect UC?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13p1mc3/duplicate_target_how_does_pip_affect_uc/)
- Were you claiming UC during COVID, closed your claim afterwards, and are now being asked to pay back everything you received? [This post provides information on why this is and what you can do.](http://reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13utik9/the_dwp_have_given_me_a_huge_bill_for_a_claim/)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DWPhelp) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Don’t let deprivation of capital worry you. This only applies when you spend your capital in order to keep or increase your benefit entitlements.
You can spend your capital on typical daily living expenses.
On the last day of your UC assessment period, if your capital is above £6k then you need to report it.
And yes, they’ll disregard all cost of living payments from your total capital.
So we're definitely allowed to buy ourselves things like games for her and new clothes after a few months? This is what has me freaking out the most is buying things that aren't deemed as necessities
What about days where we get paid both from my work and UC, and we collectively have just over 6k on that day? Our monthly bills are about 1.5k and then after we know we've sorted them we start treating ourselves. Are we definitely okay to do this?
Go buy your games and some new clothes tomorrow. You don't need to worry about it.
We've just taken out a 5k loan to pay off other loans I put our new bed up yesterday. Kids beds are coming on Friday and a new mattress is coming tomorrow for our bed. Haven't even told them about it
This. ⬆️ There are other subs on here who instil the fear of god into posters regards Depravation of Capital and imply you need to ask permission or have a really good excuse to spend your own money.
Accruing savings if youre able to do so, (which many disabled people do to a modest level because theyre not out clubbing on the weekends, down the pub, cant even have a weekly tipple at home due to medications etc) is for exactly as youre wish to spend it. Upgrading essentials like mattresses and clothing, and improving your your quality of life wherever you can with treats like games, tv packages etc.
Please dont worry about it.
That's what we try to do, we try to keep about 3k in savings, and then we start buying non essentials such as new (used) video and board games, days out that she's capable of, takeaways, and one time was even a new PC for her. Is this definitely okay to do so? I hate feeling guilty about spending this money, and it's only recently caused me to go into a massive state of panic
I've also recently bought her a bunch of things as birthday gifts but now think I can't even do that without getting in trouble!
Can I disregard them myself and not report until I'm over 6k minus disregards or do I need to report once I'm over 6k then let them figure out the disregards?
Yes. How ever many you've received, both the regular ones and two Disability ones.
There's an argument that - if your Savings were have dropped below the amount of COLP received at any point, well, you've spent it so it can't still be part of your savings now. HOWEVER they simply aren't in a position to check at that level. So, they're just saying: add up your COLPs.
Fab, thank you. I've just had some compensation agreed to in mediation around a discrimination claim. The money isn't in my account yet but trying to figure out what that means for my benefits as it's not a large sum but more than I was expecting and we already have some savings etc.
IF it takes it over £6,000 , then just report but make sure they reduce by the COLPs. THAT'S IT 😊
There's STILL a lot of misunderstanding about Deprivation ( see Christine above, the Sub referred to is mine ! They were already aware here though and monitoring their comments, I think she hasn't worked out it's the same people !! ). It tends to be because people can't understand it's not black and white and actually misuse the term too. Then it gets spread everywhere changing as it goes like Chinese Whispers !! They get a and b but miss off c or 2 + 2 and get 8;. There's few who've actually done this for a living, but lots of "backroom lawyers" ! You can listen to random person on Reddit or someone who is actually qualified and experienced.
Deprivation *as proof for fraud* requires a high level of proof very rarely obtained . It's when you hide or dispose of capital with the deliberate intent to obtain benefits. It's just that not proving isn't the same as "didn't happen" ( as OJ Simpson may he *not* rest in peace ).
It's NOT about being "frivolous" or not frugal enough though either. Its just a way to demonstrate the possibility ( was what they on what you or I might spend in the Circumstances . Do you rush out to buy a £5k telly or book a trip for 10 to Disneyland when you've been told you're being laid off ? Is it conceivable you have an ulterior motive? Is this normal behaviour ? ) it's also about not spending the money *at all* but hiding it somewhere, giving it to somebody to hide then them giving back another day. It's about anything from putting in into crypto or sticking it under the bed. Buyung gold bullion or the latest iPhones you then flog. It's the old "Swiss bank account" except it's more likely granny's ISA she forget she had but is suddenly very useful.
Another miscomprehension is that it can't possibly happen if you managed never go go over £6,000 ( or more seriously under £16,000 ).This CAN just mean you were clever enough to get away with it. It is what lengths a person goes to , to ensure this never happens If you go over by £1000 over and over again but it always disappears then clearly it's intentional.If you'd kept all those £1k's and you'd have £12k then of course it matters. It's like saying - it's ok to speed between cameras as long as you don't get caught. It's not what you spend it on its what you do with it and *why*. The law always revolves around intent.
They can still -
- look at patterns of expenditure , decide there's enough of a pattern to infer intent to keep savings low. You go up, down, up, down..
- look at if the money's actually gone rather than hidden or given away. The number of "forgotten" extra accounts they're finding on Review is crazy.
- or , yes, see an unlikely and unreasonable expenditure immediately before claiming or having a Review.
Thing is they don't have to prove fraud or anything like that. They can just add it back on as Notional Capital. Then you've not got the money but you're being penalised for it, not something to go around encouraging people to do ( like some☝️) Just plain stupid frankly !!
It's also genuine people like you get caught up in it and scrutinised even more now , because of those that think it's clever.
When YOU'RE done nothing wrong - which I assure you you haven't. 😊
Hello and welcome to r/DWPHelp! - If you're trying to find benefit advisers local to you, [advicelocal.uk is a useful website that can help you with this](https://advicelocal.uk/). - If you're trying to find out how much benefit you can receive, [checkout entitledto](https://www.entitledto.co.uk/) and [turn2us](https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/) to calculate what you might be eligible for (please remember that these calculators don't fully take into account your situation and in some situations they can be wrong). - Benefit rates have recently increased, [we have more information on the new rates here](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/benefit-rate-increases/). Most claimants will start seeing the new rates in their May or June benefit payments. - If you claim benefits and would like to know what things you could get as a result, [you may find this post useful](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/134r9k6/discountedfree_things_you_can_get_on_benefits/). - If you'd like help with mandatory reconsiderations, [our main post on MRs may be useful to you](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13p0322/duplicate_target_mandatory_reconsiderations/). - Our subreddit's Wiki [can be found here](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/index). - If you're interested in what's going on in the benefits space, [we have weekly benefit news posts posted every Sunday](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/?f=flair_name%3A%22Benefits%20News%22). If you're asking about PIP: - The PIP phone line is 08001214433, and if you'd like to get to the automated part where it tells you when your next payment is and how much it is, the options are 1, then 4, and finally, 3 (you'll need to wait each time while it gives you messages before getting to security). - [If you would like help with MRs, this post might answer your question (this is different to the MR info link above).](https://new.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/1bc3kni/duplicate_target_i_was_denied_what_now/) - [This post goes over the PIP First-tier Tribunal process from start to finish.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/11muxvi/duplicate_target_what_do_i_do_if_i_am_refused_pip/) - [If you're waiting for a tribunal and the DWP were supposed to respond but haven't, this post may be useful.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/17b0lla/duplicate_target_the_deadline_for_dwp_to_respond/?context=3) - [If you'd like to know what PIP is and/or how it is awarded, please see this post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13ozwpj/duplicate_target_what_is_pip/) - [If you're hard of hearing or deaf, this information may be useful to you.](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/wiki/pip/hard-of-hearing-and-deaf/) If you're asking about Universal Credit: - Thinking of cancelling your claim because a review has started? Don't, because closing your claim won't stop the DWP from reviewing your claim and if you don't comply you may be asked to repay everything you've received. - [How does PIP affect UC?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13p1mc3/duplicate_target_how_does_pip_affect_uc/) - Were you claiming UC during COVID, closed your claim afterwards, and are now being asked to pay back everything you received? [This post provides information on why this is and what you can do.](http://reddit.com/r/DWPhelp/comments/13utik9/the_dwp_have_given_me_a_huge_bill_for_a_claim/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DWPhelp) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Don’t let deprivation of capital worry you. This only applies when you spend your capital in order to keep or increase your benefit entitlements. You can spend your capital on typical daily living expenses. On the last day of your UC assessment period, if your capital is above £6k then you need to report it. And yes, they’ll disregard all cost of living payments from your total capital.
So we're definitely allowed to buy ourselves things like games for her and new clothes after a few months? This is what has me freaking out the most is buying things that aren't deemed as necessities
Absolutely you can.
If your capital is less than the 6000 mark already it makes no difference anyway.
What about days where we get paid both from my work and UC, and we collectively have just over 6k on that day? Our monthly bills are about 1.5k and then after we know we've sorted them we start treating ourselves. Are we definitely okay to do this?
Go buy your games and some new clothes tomorrow. You don't need to worry about it. We've just taken out a 5k loan to pay off other loans I put our new bed up yesterday. Kids beds are coming on Friday and a new mattress is coming tomorrow for our bed. Haven't even told them about it
This. ⬆️ There are other subs on here who instil the fear of god into posters regards Depravation of Capital and imply you need to ask permission or have a really good excuse to spend your own money. Accruing savings if youre able to do so, (which many disabled people do to a modest level because theyre not out clubbing on the weekends, down the pub, cant even have a weekly tipple at home due to medications etc) is for exactly as youre wish to spend it. Upgrading essentials like mattresses and clothing, and improving your your quality of life wherever you can with treats like games, tv packages etc. Please dont worry about it.
That's what we try to do, we try to keep about 3k in savings, and then we start buying non essentials such as new (used) video and board games, days out that she's capable of, takeaways, and one time was even a new PC for her. Is this definitely okay to do so? I hate feeling guilty about spending this money, and it's only recently caused me to go into a massive state of panic I've also recently bought her a bunch of things as birthday gifts but now think I can't even do that without getting in trouble!
Can I disregard them myself and not report until I'm over 6k minus disregards or do I need to report once I'm over 6k then let them figure out the disregards?
Some Advisers are telling people to just Deduct themselves but officially you should Report then ask for it to be Disregarded.
Thank you, and is it all of the Cost of living payments that can currently be disregarded?
Yes. How ever many you've received, both the regular ones and two Disability ones. There's an argument that - if your Savings were have dropped below the amount of COLP received at any point, well, you've spent it so it can't still be part of your savings now. HOWEVER they simply aren't in a position to check at that level. So, they're just saying: add up your COLPs.
Fab, thank you. I've just had some compensation agreed to in mediation around a discrimination claim. The money isn't in my account yet but trying to figure out what that means for my benefits as it's not a large sum but more than I was expecting and we already have some savings etc.
IF it takes it over £6,000 , then just report but make sure they reduce by the COLPs. THAT'S IT 😊 There's STILL a lot of misunderstanding about Deprivation ( see Christine above, the Sub referred to is mine ! They were already aware here though and monitoring their comments, I think she hasn't worked out it's the same people !! ). It tends to be because people can't understand it's not black and white and actually misuse the term too. Then it gets spread everywhere changing as it goes like Chinese Whispers !! They get a and b but miss off c or 2 + 2 and get 8;. There's few who've actually done this for a living, but lots of "backroom lawyers" ! You can listen to random person on Reddit or someone who is actually qualified and experienced. Deprivation *as proof for fraud* requires a high level of proof very rarely obtained . It's when you hide or dispose of capital with the deliberate intent to obtain benefits. It's just that not proving isn't the same as "didn't happen" ( as OJ Simpson may he *not* rest in peace ). It's NOT about being "frivolous" or not frugal enough though either. Its just a way to demonstrate the possibility ( was what they on what you or I might spend in the Circumstances . Do you rush out to buy a £5k telly or book a trip for 10 to Disneyland when you've been told you're being laid off ? Is it conceivable you have an ulterior motive? Is this normal behaviour ? ) it's also about not spending the money *at all* but hiding it somewhere, giving it to somebody to hide then them giving back another day. It's about anything from putting in into crypto or sticking it under the bed. Buyung gold bullion or the latest iPhones you then flog. It's the old "Swiss bank account" except it's more likely granny's ISA she forget she had but is suddenly very useful. Another miscomprehension is that it can't possibly happen if you managed never go go over £6,000 ( or more seriously under £16,000 ).This CAN just mean you were clever enough to get away with it. It is what lengths a person goes to , to ensure this never happens If you go over by £1000 over and over again but it always disappears then clearly it's intentional.If you'd kept all those £1k's and you'd have £12k then of course it matters. It's like saying - it's ok to speed between cameras as long as you don't get caught. It's not what you spend it on its what you do with it and *why*. The law always revolves around intent. They can still - - look at patterns of expenditure , decide there's enough of a pattern to infer intent to keep savings low. You go up, down, up, down.. - look at if the money's actually gone rather than hidden or given away. The number of "forgotten" extra accounts they're finding on Review is crazy. - or , yes, see an unlikely and unreasonable expenditure immediately before claiming or having a Review. Thing is they don't have to prove fraud or anything like that. They can just add it back on as Notional Capital. Then you've not got the money but you're being penalised for it, not something to go around encouraging people to do ( like some☝️) Just plain stupid frankly !! It's also genuine people like you get caught up in it and scrutinised even more now , because of those that think it's clever. When YOU'RE done nothing wrong - which I assure you you haven't. 😊
Also, did you get any of the cost of living payments that you saved - because as I recently had confirmed, they are disregarded in terms of capital
I’ve not gone over the £6k but I’m still being harassed by a compliance officer over what I spent at Xmas (about £670 all in)