Means Testing a Couple on Different Payments

danjo-xx

The total household income is accessed.

One on Disability Allowance: Disregard, 50k
One on Job Seekers Allowance: Disregard 20k.

Both Getting the full Personal rate:

How do they calculate the different disregard amounts!

Are they added together, €70k...... or is the higher amt taken, €50k

eastbono

I might be wrong but I would think they are both treated individually. Different means testing for different schemes. Others may be more knowledgeable (excuse the spelling) on this.

chasm

danjo-xx wrote: »

The total household income is accessed.

One on Disability Allowance: Disregard, 50k
One on Job Seekers Allowance: Disregard 20k.

Both Getting the full Personal rate:

How do they calculate the different disregard amounts!

Are they added together, €70k...... or is the higher amt taken, €50k

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/means_test_for_social_welfare_payments/means_test.html

If you have a joint account with your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, legally the total amount in the account is owned by each of you. Therefore it can be assessed in full against each of you. However, if you are both getting means tested payments it will be assessed on a shared basis or against only one of you.

danjo-xx

chasm wrote: »

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/means_test_for_social_welfare_payments/means_test.html

If you have a joint account with your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, legally the total amount in the account is owned by each of you. Therefore it can be assessed in full against each of you. However, if you are both getting means tested payments it will be assessed on a shared basis or against only one of you.

Thanks for that but I really wanted to concentrate on the disregard amounts only for a couple, on JSA/DA

are they as eastbono thinks, both treated individually if so the couple would have a 'combined' disregard amount of €70k (50k DA + 20K JSA)

or is it likely to be less than €70 in total, or 50k and 20K individually for any reason.





There are no joint accounts.

chasm

danjo-xx wrote: »

Thanks for that but I really wanted to concentrate on the disregard amounts only for a couple, on JSA/DA

are they as eastbono thinks, both treated individually if so the couple would have a 'combined' disregard amount of €70k (50k DA + 20K JSA)

or is it likely to be less than €70 in total, or 50k and 20K individually for any reason.





There are no joint accounts.

From reading about the means test i would assume the disregards are individual but it's not as straightforward as that, the amount of capital a couple have is split as they are both on social assistance payments so they would each be classed as having €35k in capital, which would then affect the amount the JA claimant receives as it is over the €20k disregard.

danjo-xx

chasm wrote: »

From reading about the means test i would assume the disregards are individual but it's not as straightforward as that, the amount of capital a couple have is split as they are both on social assistance payments so they would each be classed as having €35k in capital, which would then affect the amount the JA claimant receives as it is over the €20k disregard.

I see what you mean and it is complicated. They seem to be treated as a 'couple' in one sense but not in another.

example: Person on DA has zero savings: Person on JA has say 50k

= 25k each so partner on JA has 5k assessed as means despite their combined disregard amounts of €70

Unless any unused disregard amount by one partner can be used by the other.