I need help with this

shelby67

Hi all,

I need some help as we are starting to go under.

We are a newly married couple. I work and earn 40K per year. My wife does not work and never has, she has also never claimed 1 cent from the government.

She has a very sick family member who lives in a hospice but she spend about 6 hours a day with her to mind her, care for her and do activities to brighten up her day.

At the moment w are 30 years old and living in her fathers house. We are trying to save for a house but we are going under with money.

She has been told by social welfare that she should just get a job.

She suffers with migrane, optical migrane, heart murmer and a problem with her stomach wall.

Is there anything that we can get for her? I have paid tax since I was 16 and I just feel there has to be something that she is entitled to to help us out?

Any advice would be much appreciated

mrsbyrne

Your wife, can apply for Disability Allowance, which is means tested against your wages. The medical criteria is basically that she his been certified by a Doctor as unfit for work for 12 months and is likely to be unfit for work for another 12 months. She will submit all the evidence of her ailments, and how they impede her from getting a job, and a Medical Assessor will examine the evidence and decide whether she fits SW criteria for DA.
She could alternatively apply for Carers Allowance in respect of the relative in the hospice but she would have to proved that she was at the hospice giving full time care and attention , and that the person needed full time care and attention so that's pretty difficult.
I've had a peek at your other posts, you'll have to be upfront in either of these claims about all your income and savings and don't forget they don't take any outgoings into account. Good luck.

Ham Sambo

She could try for carers allowance, even though your relation is in full-time care she could still apply, even for half-rate, it is hard enough to get it but if you knew anybody within the civil service that could push your application along it would be worth your while.

lulu1

Pretty sure wife can not avail of carers allowance when the person is in full time care. As for disability allowance she could try for that but as she has never worked and has never paid a stamp not sure if she would qualify for that either but stand to be corrected on that Cant help wondering if your wife never worked or claimed sw what did she live on all these years

mrsbyrne

lulu1 wrote: »

Pretty sure wife can not avail of carers allowance when the person is in full time care. As for disability allowance she could try for that but as she has never worked and has never paid a stamp not sure if she would qualify for that either but stand to be corrected on that Cant help wondering if your wife never worked or claimed sw what did she live on all these years

It is possible for this person to get carers but her difficult as I've said.
Stamps don't come into play for allowances , your thinking of benefits, allowances are means tested, as I mentioned in my post. Its not relevant what his wife lived on all these years, and won't be a factor in her application either.

mrsbyrne

Ham Sambo wrote: »

She could try for carers allowance, even though your relation is in full-time care she could still apply, even for half-rate, it is hard enough to get it but if you knew anybody within the civil service that could push your application along it would be worth your while.

Half rate is not relevant in this case.

lulu1

mrsbyrne wrote: »

It is possible for this person to get carers but her difficult as I've said.
Stamps don't come into play for allowances , your thinking of benefits, allowances are means tested, as I mentioned in my post. Its not relevant what his wife lived on all these years, and won't be a factor in her application either.

Yes I know stamps have nothing to do with carers but do you not need so many to claim da

Kristopherus

lulu1 wrote: »

Yes I know stamps have nothing to do with carers but do you not need so many to claim da

You don't need to have any contributions to qualify for D.A. Where the OP's wife will have a difficulty is the means test where his gross income is taken as means.

@OP, there are a lot of people living on far less than your income. Maybe you could have a chat with MABS on how to cope on your income.

MouseTail

I think both Disability and Carers are blind alleys, disability due to the OPs income, and Carers due to the fact the relative is recieving full time care, and as the relative is recieving palliative care, it is a short term solution only.

brightspark

Have you informed revenue that you are now married and claimed her tax credits/allowances?

http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/credits/married-persons-taxation.html