Disability Benefits and Means Test

ceeforcaat

OK - this is all very new to me.

It is looking very much the case that I will have to give up work to look after my wife who is disabled MS)

Can anyone help me to understand what is probably so basic to all of you experts?

Our income will be 236 euro per week occupational pension (me) and 152 for my wife, also occupational pension - nothing else.

Is there some kind of calculator to assess how this means will affect any benefits to which she/we are entitled?

Additionally is the total benefits aggregated before taking means into account? For example,

is it:

a) disability benefit plus carers allowance (plus any other benefits we may be entitled to) less 'means'

or

b) disability benefit less means plus carers allowance less means etc

I would be keen to work this out for myself but welfare.ie is silent on that.

We are both 58 years of age.

Help!

splinter65

ceeforcaat wrote: »

OK - this is all very new to me.

It is looking very much the case that I will have to give up work to look after my wife who is disabled MS)

Can anyone help me to understand what is probably so basic to all of you experts?

Our income will be 236 euro per week occupational pension (me) and 152 for my wife, also occupational pension - nothing else.

Is there some kind of calculator to assess how this means will affect any benefits to which she/we are entitled?

Additionally is the total benefits aggregated before taking means into account? For example,

is it:

a) disability benefit plus carers allowance (plus any other benefits we may be entitled to) less 'means'

or

b) disability benefit less means plus carers allowance less means etc

I would be keen to work this out for myself but welfare.ie is silent on that.

We are both 58 years of age.

Help!

Hi
It’s actually quite straightforward. You are applying for Carers Allowance. Here is the means test:

How means are assessed
The means test for Carer's Allowance involves assessing your income (excluding your home). If you are single, €332.50 of your gross weekly income is not taken into account (or disregarded). If you are married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting the first €665 of your combined gross weekly income is disregarded. PRSI, union dues, superannuation (pension contributions) and travel expenses are also deducted. For a couple, the combined gross weekly balance is then halved to give the carer's weekly means.

If you are getting a social welfare payment from another state an amount up to the maximum rate of the Irish State Pension (Contributory) is exempt from the means test. Any foreign social welfare payment above the maximum Irish State Pension (Contributory) rate is treated as income for the means test.

If you are getting maintenance payments, these are assessed (along with any other source of income) and the first €332.50 (or €665 for a couple) is disregarded.


Here’s a link to how capital is assessed :

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/means_test_for_social_welfare_payments/how_to_assess_your_means_from_capital_for_social_welfare_payments.html

ceeforcaat

Thank you. We intend to apply for all appropriate benefits. Neither of us receive any at the moment. Are you able to answer my aggregate question?

splinter65

You don’t really specify what income your wife has or what her employment circumstances are but, if she has been in employment recently making an A PRSI contribution then she may be entitled to apply for an Invalidity Pension. Ordinarily she would need to have been in receipt of illness benefit for 6 months first but if she is quite ill with the MS then this will be overlooked.
She is entitled to a long term illness card. She should also apply for a medical card. If you get Carers you will also be entitled to a medical card.
If she’s not entitled by route of PRSI to an invalidity then she may apply for Disability Allowance but this is means tested. Your income from your pension will affect the amount of DA she would be entitled to as well as any other income she has herself.
Note that the capital means test for DA disregards the first 50000.
If she got Invalidity Pension then the part she gets for herself is not means tested but if she were to apply for you to be considered her dependent then you would be means tested.
If you and she had no other income then she would get €203.50 for herself and €145 for you. Then you could get €107 Carers. You as a family (I assume you have no one else living with you) will get the Houshold Benefits package and each of you will get Free Travel.

ceeforcaat

You certainly seem to have a handle on this - I am most grateful. So, by way of clarity what would our total income be if we were entitled to the three amounts that you quoted and given the other income from pensions stated in my first post. Savings amount to 40000 jointly.

I am really trying to establish how our occupational pensions affect the benefits and then take it from there.

Thanks again.

splinter65

ceeforcaat wrote: »

You certainly seem to have a handle on this - I am most grateful. So, by way of clarity what would our total income be if we were entitled to the three amounts that you quoted and given the other income from pensions stated in my first post. Savings amount to 40000 jointly.

I am really trying to establish how our occupational pensions affect the benefits and then take it from there.

Thanks again.

I would need more information. First of all here in Ireland we have 2 types of payments. We have “benefits” which are not means tested and are based on your total and recent PRSI contributions. Then we have “allowances” which are means tested.
If you are working now or were working in the last 6 months, then you will get Carers Benefit ( €220) and not be means tested. So you can have your occupational pensions and Carers.
If your wife was working and paying A class PRSI recently then as I said before she could get Invalidity Pension with no means test.
The means test only comes into play when you don’t have enough or the correct PRSI and you are below a certain weekly income.
You don’t say how much savings investments etc you have. These are included in the means test too.
Say you have no savings etc. If you have none then based on the figures you’ve given then you would get €219 Carers Allowance.