# Disability Allowance question



## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

Hi all,

I need some help working out figures and totals,

My Partner  ( We are not married ) has a serious illness ( not listing it here )  and can't work, She was born with it. She has a primary medical cert and claims about 188/week from social welfare/DA payments. 

I work full time and earn 42k before tax. 

We are expecting our first child and will be letting the Council know we are living together and then I will pay rent etc.. She is living in a council bungalow at the moment but it's a 1 bed.. we would need a 2 bed soon and we are saving for our own house but thats a good few years off. 

With us announcing we are living together I assume her disability allowance will be effected ? 
I was reading here http://www.citizensinformation.ie/e...ability_and_illness/disability_allowance.html
that it's means tested. 

there's a bunch of stats / figures down the bottom which I can't make sense off. 

I know if she lost this payment she would be crushed... it's all she has.. Yes I pay bills etc but she has a car to get around as she can't walk far.. there's petrol / insurance on this.. and also with her not being able to work its her only source of income.

So can someone tell me how much it would be effected by once we let them know she's not living alone etc. 

thanks.


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

I was doing some maths. 

After tax i'll get about €606 -  That sites says _"€20 per day (up to a maximum of €60) from work is deducted from your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant's average weekly earnings and then 60% of the balance is assessed as weekly means."_

So lets says it's €60 - 606 - 60 = 546 :::: 60% of €546 = €327.60 -- so what does that actually mean ?


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## mathepac (11 Mar 2015)

Does your partner receive other allowances - Living Alone Allowance, Household Benefits Package, Fuel Allowance?


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

I know she gets Living Alone and Fuel allowance.. not sure about the other one.. but she knows she will lose these once I move in.


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## gipimann (11 Mar 2015)

dave29 said:


> I was doing some maths.
> 
> After tax i'll get about €606 -  That sites says _"€20 per day (up to a maximum of €60) from work is deducted from your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant's average weekly earnings and then 60% of the balance is assessed as weekly means."_
> 
> So lets says it's €60 - 606 - 60 = 546 :::: 60% of €546 = €327.60 -- so what does that actually mean ?



The means test is based on pre-tax income, not after-tax income.
You can deduct gross earnings less PRSI, superannuation (pension payments) and union dues.
Then you do the calculation as you've outlined above (allow €20x3 and calculate 60% of the balance).
The figure you arrive at is the weekly assessed means.

The means are compared with amount of Disability Allowance your partner would get for you both (currently €188 + €124.80 =312.80).  If the means are greater than €312.80, your partner no longer qualifies for Disability Allowance.  When the baby is born, you could add another €29.80 to the family Disability Allowance rate to compare it with your means.


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

gipimann said:


> The means test is based on pre-tax income, not after-tax income.
> You can deduct gross earnings less PRSI, superannuation (pension payments) and union dues.
> Then you do the calculation as you've outlined above (allow €20x3 and calculate 60% of the balance).
> The figure you arrive at is the weekly assessed means.
> ...



Where did you get 124.80 from ?  what is this ? 

So based on my income would it all be gone ?


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

also when you said "if the means are greater than €312.80" what are means ? .. i know i've posted the word a few times.. but i've no idea what they refer to by means... are means my income ?


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

Also if the Means = my income.. do they take into consideration what my bills are ? -- there is no way I could afford to pay by partner the same amount she'd get id DA payments. 

She has bills and I have bills. I wish there was more information on this... 

If I had 1000+ spare sitting around doing nothing at the end of the month i wouldn't mind.. but sometimes i've less then 100.. and this is with her DA money.


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## Monbretia (11 Mar 2015)

Yes means are money available to the house from any source such as wages, savings etc.  

Do the calculation again based on Gipimanns explanation of gross income etc and see if the figure is greater than 312.80 (it's pretty obvious they are going to be higher when it was even higher based on the net)

The 312.80 is the figure your partner would receive if you both were not earning anything, this is the base line figure that SW take when determining if she should get a payment so in other words this is what SW figure is the amount a couple need as a minimum (being simplistic for the sake of explanation) so if you are taking home more than that after the means (income) calculation she will get nothing.

Your bills are not taken into account, once you move in there are no hers/mine when it comes to bills it all becomes 'ours' as does income coming in.   I understand how she would feel having nothing in her own right but unfortunately that is part of the setting up house together thing when she is unable to work.

Take a trip or call your local Citizens Information office, they will do the calculations for you, you could also look into whether or not you might qualify for Family Income Supplement once your child is born.


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

I think i will just not move it.. I live 1 min walk away.. there is no way we can lose over €1000 a month while trying to save for a house.. I live in my parents and there's 4 bedrooms here.. they own there house.. so whats stopping use from just living in there house ... ?


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## gipimann (11 Mar 2015)

You can be considered a couple even if you are living in your parents home.


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

they wouldn't know that... she is a lodger renting a room.


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## Monbretia (11 Mar 2015)

Your name on the birth cert might give them a clue


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## STEINER (11 Mar 2015)

As DA is means tested, if your 42k income was taken into account in the means test, she would lose her DA payment.  I know this as I already worked out the calculations for myself and my wife and confirmed it with the DA section over the phone.  In my case, once her salary exceeded €31k, that reduced the DA payment to nil.


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

Monbretia said:


> Your name on the birth cert might give them a clue


ah i'm just messing.. said that out of anger.


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## dave29 (11 Mar 2015)

STEINER said:


> As DA is means tested, if your 42k income was taken into account in the means test, she would lose her DA payment.  I know this as I already worked out the calculations for myself and my wife and confirmed it with the DA section over the phone.  In my case, once her salary exceeded €31k, that reduced the DA payment to nil.


thanks for your reply. 

Was anything else you could claim for ? or where you just cut off completely ? 

Could she claim your tax credits ? 

Was there anything out there to help you out ?


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## Black Sheep (11 Mar 2015)

Does she have any work record or has she ever paid PRSI. Would she be eligible for an Invalidity Pension (which is not means tested)


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## dave29 (12 Mar 2015)

Black Sheep said:


> Does she have any work record or has she ever paid PRSI. Would she be eligible for an Invalidity Pension (which is not means tested)



Thanks for the reply.

No she's never worked. She can't work.. she can't be on her feet for long or walk long distances, with her condition she would probably be hard to get insurance if she worked anywhere... A few years back she tried to look for work but couldn't find anything. She's about to become a mothers as well so she won't be looking for work. 

She's in her early 30's .. can you claim pension at that age ? ..


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## emeralds (12 Mar 2015)

If she has never worked (and made PRSI contributions) then she is not eligible for Invalidity Pension.


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## dave29 (12 Mar 2015)

So am I right in saying that a disabled person who can not work and has a partner earning over X amount is not entitled to anything off the state ?


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## moneybox (12 Mar 2015)

dave29 said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> No she's never worked. She can't work.. she can't be on her feet for long or walk long distances, with her condition she would probably be hard to get insurance if she worked anywhere... A few years back she tried to look for work but couldn't find anything. She's about to become a mothers as well so she won't be looking for work.
> 
> She's in her early 30's .. can you claim pension at that age ? ..



In the manner you are describing her disabilities, I am wondering how she is going to be able to manage parenting. It's one of the hardest jobs out there, if she can manage that I an sure she could manage a part time office role where she is not on her feet so much.


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## mathepac (12 Mar 2015)

Yes she is entitled to receive certain benefits, but these benefits are means tested.


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## dave29 (12 Mar 2015)

parenting will be hard.. but you don't need insurance to parent.. While her mobility is limited she is also a risk of hurting herself.. She's been in hospital for a long time.


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## dave29 (12 Mar 2015)

mathepac said:


> Yes she is entitled to receive certain benefits, but these benefits are means tested.



Can you read my comment again.... I said "So am I right in saying that a disabled person who can not work and has a partner earning over X amount is not entitled to anything off the state ?"

If the X in this case is my wages... am I right in saying she is not entitled to anything ? ... or as you said would something else be looked at.. ?

-- would everything she might be entitled be means tested against my wages and then removed. ?


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## moneybox (12 Mar 2015)

Dave29 - As already outlined above if the household means are greater than €312.80 then your partner no longer qualifies for disability allowance. A quick calculation of your annual income indicates a weekly wage of circa €600 so you are well above the means test limit.  Please note there are many families with children surviving on much less than this figure every week.

The only solution for both of you is to continue to live in separate residences until such time you have the money saved to buy the home of your dreams.  I don't think you both moving in with your parents is a good idea, social welfare would eventually pick up on it and it would be classed as fraud, she be better keeping her one bed-roomed council property.  In addition there is every likelihood your parents may not want both of you moving in on top of them.


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## STEINER (12 Mar 2015)

dave29 said:


> thanks for your reply.
> 
> Was anything else you could claim for ? or where you just cut off completely ? *Instantly cut off, as my spouse's new earnings are quite high, any means tested payments reduce to nil.  I don't qualify for benefit based payments as my PRSI contributions are not the required recency.  Having said that, we are better off financially now with the salary income.*
> 
> ...


 *No.*


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