moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

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princess peach
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby princess peach » Sun Jan 24, 2010 5:51 pm

Maddy,you are eligible for child benefit whilst you are resident in the UK,If and when you decided to go back to spain you are supposed to inform them of a change of circumstance.
I informed the child benefit that i was moving to spain permanently and my sons child benefit was stopped straight away,i was told to claim again from the country i paid tax to.
However,as this money is paid directly to your bank account a lot of people do not inform them of moving abroad permanently and still get the money paid into the account.
Once you claim you will get it paid into the bank until the child/children reach 16 unless you or someone informs them otherwise.However i would like to say again that you are meant to tell them if you move abroad

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scampicat
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby scampicat » Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:50 pm

Right, hopefully I can give some advice.

Firstly; if you children are over twelve years old you will be expected to look for work, and therefore sign up for Jobseekers' Allowance. Whilst on this, you should also be able to claim Council Tax Benenfit (and if you are renting, Local Housing Allowance to help with your rent).

If your children are under twelve, you can go onto Income Support, or JSA if you are looking for work. Same help with Council Tax and Rent.

All the above are means-tested Benefits. If you have too much income and/or savings they will be reduced or stopped altogether.

You will be able to claim Child Benenfit, but you will not continue to receive this if you return to Spain. This is not means-tested.

All this depends upon passing the Habitual residency Test, where you have to show that you have come to live in the UK for the forseeable future and not just in order to claim Benefits. This can be shown by a rental contract, mortgage offer, or indeed buying a house outright, opening a bank account, registering with a Dr and Dentist etc or being able to show that you have maintained links with the UK whilst you have been abroad, showing an intention to return at some point.

The British Social Security system is based partly upon residency, not by how much you have paid in (although some Benefits are Contributions based).

Hope this helps.

maddy
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby maddy » Sun Jan 24, 2010 9:00 pm

thank you very much for the above informative information scampicat.that is very kind of you. can i just clarify a few points:my children are 18mths and 3 years.i wont need to work for the forseeable future and would like to concentrate on getting them feeling settled and secure and happy again after all this upheaval the past few months,that we have gone through.would i still be able to claim income support and council tax help if i buy a house outright?that way i wont have as much in savings(do you know the figures allowed)?i was hoping to buy a house for 150,000pounds:hopefully.
thank you again.

Scot
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby Scot » Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:07 am

Well as you are all aware the system didnt help us returning from Spain with no money. Maddy is wise to consider moving back now whilst she still has some money to support her and the family. Most of my friends are now trapped in Spain with no money left so I feel, personally, that Maddy is planning ahead and being responsible. It would appear the UK system is a help IF you are working and are low wage earners and I think thats a great idea. I just hope I can keep up with this fast pace as my wages make the difference between paying our way (rent, food, council tax, etc) or not covering our outgoings. If I can't work, I guess something will have to give - food, perhaps?

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scampicat
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby scampicat » Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:47 am

Assuming you pass the habitual residency test and are granted means-tested Benefits, the capital limits are as follows:

Up to £6000 -no effect on Benefits
£6000-£16000 - Benefits reduced on a sliding scale (sorry i don't know the scale)
Over £16000 - not eligible for means-tested Benenfits.

If you have other income this too will be assessed in the means test, but I don't know the limits for that.

The property you live in will not be counted in the means test, but any other property, in the UK or abroad, will be.

Buying your house outright, in itself, should have no effect on the Benefits, providing you buy a house suitable for your needs and not Buckingham Palace. However while you have the money in the bank that will be counted although I believe it will be disregarded for six months if it is for the purpose of buying a house.

Giving away, disposing of, losing or extravagantly spending money to get within the capital limits in order to claim Benefits is classed as Deliberate Deprivation and you will be assessed as if you still had the money, although buying, for example, a modest car or furnishing your house with ikea furniture would be classed as reasonable expenditure.

See a benefits Advisor at the CAB when you arrive in the UK.

Hope this helps.

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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby Scot » Mon Jan 25, 2010 9:57 am

Maddy make sure you keep enough aside to pay your own way for several months. We get child benefit for our 2 children and this took a couple of months to start being paid into our account. We were excempt from any other help as for any assistance I asked for (eg Disability Living Allowance) a 26 week rule applies and I had to be back in UK for that period prior to claiming. If I wanted to swindle, I could, perhaps, have used my OHs address where he was registered on the voters role as he was back in the UK for nearly two years in order to find work. I went out and found myself a job instead. You can do this too as it is more beneficial for you to work as you get extra help with childcare etc. Look on www.entitledto.com which I find helpful and has an online calculator. I know theres lots of folk returning to the UK where things haven't worked out for whatever reason. With children, schooling is a worry and some of my friends who have been in Spain for many years are returning and placing their children in Colegio Espanol Vicente Canada Blanch which is in Portobello Road in London. It is a private school run by the Spanish Government and the fees are 85 pounds a year!! If you have a love/affinity for Spain and can prove hardship, you can get educated for free tho you may need to pay 2,100 per annum if you have no Spanish connection at all :(

markwilding
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby markwilding » Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:23 am

The problem you have with schooling is of course completely different..You have to make a decision if you want your kids to continue with Spanish or study in an English speaking school
My son spent his pre-school years at the School mentioned by Scot. but only until school age because my wife who is Spanish wasn't happy with it's results. That was 10 years or so back so it might have changed since then
It's a difficult decision because whichever language you choose the other one is going to suffer
Last edited by markwilding on Mon Jan 25, 2010 3:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.

maddy
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby maddy » Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:53 pm

thank you scot for the information on the school in london. i dont think i could go to living in an urban area after so long in the countryside though.

i have spoken to CAB (thanks princess peach) who has advised me i am eligible for child benefit if i buy a house in the uk to live permanently.

doea anyone know any good sites for looking at properties?i do like rightmove so thank you to the person who suggested that.

any one have anything else to add that they think i have missed out on?i forgot to ask CAB about council tax help. would they know the answer to this?i wouldnt like to use my savings on it if i can help it. i do know my savings are significantly more than the minimum scampicat quoted though.

thank you.

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Julie
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby Julie » Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:36 pm

If you have more than the basic amount of money you will have to pay the tax.
Look at fish4homes.co.uk or just google the area you fancy.

Good luck !
No soporto ver la casa sucia, ahora mismo me levanto y apago la luz.

wendyakemp
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Re: moving to uk cos we "want" to, not "need" to

Postby wendyakemp » Thu Feb 04, 2010 11:46 pm

In the eighties Princess Diana tried to refuse the child benefit as she didn't need it. She was not allowed as it is compulsory so she gave it to a childrens charity. Its something to do with being the childs right and not up to the parent but everyone must receive it.
Does anyone else remember?


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