InitialConditions
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Hi all,
Looking for some advice given it's possible I may have to go down the route of claiming benefits.
First a little about me: I'm a single 31 y/o who will soon be living alone in a flat. I have savings but these fall under the limit over which you can't claim certain benefits.
I am mild to moderately affected, and can do some work. I can get around OK - the main issue at the moment is cognitive issues; for example, I have some vision issues (trouble focusing, after-images, floaters etc), and staring at a screen really just doesn't feel right. It sort of hurts my brain. I'm sure some of you can relate.
Full-time work is out of the question, though part-time work in the right job may be possible. I'm still in the earlyish stages of my illness, so I need to be careful. I had 7 months off in 2016, then went back to work and couldn't cope. I lasted the year-long contract, but for the last 7 months of it I was working around 10-15 hours a week, mostly from home. I have a diagnosis of 'CFS' and a decent doctor who knows how much I've struggled over the past 5/6 years. Aside from ME, I also have tinnitus and some hyperacusis, OCD (mild to moderate), IBS (generally manageable). I feel there is also some depression and anxiety going on too, which of course has got worse as the illness has progressed.
When I was out of work I have some income from freelance work editing scientific papers for a company in New Zealand. I have restarted this recently. This work is sporadic, but can bring in a few hundred pound every month on average.
My first question is: what should I be looking to claim? The area I like has Universal Credit, so I think I could go with the legacy system or UC?? I'm really bothered that my rent is going to just eat up all my savings over a relatively short period.
Also, should I be using my freelance income to declare myself self-employed, and perhaps paying some NI contributions? I worry that I only have 2.5 years of pension / NI contributions given I did a PhD and also worked for a year for a European organisation who were not required to pay UK taxes.
Thanks!
Looking for some advice given it's possible I may have to go down the route of claiming benefits.
First a little about me: I'm a single 31 y/o who will soon be living alone in a flat. I have savings but these fall under the limit over which you can't claim certain benefits.
I am mild to moderately affected, and can do some work. I can get around OK - the main issue at the moment is cognitive issues; for example, I have some vision issues (trouble focusing, after-images, floaters etc), and staring at a screen really just doesn't feel right. It sort of hurts my brain. I'm sure some of you can relate.
Full-time work is out of the question, though part-time work in the right job may be possible. I'm still in the earlyish stages of my illness, so I need to be careful. I had 7 months off in 2016, then went back to work and couldn't cope. I lasted the year-long contract, but for the last 7 months of it I was working around 10-15 hours a week, mostly from home. I have a diagnosis of 'CFS' and a decent doctor who knows how much I've struggled over the past 5/6 years. Aside from ME, I also have tinnitus and some hyperacusis, OCD (mild to moderate), IBS (generally manageable). I feel there is also some depression and anxiety going on too, which of course has got worse as the illness has progressed.
When I was out of work I have some income from freelance work editing scientific papers for a company in New Zealand. I have restarted this recently. This work is sporadic, but can bring in a few hundred pound every month on average.
My first question is: what should I be looking to claim? The area I like has Universal Credit, so I think I could go with the legacy system or UC?? I'm really bothered that my rent is going to just eat up all my savings over a relatively short period.
Also, should I be using my freelance income to declare myself self-employed, and perhaps paying some NI contributions? I worry that I only have 2.5 years of pension / NI contributions given I did a PhD and also worked for a year for a European organisation who were not required to pay UK taxes.
Thanks!