You ask the benefits expert

Lee Healey navigates the benefits maze

Find out what benefits you are entitled to with our expert Lee Healey from the charity DABD.

As usual, click on one of the questions in blue below to skip straight to that answer, or scroll down the page to read them all.

VIEWER QUESTIONS

My wife and I run a our own company but work has slowed to zero. What benefits can we claim and what do we need to do to get them?

I am of working age but have been out of work for 12 months and am living on my savings. Is there any help I can get from benefits?

I am in the unfortunate position of being on long term incapacity benefit. Is it true that there will be virtually no increase this year?

Maternity leave has reduced my income, so do I know qualify for benefits? If I took redundancy how would that change my entitlement? And what benefits am I due after the birth of my baby?

When I first claimed incapacity benefit I was told I cannot apply for Disability Living Allowance. I have since been diagnosed with Depression. Am I now entitled to DLA, and can I get it backdated?

I recently got married and am unemployed, although my husband earns quite well. Am I entitled to any benefits?

I've been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for nearly 6 months, and my contribution-based entitlement runs out soon. Is there any financial support I can claim when the JSA runs out?

I retired due to ill health in 1992 and receive incapacity benefit. My wife would like to give up her physically demanding job and I was wondering if I could claim additional incapacity benefit for her?

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My wife and I run a our own company but work has slowed to zero. What benefits can we claim and what do we need to do to get them?

As you are now both working less than 16 hours per week it does look as if you might need to look into claiming Job Seekers Allowance.

The first problem you have though is one of National Insurance Contributions. As self-employed people you and your wife will not be able to claim Contribution Based Job Seekers Allowance as you are more than likely only paying class two National Insurance (NI) contributions - this type of NI contributions does not count towards Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance.

So that leaves Income Based Jobseekers Allowance as a possibility but this benefit is means-tested and will take into account you and your partner's income and savings when calculating your entitlement. So if you have savings over £16,000 you will not be able to claim this benefit. And if at any point business comes back on board through your company you would need to declare this as it would affect your entitlement.

So there is no reason why you cannot try and claim Income Based Jobseekers Allowance as a couple straight away as long as you meet the conditions and are actively seeking full-time work.

If you think you might be eligible for Income Based Jobseekers Allowance you should always look into benefits like Council Tax Benefit as well.

With regards to your company it does sound like you need some good business advice, especially if you are thinking of changing the structure of your company. I'd recommend talking to your accountant and your solicitor if you have one to find out what the options are. You can then go through the relevant process and inform HM Revenue accordingly.

I'd also talk to Business Link to find out what support there is for businesses that are having difficulties in the current economic climate. Call them on 0845 600 9 006 or visit the website .

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I am of working age but have been out of work for 12 months and am living on my savings. Is there any help I can get from benefits?

There are two types of Job-seekers Allowance, Contribution Based and Income Based.

Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance is particularly relevant for people that have recently worked, paid National Insurance contributions but have savings over the £16,000 savings limit for Income Based Jobseekers Allowance - I'm not sure if you claimed this at the time when you became unemployed? Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance only lasts 6 months.

If you haven't yet claimed Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance I would look into the possibility as soon as possible as they will be looking at your National Insurance record from the two complete tax years prior to the tax year in which you claim. If you national insurance record does not meet the conditions then Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance will not be awarded.

One more thing - if you are by chance aged over 60 I would also look into the possibility of Pension Credit as although savings are taken into account for Pension Credit there isn't a £16,000 savings limit. Being entitled to Pension Credit can also open other avenues such as Council Tax Benefit. But if your savings are really high then this might not be relevant. And this is only a possibility if you are aged over 60!

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I am in the unfortunate position of being on long term incapacity benefit. Is it true that there will be virtually no increase this year?

I'm afraid this is correct - in 2009/2010 the age additions that are currently payable within existing Incapacity Benefit claims were reduced. There is a reason for this - basically it is being done to align the rates of Incapacity Benefit and the Employment Support Allowance which replaced new claims to Incapacity Benefit in October 2008. This also means that reductions are likely to occur in future years.

If you have care and mobility issues because of your disability you could look into claiming Disability Living Allowance.

And if Disability Living Allowance is awarded you could also look into claiming means-tested benefits, obviously depending on other circumstances such as if you live with a partner or have other income or savings.

Contact your local benefits advice service and get a fully benefit check carried out to find out where you stand.

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Maternity leave has reduced my income, so do I know qualify for benefits? If I took redundancy how would that change my entitlement? And what benefits am I due after the birth of my baby?

The key change of circumstances will be once baby arrives - having dependent children opens up much more options for you within the benefits system.

First of all you can claim Child Benefit - currently £20 per week for your first child.

You can then claim Tax Credits which will be a minimum of £545 per year Child Tax Credit (family element) as long as you and your partner's yearly taxable income is below £50,000. When you claim Tax Credits you'll be assess for both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit but exactly what Tax Credits you get are worked out using your circumstances and you and your partners yearly income. So claim Tax Credits as soon as your baby arrives.

The next key change of circumstances will be if you are made redundant in December. Tax Credits are designed to take into account changes of circumstances so you'll need to get in touch with HM Revenue and tell them your income has reduced significantly - they can then re-assess your Tax Credits to see if they can be increased.

If Child Tax Credit is awarded at a rate that exceeds the £545 family element you can also claim a Sure Start Maternity Grant of £500. But you need to claim this within 3 months of the date of the birth of the baby and remember you won't be able to claim it until your Child Tax Credit award exceeds the £545 family element.

I'm hoping you have already claimed your Health in Pregnancy Grant of £190 - this is available to all expectant Mum's regardless of income from the 25th week of pregnancy.

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When I first claimed incapacity benefit I was told I cannot apply for Disability Living Allowance. I have since been diagnosed with Depression. Am I now entitled to DLA, and can I get it backdated?

You can claim Disability Living Allowance (standard claim) at any time as long as you have needed help with your care and/or mobility for 3 months.

Disability Living Allowance is a disability benefit for people aged under 65 (including children) when they first claim. It has two parts - a care component and a mobility component.

You can qualify for the care component if you require help with personal tasks such as getting in/out of bed, washing/bathing, dressing/undressing, eating/drinking, moving around indoors, communicating, administering medication and using the toilet, or if you need supervision to avoid danger to yourself or others. The help you need both during the day and at night is taken into consideration. You can also qualify if you need help cooking or preparing a main meal.

You can qualify for the mobility component if you are unable to walk, have great difficulty walking, are blind and deaf, have severe mental impairment or if you need supervision or guidance when walking (you might need supervision or guidance for example if you have mental health problems, learning difficulties, visual impairment, hearing impairment or seizures).

It can be difficult to qualify for Disability Living Allowance if the nature of your disability is related to mental health - it isn't just about having a disability - it is about how your disability relates to the Disability Living Allowance care and mobility disability tests. One of the key issues for people with a mental health disability is accurately describing how you require hep and support from another person.

It is always a good idea to seek some help and advice, especially when it comes to filling in the form. In the mean time get a claim form sent through today by calling Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 88 22 00. That way your claim can be backdated to the date you requested the form. I'd also start to monitor on a daily basis examples of the kind of help and support you need with your care and mobility - keep a note of it in a diary or notebook so that when you actually complete the forms you have a good idea of the kind of help you require.

And if Disability Living Allowance is awarded get a full benefit check carried out as means-tested benefits might come into play.

And if you are turned down, remember that you can challenge the decision within one month of the date at top of the decision letter.

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I recently got married and am unemployed, although my husband earns quite well. Am I entitled to any benefits?

The key issue here is the fact that co-habiting couples have to claim means-tested benefits such as Income-Based Job Seekers Allowance together as the government expects co-habiting couple to support each other financially, even if one of the couple is not working. In your situation claiming means-tested benefits is not applicable as your husband is working full-time and earning a high salary.

One possibility is Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance which is not means-tested, can be claimed as an individual and does not look at your partner's income but this will be dependent on your National Insurance contribution record over the last two tax years.

Make an appointment with Jobcentre Pus. As well as looking into the possibility of Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance you can also access the help and support they can provide with regards to finding full-time work.

Relate might also be able to help in this situation. Call them on 0300 100 1234 or visit www.relate.org.uk

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I've been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for nearly 6 months, and my contribution-based entitlement runs out soon. Is there any financial support I can claim when the JSA runs out?

Unfortunately Contribution Based Jobseekers does only last 6 months. Contact Business Link on 0845 600 9 006 to find out what grants and support are available in your area for starting a new business as it does vary. You can also visit the website

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I retired due to ill health in 1992 and receive incapacity benefit. My wife would like to give up her physically demanding job and I was wondering if I could claim additional incapacity benefit for her?

If your wife gives up work it might well be possible for you to claim a dependents addition within your Incapacity Benefit, but you are right in that the adult dependent addition paid within Incapacity Benefits is taxable.

You could go down a different route and look at means-tested benefits instead.

The first part of my answer to this will depend on whether you or your wife are aged over 60.

If you are both aged under 60 you might be able to claim Income Support as a couple once your wife stops working.

If one of you are aged over 60 then you might qualify for Pension Credit as a couple once your wife stops working.

I would also look into other means-tested benefits like Council Tax Benefit (for help with council tax) and Housing Benefit (for help with rent).

But there is a catch - like all means-tested benefits they will into account all other income and savings you and your partner might have.

A full benefit check from a benefits advisor will put you in the picture so that you know where you stand before your wife stops working.

On another note, if your disability affects your care and/or mobility needs you should look into claiming Disability Living Allowance.

The views expressed are those of Lee Healey not the BBC.