Dawn

Hi all,

Does anyone know after living In Aus for 10 years would you be entitled to any benefits up until you find a job?

Thanks in advance

BritInParis

You'll usually need to meet the habitual residence test before you can claim any benefits. This would mean a three month wait unless you have an exemption. More information is available here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/be...esidence-test/

Victor Meldrew

I'm not sure what your financial situation is or what you plan to bring back, but I would strongly advise you have some money as back up until you either find work or get benefits.

We came back June 2015 and could not find work or get benefits. We ended up getting through £10,000 of savings, living fairly frugally, up to when we found work in April 2016. We returned overseas and due to finish/come back next June 2018.

To be honest, the amount you would likely get for benefits would not be that much and not always a guarantee.

HKG3

I would suggest the OP to look into getting Australian citizenship before moving back to the UK if not already done so.

You are entitle to free NHS medical care as soon as you returned to the UK to settle. However, you will not be entitle to get social welfare until you pass the habitual residence test.

If you are unemployed, you can get Job Seekers Allowance (JSA), but the amount of money you will get is not a lot. Over 25s can get a maximum of £73.10 per week.

https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance

spouse of scouse

That doesn't quite tell the whole story.

Dawn, once you meet the habitual residence test there will be a range of benefits that you can apply for, assuming both you and your husband are unemployed. I also took the liberty of checking a couple of your past posts to see the make-up of your family, I think you and your husband have one child around 16 years old?

You probably already know that the UK is in the process of combining many different benefits into one payment, called Universal Credit. I ran a hypothetical benefits check on a government calculater (link to follow), to see what a family would be entitled to if they were in the following situation:

Husband and wife in their 40s, both British citizens and currently unemployed
One child, 16 and in high school
Family lives in a 2 bedroom private rental house
Family lives in an area where Universal Credit has already been rolled out
Family do not have more than £6,000 in savings
Family's council tax is £1,200 per year, Band A

Based on the above criteria, this family would be entitled to approx. £324 per week, approx. £16,900 per year. This amount is made up of Universal Credit, Council tax support and Child Benefit. My calculations also made a number of assumptions such as the family receives no other income, does not pay child support etc.

To get a more accurate assessment of benefits you may be entitled to once you meet the habitual residence test, check here entitledto
This link was provided on the UK government website https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

Best of luck.

SanDiegogirl

Wow, some folks working 30 to 40 hour weeks don't get this type of income!

Any wonder some people don't even bother to to out and work?

Really dislike the word "entitled".........

scrubbedexpat142

As a (one of many) UK tax paying expat I am inclined to agree with you!

spouse of scouse

There are far, far more genuine people on benefits than those who deliberately choose it as a lifestyle, or who cheat the system. Even the Tories admit that, and that's some admission for them.

'Entitled' comes from entitlements - not an emotive term of itself, just a statement of fact. What word would you rather see used?

SanDiegogirl

Personally, I think eligible is more acceptable.

Entitlement means "the fact of having a right to something" OR (and this is emotive): the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

I don't think that one has a right to benefits, especially after living for 10 years out of the UK.

spouse of scouse

But in the UK, people absolutely do have a right to income support benefits if they meet the eligibility criteria. I accept that some people don't agree with the criteria, but that's a different argument.

spouse of scouse

Poor Dawn (OP) will be sorry she ever asked!

Dawn, in any country that provides a government funded safety net for people who are out of work, or have a disability, or are old, there will be those who think the system's unfair - whether because they think it's too generous, or because they think it's inadequate. It's just life and human beings in all our wonderful diversity

You're doing exactly the right thing by researching all options for all eventualities. Hope everything works out well for you

Dawn

Wow thank you all for your wealth of knowledge! Just thinking further down the line really as I have my first grandchild living in the UK, if I were to go back it would be by myself, and youngest maybe , just considering options at this stage I'm 53. 2 grown up girls too in UK and s 16 year old here. Someone told me I would get no help as haven't paid national insurance for 10 years, thanks again much appreciated! 😄

spouse of scouse

National insurance contributions only come into play when you reach age pension age, they're irrelevant to income support payments such as Universal Credit.

Dawn

Thanks you sooooo much!!!!

mrken30

Also if you have savings, used to be over £16k, you get pretty much zero benefits. Found that out during my couple of weeks of being unemployed prior to leaving the UK.