spainboy

I can imagine this subject may have been touched on a couple of times in the past on this forum, I cant seem to find one regarding the state of play and many experiences.
Im moving back to the uk next month after being in Spain for 13 years.I have a bit of savings, enough for 6 months rent on an apartment as ive a feeling this is what I will need having no previous english refrences and I havent paid into the system for a long time. of course main priority is finding work but that could take time, maybe 3 months or more but until then would I least get council tax help or any other help towards rent? Also what if I find a part time job for the meantime say 16-20 hrs a week.will I get some help?
I fully understand my entitlements maybe be different to someone who has lived in britain over the last 13 years but will they leave me to fend for myself because ive not paid NI for years?

travelling_annie

Get in touch with the local job centre before you head back and they should be able to advise. I assume if you have been living in Spain you have been paying tax etc there so you should be covered by the various EU rules.

There are several levels of job seekers allowance depending on your level of contributions over the last 2 years but I don't what the situation is in terms of qualifying period if you left your last job voluntarily.

I would advise you to hold onto any payslips, tax returns and other paperwork that you have from Spain and I think the staff are so used to people moving all over Europe now it should be quite straightforward.

Good luck!

miacat

Cannot answer your question I am afraid but I assume there are reciprocal arrangements as we are all part of the EU. Why don't you look on the Direct.gov website - it covers all the UK public services stuff and they may be able to help you.

HBG

I know of a couple who returned recently from the CDS to Suffolk. They didn’t apply for anything and rented a house while looking for work. Friends then advised them to apply for housing benefit, which was granted, and some kind of dole money too until they found work.

I think they were also well advised on what to say about their time abroad, all those forms are complicated to fill in without advice.

twistedmelon

I'm assuming that you are British nationality which will make things a little easier.
There will be financial help for you in the form of Social Security which is not based on NI contributions, this will also help with Housing benefit, council tax etc.
Of course a lot will depend on what savings you have or properties you may still have here.
You may find renting a prob without any UK references, especially current employment and not many landlords will take on benefit claimants.
In short you should get help, your first port of call would be the Job centre, it may be worthwhile visiting their web site now.

steviedeluxe

They divide job seekers allowance into "contribution-based" (which you won't get) and "income-based". Be careful though, because if you live with someone this will affect how much income-based you get. Last year when unemployed I got between £10 and 0 a week because of my partners' part time earnings. However she was able to claim tax credit and housing benefit.
Also, (and it's not so bad now) a lot of landlords avoided DSS claimants, for various reasons, so that may disadvantage you. Additionally, if you have above a certain amount of savings, you will have your benefit cut. I suspect this will become worse after the election, as cuts will have to be made somewhere. I can't advise you to hold a certain amount of savings in a secret stash under the mattress - you have to weigh up yourself what is more dangerous
You ask about getting a part-time job - go for it, as you'll still be able to claim tax credit and housing benefit. I don't envy you filling in the forms though, you won't believe how complicated it all is.
Lastly, make your claim at the job centre on the first possible day. You won't get an interview straight away (unfortunately they're snowed under with new claimants) but your claim cannot be back-dated if you delay in the initial approach - they'll arrange to interview you a few weeks later, but can pay back to your initial claim date (if you qualify).
Good luck - it'd be a lot better if you can get work straight away, but things are hard in certain parts of the UK, so don't despair if things don't go exactly to plan. Job sites like Monster.co.uk and Jobsite.co.uk have lots of good advice, so get studying them

Briona

Hi spainboy,

On returning to the UK and approaching the DWP you may have to take the Habitual Residence Test, for which you will need to prove that you did not come back to the UK simply to claim benefits.

In terms of your entitlement, as steviedeluxe said, you would probably have to apply for income- rather than contributions-based benefits, which are affected by any savings and assets you (or your partner or parents if you're living with them) may have. Currently you lose £1 of benefits for every £250 or part thereof that you have in savings between £6,000 and £16,000. If you have more than £16,000 in savings you get nothing. If you try to drastically reduce your savings in an effort to get them within the permissable limits you will be assessed as though you still had that money and will therefore get nothing (Google "deprivation of capital"). Unfortunately if you own a property in Spain, you will likely be rendered ineligible for any state assistance.

Assuming you're over the age of 25, if you find a part-time job (over 16hrs pw), you might be eligible to claim Working Tax Credit (WTC). For more informative advice, I recommend visiting the MoneySavingExpert Forums (and more specifically the Benefits board) where there are some very knowledgeable people.

I must apologise for this post – it was meant to be informative rather than negative!

Briona

spainboy

Hi thanks for the advise. I will have well under 16k showing up in my bank and i wont be living with my parents. If i was to get a rented flat which is my full intention and say for example the landlord will not accept dss and i also show intention of finding work then what will my entitlements be whilst im looking??.
also how does tax credits work in the uk??.Ive never claimed them and its been years since I worked in the uk.For example im renting a flat and I have a job at say 16hrs.What will be paid until I find full time work or have an adequate work? Is it just council tax reduction?
I dont think there are many nice DSS welcome flats around, could be wrong or im looking in the wrong place so my intention for the moment is to rent a studio at say 315p.m with a private landlord.

Briona

Right, I said I don't know an awful lot about Tax Credits, and it would seem that that's true! Apologies!

To be eligible for Working Tax Credits, if you have no children you have to be working for at least 30hrs pw (the 16hrs pw rule is for those with children!). I think the cut-off point for eligibility is £17,000pa (but I could be wrong). Use the second link below to have a play around with figures...
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/st...-qualifies.htm
http://taxcredits.hmrc.gov.uk/HomeNew.aspx

Depending on your finances and whether you pass the Habitual Residency Test you may be eligible for LHA (Local Housing Allowance, formerly Housing Benefit) under which you'll get a proportion of your rent paid. The rate you get is set by your local council. See: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTax...me/DG_10018926

You may be able to get Council Tax Benefit as well. See: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTax...me/DG_10018923

Briona

spainrico

Read more:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz0m2slFpG8

We all know The Sun - but makes you think.

agoreira

It's already been much discussed.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=665404

UKinSpain

Hello spainboy,

It's Sally here from the British Embassy in Madrid. It might be worth having a look at some info on our website:

http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/help-...turning-to-uk/

On the right-hand side of that page there is a link to a helpful document published by the Department of Work and Pensions. I hope you find what you're looking for there, but really it's advisable to contact the local authority/ council in the area you're moving back to for more information.

All the best for the move back,

Sally

spainboy

I heard about the article in The Sun. Im gonna read up on those links people have given me and look on the job centre website for more info and of course try and get the ball rolling the minute I land back in the uk.
Any other info then that would be fab.
cheers guys

jdr

What a nice lady.

bfg69bug

someone in authority thats helpful? in spain? i think i just fell over in shock!!?!?!!?

well done to you for posting, thank you sally from the embassy in madrid