A disabled benefits claimant has revealed they hand over £900 monthly to their parents to cover mortgage payments and household bills.
The individual receives Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
However, £900 of their benefits goes directly to their parents each month towards the mortgage, bills and food costs.
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The claimant explained their parents require them to pay ‘close to a third’ of the household’s total £3,000 monthly expenditure.
In a Reddit post headed ‘Could paying parents monthly be seen as hiding savings (UC)?’, they wrote: “Hi, I receive PIP and Universal Credit and live with my parents.”, reports Birmingham Live.
“Is it OK to transfer £900 a month to my dad for household/maintenance costs, or could this be seen as hiding money from DWP?
“The mortgage, bills, and food add up to over £3,000, and my parents expect me to contribute close to a third.
“I do worry, though, that it might appear suspicious because it’s such a large amount.”
Fellow Reddit users responded swiftly, though many raised concerns about the sum being transferred to the parents.
One commented: “I don’t know how the DWP will interpret it, but I want to say that £900 per month for room and board in your parents’ home seems very steep.
“That’s much higher than market rate. Do you think perhaps your parents might be taking advantage of you?”
The claimant responded: “It’s not rent. It’s a household contribution toward the mortgage, council tax, utilities and food, and I have access to the whole house.
“Total household costs are just over £3,000 a month, so £900 is roughly a third of the overall expenses rather than payment for a room.
“I’m also disabled and receive enhanced PIP, so my parents provide care for me.”
One respondent commented: “Yeah sorry it’s crazy your parents expect you to contribute to the mortgage.
“Mine are massively mean and I’m in London, I never was asked to pay as much as you (yet I was still also paying more than anyone I knew).”
Another remarked: “That’s absolutely ridiculous… I’m assuming your parents plan on giving you the house one day, considering you’re basically paying for it.”
Someone else wrote “Sounds sus (my opinion)”, while another person stated “£900 a month is crazy… might as well move in to a flat share”.
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