[Solved] Ask a CCCS counsellor a question

At present, where I work, the future is looking a little uncertain. I took out accident and redundancy insurance almost a year ago (the company I work for was still doing very well at the time) which will pay out £750 per month for up to a year to cover the basics. If the worst happens, and I claim on this, is this insurance payout taxable, and does it have any affect on any benefits that I could claim?

Hi actd and thank you for our first message! 😀

First of all, the insurance payment should not be taxable.
With regard to the affect on any benefits you could claim, this is more complex and would depend on the type of benefit you were receiving.
For example, if you have income based JSA paid straight to a mortgage lender to keep up your mortgage payments, then this should not affect your benefits.
If it is paid directly to you, then it could affect your benefits.

If you received contribution based JSA then it should not affect your benefit payment.

I would recommend that you contact your benefits office for further advice on this.

Regards
CCCS_Sue

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully, I will not lose my job so won't have to worry about it, but it's nice to have the information in advance. 🙂

Great service Dadtalk, especially at this difficult time for many!

Hi CCCS - my wife set up some pet insurance by 'direct debit' on our joint credit card. I tried to cancel the insurance but unlike current account direct debits i was told you can't cancel it from the bank end... of course when i called the insurance company they wouldn't speak to me as its in my wifes name.... Is this correct... the credit card is in my name, and she is an additional card holder.... i can get my wife to call but i do money stuff in our family and she keeps forgetting...

I also have the same thing with lovefilm and can't find a way to cancel on their site, don't get any dvds but they keep charging our card

Hi CCCS - my wife set up some pet insurance by 'direct debit' on our joint credit card. I tried to cancel the insurance but unlike current account direct debits i was told you can't cancel it from the bank end... of course when i called the insurance company they wouldn't speak to me as its in my wifes name.... Is this correct... the credit card is in my name, and she is an additional card holder.... i can get my wife to call but i do money stuff in our family and she keeps forgetting...

I also have the same thing with lovefilm and can't find a way to cancel on their site, don't get any dvds but they keep charging our card

Hi MattyB,

Thank you for your post.

If you set up a standing payment on your credit card then you will need to contact the company that takes the payment to cancel the instruction.

If your wife is finding it difficult to find the time to call them you could write a letter and post it to the insurance company. As the insurance is in her name then she will need to sign the letter.

I hope that this helps.

Regards
Amanda

You guys got any ideas about how to best save money in the build up to christmas? I dread to think about what christmas costs us as a family of 4 and we only set ourselves a £10 budget each as adults. 🙄

How can i stop christmas from being a credit card battle?

You guys got any ideas about how to best save money in the build up to christmas? I dread to think about what christmas costs us as a family of 4 and we only set ourselves a £10 budget each as adults. 🙄

How can i stop christmas from being a credit card battle?

Hi freerunner,

Thank you for your message. On the money side of things, you could try and increase your income either by overtime or see if there are any part time seasonal jobs around.

When it comes to buying the gifts do set a limit on how much you are spending on each other. Once you know what you are buying for your friends and family you could look at some price comparison websites to see where is selling the cheapest things or even look at some of the cash back websites.

Speak to the adults in the family and see if they agree to just buy the children gifts this year and this will keep everyone’s costs down.

Hope this helps
Sarah

You could try a 'christmas hat' for the adults - the sort of thing that happens at many workplaces, where you pull the name of an adult out of a hat and buy a single present for that person, up to a predefined maximum. The presents are given anonymously, and each adult gets one present.

thanks for postings 🙂

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) is a registered charity offering free and confidential advice and support to anyone who is worried about any aspect of their finances. Sarah, Sue, Amanda, Matthew and Alan are a dedicated team of debt counsellors who are waiting to answer any questions you have on debts, budgeting or general money advice.

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