Can't get award notice in time for HB

Vashda_Nerada

I'm at a loss as to what I can do with this. I claimed housing benefit at the end of last month but my circumstances had changed 2 weeks prior to that so I was waiting for a new award letter to come out. This has not materialised despite several irate phonecalls and promises that another has been posted to me, now housing benefit are saying if I don't get it to them by Friday I'll lose my benefit entitlement until I can produce it. Can anyone advise what i should do?

Also, I have just lost my child maintenance as my ex has decided to quit working. Will that have an effect on how much I am entitled to? I have a letter from the CSA proving that he has ceased payment from x date.

All help sincerely appreciated, I'm so worried about this!

System

You can go to your local enquiry centre and ask them for a headed letter detailing your entitlement. HB might accept that.

Your tax credit entitlement has nothing to do with how much maintenance you do or do not receive but I'm not sure if you would be entitled to any other benefits.

You could try putting your details on www.entitledto.co.uk to see if it helps.

Vashda_Nerada

Pam17 wrote: »

You can go to your local enquiry centre and ask them for a headed letter detailing your entitlement. HB might accept that.

Your tax credit entitlement has nothing to do with how much maintenance you do or do not receive but I'm not sure if you would be entitled to any other benefits.

You could try putting your details on www.entitledto.co.uk to see if it helps.

Sorry, I meant if the change in CSA payments would have an effect on the HB, not the tax credits.

I wasn't even aware we even had local enquiry centres for tax credits, would they be based within the inland revenue offices?

[Deleted User]

You can call TCO helpline to get a payment schedule, give this to HB.

HB can call TCO - they have a dedicated phone number in fact - to confirm the details of your tax credit award.

geo_mc

HB staff now have access to tax credits awards via a computer system, so if you explain the situation to the HB section and ask them if they can confirm the details themselves, there should be no problem with that. The HB section should not end the benefit award if they can obtain the information they are looking for themselves.

lucia15

Yeah I never ask customers for Tax Credit letters because at LA's we have a special number to contact HMRC and we all have access to their computer systems so its easier to check that way. Just ring your LA and tell them to contact Tax Credits on your behalf. A claim should never be cancelled for failing to provide Tax Credit info because their system is so readily available to us. Just sounds like laziness on behalf of the assessor to me.
Lucy
HB supervisor.