they wont CLOSE income support claim

JENJEN30X

Hi,
My friend started work over a month ago and was claiming income support and her husband gets incapacity.
She rang as soon as she got a job and switched to tax credits, and told IS to please stop the income support payments.
They suspended her payments immediately and her husband just gets his incapacity.
Over a month later they have not actually closed the IS account down so this has stopped HB from giving a run on for a month,they pay rent and this cannot be sorted untill IS have closed account.
They wont close it for some reason all she keeps getting told when she rings them is that she is working 21 hours a week and can work 24 and still get IS obviously this is ridiculous but nobody will call back so she can't get it sorted out.
Anyone know what she can do to get them to close account.
Apparently this is a common problem with them.
many thanks
Jayne

stazi

Send a letter to JCP telling them that she wants to close her IS claim from xx/xx/xx.

JENJEN30X

I will tell her to write thanks I think it will be a letter of complaint she rang 4 times friday and each time they said someone will call back within the hour to confirm its closed no one did. Dont know when they will read the letter as they have a back log of 2-3 months post.
You would think they want people to come off it not try and keep them on it.
Thanks

Conor_3

TBh, I think they're so gobsmacked somebody wants to end their claim that they don't know how to handle it.

zappster1966

Well ever wondered why they're not closing it ??

If she's working under 24 hrs (assuming she's the partner & he's the claimant) there will still be IS entitlement up until the week in which the first payment of wages is received ... and with most employers paying monthly there can be a delay of anything up to 6 weeks before the first wages are paid, what with getting set up on payroll etc etc.

They're actually doing your friend a favour here ... they're trying to extend her Income Support entitlement, meaning any run-ons for Housing Benefit will go that extra bit further. It's a pity they haven't explained that but hey there you go.

She needs to give them her first payslip ... it's simple, really. At that point they'll check the date her wages were paid then close the claim.