Living Together Claim - Can I Go To College?

LizzieS_2

As 2 individuals living separately the OP's partner would still get her incapacity quoted as £70pw (not sure how that equates to £160 a fortnight though), and the OP would get £60pw income based JSA (been unemployed for more than 6 months so any entitlement to contribution based is gone).

Rather than pay the 2 separate claims the DWP has decided they live together and therefore limited the income based JSA to £45pw. I guess the overall claim is in OP partners name (hence why IS paid) rather than 2 separate claims/payments.

To the OP - your partner's income is for incapacity which is not income based so you could earn a million a week and it still would not affect her weekly income. Whatever you do earn though will affect your entitlement to HB and CT benefit, though you will still be better off working than not.

he6rt6gr6m

After phonecalls to the Income Support team, and the college itself, they have told me that the entitlement to IS, if that is what I am paid now, is gone, because any Student Loans that you are ENTITLED to, count as income, regardless of whether you take the loans or not.

So, what that equates to totally, is approximatly £4500 (unsure if that is per annum, or per course, regardless of the length of the course) in loans, from the Govt. which is repayable within the 25 Years after leaving College, as long as I enter a jb that is £15,000 per annum, and is repayable at a 3% interest rate.

Basically, if your on a full time course, you are either expected to get a job to fund everything, (rent, bills, food, drink, etc) which Im pretty confident is impossible, or to get the loans you are entitled to. Income Support wont help you, or if they do, it will be in a very small contribution.

Even though the claim is a joint one, as some have said, she will continue to receive everything she is entitled to as a solo person. The next question, is would I be expected to pay all the rent on the property we live (£61) or will Housing Benefit pay half. Basically, Ive got the answer to one question, but now I have more questions to ask. Hehe.

Im very satisfied with the answers Ive received here and on the phone, so thanks very much to everyone thats helped. If you can help further, with the housing benefit question, or have any further information you might be willing to throw my way which you think will be helpful, Id take with much gratitude.

Shelene. You have been more than helpful, and Im so gratefull for that. Hopefully you can advise me further on what I can do further once in the course, and any help I may be entitled to (like education grants from the DWP, maybe?) I mean, my tuition is paid for, and is disregarded as not being a form of incoming money, but when its only £4,500 (which would be okay per annum, but if it is for the whole course, I might struggle), any more money could be helpfull.

Im a bit miffed that its Loans, but there you go. I guess its swings and roundabouts. People who get IS like i do now, and JSA, and the rest of it, basically pay that back over the course of their lives by way of Tax and so forth.

The way I look at it is that the student loans are called loans, and benefits are represented as a kept income, yet you pay tax when you work to pay that back.

Also, Ive been told that some legislation is changing and I cant apply until early 2009, because the legislation affects students of all courses... although Ive not been told if it affects the finance, or if it is just a change to the way courses are applied for, etc.

he6rt6gr6m

Oh, and if anyone actually knows any details about this legislation change, could you help me to understand it?

dmg24

he6rt6gr6m wrote: »

Oh, and if anyone actually knows any details about this legislation change, could you help me to understand it?

You might want to summarise what it is that you need to know?

he6rt6gr6m

Well, Im not sure to be honest. Hehe.

I was just told that there would be a change, and that was it. I didnt know what sector it would be in, or what it would entail.

Basically, being a former student of College a few years back, if there is a change, or if there is going to be a change in the future, it might be handy for me to know every aspect that might affect me.



I should be phoning them, but given the time of year...

briona

The link below gives information on the new rules for student funding – since I have no idea what the old rules were, I can't advise on whether this would be of more or less benefit to you!

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/DG_172493

The reason that you can't apply yet is simply because they aren't accepting applications till February! Taken from the link is the following:
"If you’re entering higher education in the 2009/2010 academic year, you can't apply for student finance just yet. Applications for 2009/2010 are expected to open from mid February 2009."

With regards to housing etc, there is a non-repayable Maintenance Grant of up to £2,906pa. Again, taken from the link:
Non-repayable Maintenance Grants provide help towards living costs. They are worth up to £2,906 a year:

• if your household income is up to £25,000 you could get a full grant
• if your household income is between £25,000 and around £50,000 you may qualify for a partial grant
• if your household income is over £50,000 you may not get a grant

Around two thirds of all new, full-time students are expected to qualify for a full or partial grant.

As far as I'm aware, all other monies would have to come from the Student Loans Company (link below), which as you have already deduced is a loan which is repayable over 25 years at a low interest rate.
http://www.slc.co.uk/about%20student%20finance/products%20and%20services/index.html

briona

he6rt6gr6m wrote: »

Im a bit miffed that its Loans, but there you go. I guess its swings and roundabouts. People who get IS like i do now, and JSA, and the rest of it, basically pay that back over the course of their lives by way of Tax and so forth.

The way I look at it is that the student loans are called loans, and benefits are represented as a kept income, yet you pay tax when you work to pay that back.

LOL! Ummmm... that's life! You can't expect to be provided for, or supported by the State for life!

You don't pay benefits back and you're not punished for claiming by being forced to pay tax in the future! Paying tax is a completely separate issue! The monies deducted from your income each month support people who are currently in need of benefits, and in turn someone else's deductions will support you in the future.

he6rt6gr6m

briona wrote: »

LOL! Ummmm... that's life! You can't expect to be provided for, or supported by the State for life!

You don't pay benefits back and you're not punished for claiming by being forced to pay tax in the future! Paying tax is a completely separate issue! The monies deducted from your income each month support people who are currently in need of benefits, and in turn someone else's deductions will support you in the future.

It just makes me chuckle that students get loans which are made to be repayable, to live like your average 'Job seeker' but you could have Joe Blaggs down the road constantly claiming for the rest of his life, because he cant be bothered to do anything else, without ever paying tax because he has never had a job. I think thats where the system doesnt cater to everyones way of thinking. Personally, Id like to see the people signing on going to courses doing something full time. Either that or Community Service, or something. That way, its something to put on the CV too!

I am very gratefull for all your help, though. I mean, WOW! Theres a lot of stuff there, and every word will be useful.
Youve made things even more clearer now, which is brill. Thanks. :beer:

The £2,906pa Grant is for living expenses, and my rent is £3,224pa. Being that I live with my other half, that means half of that is my responsibility, meaning £1,612 is mine to pay. Will Housing benefit pay the other half on behalf of my GF, who will more than likely remain on Incapacity? I just dont like the thought of us getting evicted for non-payment of the outstanding balance, because I wanted to go to college.

chika

Just to add, I don't know anything about benefits but you won't get student loans unless you do a a higher education course, eg a university course. If you haven't been to college and done something like a Btec, NVQ or A Levels then you are unlikely to get accepted on a uni course. Have you tried talking to your local college, most have trained advisors who will be able to let you know what you will be entitled to etc. HTH

briona

Personally I wouldn't worry about what so-and-so down the road appears to be claiming – just focus on bettering your own future!

If the course* you want to do is funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), being on benefits, you'll qualify for free tuition. As Housing Benefit and Income Support are among the permissable benefits, I can't see that you'd lose out at all. Free education and no drop in income! Could you ask for more?!

Use the second link below to find what courses are available via this option (The first link just gives you more info on what I've said here).

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/FinancialHelpForAdultLearners/DG_10033130
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/AdultLearning/LearningOutsideTheClassroom/DG_4016530


*Note that these are college courses and not University ones though, which as the previous poster pointed out would not qualify you for help from the Student Loans Company...