Student Finance direct - grrrrrr

Smidster

I am a second year and so applied for all my finance many months ago.

Today, after a term and a payment, I get a letter asking for all sorts of documentary evidence within weeks or future payments will be stopped.

Now if you are going to ask for documentation, like last year, couldn't you do it before term begins instead of 2 days after Xmas.

To be honest I am not sure if my Dad will be able to get the stuff together (as he is retired so doesn't get these documents I don't think)

Needless to say this could be the end of my university life - Not that I would miss it

Smidster

Heh - even better

Just read the thing again and I have a couple of weeks from the 18th of December.

Nice!

Oldernotwiser

What sort of things are you being asked for?

Smidster

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

What sort of things are you being asked for?

Looks to me...although it is far from clear...that it is for everything he decalred as income

Bank Certificates, Dividends from shares, Pension stuff etc etc

May just phone the uni and say im not coming back...too much hassle to do something I despise and can't do

Oldernotwiser

Smidster wrote: »

Looks to me...although it is far from clear...that it is for everything he decalred as income

Bank Certificates, Dividends from shares, Pension stuff etc etc

May just phone the uni and say im not coming back...too much hassle to do something I despise and can't do

Now that's a different problem entirely! Don't muddle the two.

The_One_Who

If you don't want to go back to university then don't. No point in doing something you don't like. However, if you do then you will need to get the documentation together, it doesn't matter how long it takes as I'm sure they will back-date any payments.

Stardust

I got the same letter, phoned them up and SFD said that the money wouldn't stop on the 12th but they just need to review it.

Has your parents income gone down or up? Mine's gone down so I imagine thats why they're doing it.

bestpud

If your father doesn't have all the documentation, then he should have! He has made a declaration based on that income and as such, should be aware he will be asked to provide proof at some point. Not that it is ever a good idea to throw stuff like that away (certainly not for a few years anyway).

Just contact them and explain you need more time - it has never been a problem for me. They like to get them in early so they are not rushing to finalise existing claims and sort new ones at the same time.

If you mess around too long, you will eventualy get a letter telling you you have until a certain date or may be asked to repay the lot, but for now you will be fine if you just give them a call and let them know.

As for giving up your course - be aware they will still want this information as it is for money they have already paid you, as well as future claims!

bestpud

Stardust wrote: »

I got the same letter, phoned them up and SFD said that the money wouldn't stop on the 12th but they just need to review it.

Has your parents income gone down or up? Mine's gone down so I imagine thats why they're doing it.

They do this anyway.

Smidster

Chances are he can find the doumentation but this really isn't the time to be doing such checks. In the next month I have accommodation etc to pay for and was rather relying on that money (Not because I have frittered away previous money, hell the only money I spend at Uni is on food, but because it has been invested in preparation for collapsing interest rates so I can't touch it).

No problem at all with them asking for documents, as it shows we are a family a long long way from even the threshold for not getting full allowance, but to do it in such a short space of time at the busiest time of year seems daft to me. In the next week for example, prior to me going back, Dad is only back at home for 1 day and that is when we are doing a meal for some neighbours so when we are going to get round to digging the documents out I don't know.

As to just abandoning the whole thing...I do wonder what the point is in doing something my heart really isn't in but on the other hand there is only 18 months to go and even though I am unlikely to get a good degree may as well try and get something out of my time.

Lokolo

Think about this. If you had declared parents earning £5,000 when actually they earn £85,000 and yet you got your grants although not entitled to it then its pretty f*cked up isn't it?

They do the checks throughout the year because obviously they can't do vigerous checks all in the summer because there would be even bigger delays in the payments.

Its always been said that they payment will still go through anyway so theres not really a problem, you get off your !!! and find the documents.