Council Tax Benefit on £27K joint income??!

ianbrown

Hi,
am currently on maternity and trying to decide what to do about going back to work so decided to put a few different figure into entitled to to work out how little I could afford to work when i return!

Have used the site a few times in the past so am quite familiar with it but at the end its telling me that we're entitled to £102 a WEEK wftc/ctc - we currently get £170h a mont due to new baby, which is an increase from £40 a month previously.
But the strangest thing was it said we would be entitles to council tax
benefit???? My husband earns about 25K and I will earn about 6K when i go back but just 2k this tax year before i went on maternity leave.

Is it worth me filling in the forms because i really cant see how it can be true? I thought it was for single people/low incomes? It said eligible for £42 out of £75 that we pay??
Can anyone help

Sorry about the confusing neme - i really am a girl but i didn't think the choosing of a name could be so important!!

tamsin1982

there is no harm in filling out the forms, they can only say no!!

have you told tax credits that youl be earning less this year due to maternity leave? when i did they didnt include £100 a week of my earnings for the whole time i was off work too. doesnt matter if you havent as it'l be adjusted when you send in final earnings at the end of the financial year

mitchaa

The entitled to website is often misleading.

I know a couple on £18k, she does not work and they have to pay full council tax so on a £27k income, i would have thought no chance.

Worth a try but i suspect you will be wasting your time.

Entitled to has in the past gave some pretty wild figures to other people.

Best bet is to phone your council and ask what the criteria is.

cw18

DD is a single parent on just over £12k a year (plus CTC and WTC), and she gets no help with Council Tax (or rent) -- so another here who thinks the website has it wrong.

I've used it a few times in the last 18 months, and it's never told me about a couple of things I could claim for, and regularly tells me I have entitlement to things I don't. I honestly don't trust it at all anymore !!!

kurjam

tamsin1982 wrote: »

there is no harm in filling out the forms, they can only say no!!

have you told tax credits that youl be earning less this year due to maternity leave? when i did they didnt include £100 a week of my earnings for the whole time i was off work too. doesnt matter if you havent as it'l be adjusted when you send in final earnings at the end of the financial year

when you told tax credits you were on maternity leave, did they adjust your award straight away and give you more money, or did it not effect your tax credits till the next tax year ??

tamsin1982

hi kurjam as i was going to be earning less they adjusted it straight away so i had more money weekly, I think you can leave it and end up with a lump sum when they do all your final figures in april,
theyve always been really helpful when ive called up so if you call them they should help you work out your earnings etc

ragz_2

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/rr2/working/04.asp#aa16

this shows you how to work out your council tax entitlement. I used their chart for Housing benefit with my own details and it came out exactly right, but you do need the correct figures to begin with.
A lot of good info on there too though.

chewits

I earn £12800 a year - there's only me so no other income other than tax credit, and child benefit and I don't qualify for any help with Rent or Council Tax, so I can't really see how the figures you quote could be right.

Ditzy_2

cw18 wrote: »

DD is a single parent on just over £12k a year (plus CTC and WTC), and she gets no help with Council Tax (or rent) -- so another here who thinks the website has it wrong.

I've used it a few times in the last 18 months, and it's never told me about a couple of things I could claim for, and regularly tells me I have entitlement to things I don't. I honestly don't trust it at all anymore !!!

Ditto!

Checked that site and feel it is totally misleading!!Imagine my excitement thinking as a SM working PT could actually get help towards council tax!!! :rotfl:It is better to use the LA Benefit calculator to work out if entitled to help.

LizzieS_2

ianbrown wrote: »

Hi,
But the strangest thing was it said we would be entitles to council tax
benefit???? My husband earns about 25K and I will earn about 6K when i go back but just 2k this tax year before i went on maternity leave.

Assuming you have put the correct income details in, you would have to have a very high council tax amount/banding to qualify for any help.

kurjam

tamsin1982 wrote: »

hi kurjam as i was going to be earning less they adjusted it straight away so i had more money weekly, I think you can leave it and end up with a lump sum when they do all your final figures in april,
theyve always been really helpful when ive called up so if you call them they should help you work out your earnings etc

thanks for that, i have been on mat leave since december and have not bothered telling them, so will leave it now as not long till the end of march....