Independant Status ... HELP!!!!!!!

mrsmx5

princessamy86

Thankyou for your comments, giving examples of other situations will really help tonight. She has already completed the form and has it ready to be posted. We have tried talking with her several times over the last few months, but as we are over 40 :rotfl:, we dont understand about the Uni system, is the general feeling we get.

As I have said, we do have quite a good relationship and she does tend to be quite open with me about discussing most things, and she doesnt see me as the wicked stepmum, and has been open to advice on other areas.

This has all come to a head now as we have just been to the Open Day at the Uni and it is definate that she wants to go, whereas in January she was really unsure about what she wanted to do when she left college.

I've been supporting myself (away from home) for the last 3 years, but as I wasn't quite at the 36 months at the start of my course they have classed me as dependent on my mum and stepdad

Were you able to provide information for this, ie bills etc to prove that it was nearly the 36mths. Hope you dont mind me asking, but it will help explain the situation to her.

mrsmx5

Haven't quite got the hang of the Quote text!!!!!

princessamy86

I had bills and all sorts- wage slips, council tax bills, utilities, rent book entries. I think I was about 4 months off being considered independent, they just booted my application out at first as I didn't really understand how strict they would be. I applied, like your stepdaughter, as independent, but they called me a few weeks after and said that I didn't qualify. I did try and argue my case a bit but it got me nowhere! So all in all, almost an identical situation to your stepdaughter.

GlasweJen

Not sure about England but in Scotland they started taking step parents income into consideration at the start of the last academic year (2009-2010) for every student including those who were progressing into their 4th year and had previously been assessed on one parents income. I was screwed over by the new rules and so were many in my year group, one lass was forced to drop out as she could no longer afford her course and her step dad had only just married her mum so wouldn't contribute at all.

MrsManda

GlasweJen wrote: »

Not sure about England but in Scotland they started taking step parents income into consideration at the start of the last academic year (2009-2010) for every student including those who were progressing into their 4th year and had previously been assessed on one parents income. I was screwed over by the new rules and so were many in my year group, one lass was forced to drop out as she could no longer afford her course and her step dad had only just married her mum so wouldn't contribute at all.

It's generally described as household income so does include step-parents. The general view point is if the parent/step parent are living together or are married then legally it's not really a case of two separate incomes but the incomes are joint.

mrsmx5

GlasweJen Yes its the same in England, my income would be taken into account, so with both wages she would get next to nothing in grants. We would have to support her, which we may be able to do but need to discuss this option further with my husband, and only if she would live in halls, which she is adamant she doesnt want to.

princessamy86 Thanks for the clarification on what evidence you had to provide, as my stepdaughter has never paid any household bills, as she has always lived either here or at her mums. The only bill I am aware of her paying is her mobile phone. So you were in a far stronger position to apply for the grant, which will be a good comparison to make tonight.

Thankyou to you both

princessamy86

My sister has never lived in halls, she has had private rentals all the way through- she also gets next to nothing in grants (like me), and she also doesn't seem to be able to hold a job down for 5 minutes! Her rent is something like £285 per month, but she seems to manage. It's certainly possible to live away from halls, I have my own place and a mortgage, but I work 30 hours a week and OH works full time. (or did, till he got made redundant). Chances are she'll just have to get a job!

Oldernotwiser

princessamy86 wrote: »

I had bills and all sorts- wage slips, council tax bills, utilities, rent book entries. I think I was about 4 months off being considered independent, they just booted my application out at first as I didn't really understand how strict they would be. I applied, like your stepdaughter, as independent, but they called me a few weeks after and said that I didn't qualify. I did try and argue my case a bit but it got me nowhere! So all in all, almost an identical situation to your stepdaughter.

Your experience is really valid but isn't really similar to the OP's stepdaughter. You were just unlucky to miss the requirements by a couple of months, she comes nowhere near it, having been in full time education since leaving school. She would have to work for a full three years from now to become independent.

mrsmx5

Well, we sat down and had the chat tonight, and we started off by asking where she had got her information from and apparently the finance advisor at college had told her because she has been working for the last 3 and a half years she could apply for independent status and would probably get it.!!!!!!! (Cant see this being acurate) and the fact that she has been independant, in that she works and goes to college. We had to explain that being independant actually means supporting yourself, paying bills, full rent, food etc etc.

Once we explained all the information we had gathered off here and from the government websites, she began to see that it wont happen. Although she is going to see the finance officer at college again on Monday as they receive full training on what they can offer and we have only got the information of the website.

Have suggested that she speaks to the finance person on Monday to clarify the situation, and takes with her a copy of the PDF mentioned earlier and then that she apply for the dependant status, with both our wages taken into consideration to see what she will be offered and that we can take it from there and go through budgeting to see if she can afford to do it.

Watch this space!!!

Thanks to everyone today for their advice, now lets see what we can to do help her achieve what she wants to.

welf_man

She might do better to contact the Money Adviser at the university she's going to - they deal with far more HE students than College advisers do.

Mel.