Help With Student Loans - HERE!

Poolie

Yes they are charge you the tracing fee for finding you. You are techincally classed as overseas because you work in the republic of ireland. Therefore you need to tell them you are overseas and pay the amount by direct debit. You will need to provide your last 3 payslips so they can work out your repayment amount.

If they are sending you letters now telling you they are tracing you then it may not be long. You will be charged the tracing fee and they may charge you for the 3 years you have not made any repayments at £216 per month which would be come payable immediately as arrears.

Just remember - YOU told the loan to study so YOU should pay it back!

Meeks70

Hi Poolie,

Where are you getting £216 from? I worked it out at £24 per month. Why do i have to pay that much?

do I have to give all my pay slips from the last 3 years because my of my pay changing?

So you think I should just give all the details up front and take whats given to me?

regards

Meeks70

Meeks70

Poolie, Another thing, how can I be classed as overseas when i'm living in northern ireland?? Thanks in advance Cheers Kevin

sixxx

I have an overseas repayment question.
I moved to Canada a year ago and was paying my student loan through my UK tax code for about five years. Since moving I have informed the SLC of this and they have sent me a request for a monthly payment. The problem is I cannot pay it as I live with my partner and she has been out of work for a year. We struggle to pay the rent, car loan and living costs. We have had to take out credit cards to keep going but they are now maxed. I work for a charity so do not earn that much and also with the SLC's assumption that the cost of living over here is so cheap the payback threshold is lower. I have to have the car because no car = no job. I am paying for two people with one low wage. Finding jobs here is hard as seems to be the case all round at the moment.
In Canada we are legally common law partners which means we have the same rights as married couples. In fact I could only move here because of the common law spouse staus and a my partner of 12+ years being Canadian.
The forms I have been sent by the SLC do not take into account combined spousal costs of living and commitments.
They have been incredibly unhelpful and rude on the phone and very scant with real advice.
If anyone knows more here then i would appreciate it. I am not looking to get out if the loan but to defer it until my partner is employed.

Poolie

Meeks70 wrote: »

Where are you getting £216 from? I worked it out at £24 per month. Why do i have to pay that much?

do I have to give all my pay slips from the last 3 years because my of my pay changing?

So you think I should just give all the details up front and take whats given to me?

The £216 per month is the rate they will charge you if you fail to tell them you are overseas and the find out. They are become proactive on this and tracing overseas people even more.

You will need to provide the last 3 months payslips only.

You are better to give them all the information up front otherwise the penalities can be hard.

Poolie

Meeks70 wrote: »

Poolie, Another thing, how can I be classed as overseas when i'm living in northern ireland?? Thanks in advance Cheers Kevin

You told us earlier you work in Republic of Ireland and live in Northern Ireland.

For tax purposes you are therefore outside the UK tax system because you work in Republic of Ireland. Are you paid in Euros or £?

I have seen this case many times in Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and each time the borrower was classed as overseas.

Poolie

sixxx wrote: »

I have an overseas repayment question.
I moved to Canada a year ago and was paying my student loan through my UK tax code for about five years. Since moving I have informed the SLC of this and they have sent me a request for a monthly payment. The problem is I cannot pay it as I live with my partner and she has been out of work for a year. We struggle to pay the rent, car loan and living costs. We have had to take out credit cards to keep going but they are now maxed. I work for a charity so do not earn that much and also with the SLC's assumption that the cost of living over here is so cheap the payback threshold is lower. I have to have the car because no car = no job. I am paying for two people with one low wage. Finding jobs here is hard as seems to be the case all round at the moment.
In Canada we are legally common law partners which means we have the same rights as married couples. In fact I could only move here because of the common law spouse staus and a my partner of 12+ years being Canadian.
The forms I have been sent by the SLC do not take into account combined spousal costs of living and commitments.
They have been incredibly unhelpful and rude on the phone and very scant with real advice.
If anyone knows more here then i would appreciate it. I am not looking to get out if the loan but to defer it until my partner is employed.

SLC will not take into account your living costs or your spouses income.

You say you work for a charity. Do you get paid for this? If so you need to send copies of the last 3 MONTHS payslips (which will be 6 fortnightly payslips). If you are below the canadian threshold you will not be expected to make any repayments.

MrsManda

sixxx wrote: »

They have been incredibly unhelpful and rude on the phone and very scant with real advice.If anyone knows more here then i would appreciate it. I am not looking to get out if the loan but to defer it until my partner is employed.

As poolie said, it's purely based on your income with no way of taking into consideration your partner's. Have you followed the advice on the Repayment Website under Trouble Repaying?

Meeks70

Poolie wrote: »

You told us earlier you work in Republic of Ireland and live in Northern Ireland.

For tax purposes you are therefore outside the UK tax system because you work in Republic of Ireland. Are you paid in Euros or £?

I have seen this case many times in Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and each time the borrower was classed as overseas.

Poolie

I am paid in stg but I pay PAYE and PRSI the republic of ireland. I pay 21% tax in the republic of ireland because of the new levy. but tha tax rate in northern ireland is 20%, can I claim back? I have heard a few years ago, people in the same position as me, the tax rate in northern ireland was 22% and the northern ireland tax office was tracing those people for the extra 2%....

it is out of my company's legislation to put the student loans company claim through my wages. So do I have to setup a direct debit for theis extra money for the SLC?

Regards

Meeks70

sixxx

Thanks for the advice guys. I have already sent in the payslips and have been asked to pay a certain amount each month.
I have already phoned the trouble paying line and asked them about deferring the loan and the person on the phone sighed rudely like I was trying to get out of the loan and then said she would send me the paperwork. All I got was another form asking for just payslips. The same form I filled in previously :mad:
She said I also had 1 week from the phone call to reply to the letter before they handed it over to the collection agency. I pointed out that a letter sent on 18th December arrived mid January so she would have to give me longer than that! I also never received any notification of making payments until then. Which is also great because I am now 3 months in arrears.
At no point have I been offered any advice about 'trouble repaying' just we want the money regardless. I have had better help from Gas/Phone and Credit card companies in the UK during a tough time :mad:
I didn't expect the SLC to be so unhelpful

Also this is not the UK. There is no unemployment/hardship benefit if one person is earning. However much.
Precriptions are not £7 like in the UK (i wish) My prescription costs are $300+ per month as I am months away from getting a drug plan with my employer.