Student Loans and Income Support

mugstrump

Hi everyone! A word of warning about student loans/grants and income support payments. For 2009/10 second year uni students, Income Support paid to partners is automatically stopped as from w/c your first I.S. payment in SEPTEMBER. Our I.S. has been stopped from 1st September! In my case my uni course doesn't start until 5th October, which is also when my full student loan/maint payments start. The September I.S. rule is law! This ruling means my partner and I have no income from 1 Sept - 5 Oct. This is so unfair and, I believe, unlawful. This doesn't occur for first year students. Can anyone shed more light on this? Also, DWP rules have courses running from 1 Sept to 28 June 2010, so as my course officially finishes on 27th May 2010, we also cannot claim I.S. at the end of my course too (until 28th June). This is absurd! Surely benefit payments cease, by law, because your income levels, during that period, are higher than benefit rates? In our case, we have NO income from 1 Sept until 5 Oct 09. Welfare Rights haven't heard of this before, but it must exist for others like me. Your help please!!

bestpud

I don't know about the legalities of it, but I do know unis are setting up short term loans for students in this position so it is obviously a common problem.

Are you sure your funding doesn't start until October?

Lokolo

bestpud wrote: »

I don't know about the legalities of it, but I do know unis are setting up short term loans for students in this position so it is obviously a common problem.

Are you sure your funding doesn't start until October?

Depending on the uni some don't start until October.

But I think a lot of places class September as the starting point. Council tax exemption for example, I didn't start until 15th September on 1st year but it would be ok to get exemption from the 1st.

bestpud

Lokolo wrote: »

Depending on the uni some don't start until October.

But I think a lot of places class September as the starting point. Council tax exemption for example, I didn't start until 15th September on 1st year but it would be ok to get exemption from the 1st.

I realise that but I was wondering if student finance has a set starting point iyswim?

When I used to receive full time funding, I thought it was intended to cover from 1st September, even though my course didn't start until the last week in September/beginning of October...

Maybe it was just the childcare grant...?

I can't see they'd would stop the income support if the student finance wasn't intended to cover that period, although I may be wrong.

Blackpool_Saver

more government crap, get an education, get a job, don't be as sponger, we will help you...........NOT

Lokolo

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

more government crap, get an education, get a job, don't be as sponger, we will help you...........NOT

Eh? They giving her a 0% interest loan (for this year) of £3.5k + grants if shes independant. How is that not helping?

Lokolo

bestpud wrote: »

I realise that but I was wondering if student finance has a set starting point iyswim?

When I used to receive full time funding, I thought it was intended to cover from 1st September, even though my course didn't start until the last week in September/beginning of October...

Maybe it was just the childcare grant...?

I can't see they'd would stop the income support if the student finance wasn't intended to cover that period, although I may be wrong.

Oh I see yes. Ok yeh I agree. As with the final year you can claim it from July as student finance is only meant to last upto that point in your final year, whereas other years its aimed to last you 12 months (Sep-Sep)

bestpud

Lokolo wrote: »

Oh I see yes. Ok yeh I agree. As with the final year you can claim it from July as student finance is only meant to last upto that point in your final year, whereas other years its aimed to last you 12 months (Sep-Sep)

Yes, that's what I was thinking, although it's not a full year for benefit purposes as some can claim benefits over the summer.

I'm just not sure how long the summer period is...

Nickynoo1

For loan parents the academic year in terms of how long your loan has to last is 43 weeks.