Important information for benefit and upcoming benefit changes 2009-2010.

sleepless_saver

DX2 wrote: »

astonsmummy it appears to be for Scotland at the moment.

It is just for Scotland and only for parents getting full WTC and full CTC. The Scottish Government can set its own criteria for free school meals eligibility so no reason to suppose the same will happen in England or Wales.

From April 2010, school meals for all P1 to P3 in Scotland will be free.

DX2

sleepless_saver wrote: »

It is just for Scotland and only for parents getting full WTC and full CTC. The Scottish Government can set its own criteria for free school meals eligibility so no reason to suppose the same will happen in England or Wales.

From April 2010, school meals for all P1 to P3 in Scotland will be free.

There does seem to be some confusion over this. Firstly the Scottish government say this:

All pupils whose parents receive both maximum Child Tax Credit and maximum Working Tax Credit will become eligible for free school meals, honouring a commitment in the Scottish Government's Concordat with local authorities. This means that low income parents in employment are not unfairly penalised.

However if you read further down the page it states this and seems to be what the LA is using:

The Education (School Lunches) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 will mean that the children of parents with an award of both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit (based on an income below £6,420) will now also be eligible for free school lunches, which applies to an additional 44,000 pupils. Previously, around 118,000 pupils were eligible, creating a new total of some 162,000. The other eligibility criteria are when the parents are receiving Income Support, Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance, or an income of less than 15,575 (in 2008-09 as assessed by the Inland Revenue). Pupils between 16 and 18 years old and receiving any of these benefits in their own right can claim free school meals for themselves. Asylum seekers receiving support under the Immigration and Asylum Act may also be eligible

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/05/13112745

oap

Hello please can anyone tell me is there a website for calculating your own income to see if you can get help with rates etc, both in our seventies. Under sixteen thousand capital, old age pension and company pension (not a big one)

Rather than approach the Benefits Office at this stage would like some way of doing it ourselves, like the income tax one on MSE.

Thank you
oap

DX2

oap wrote: »

Hello please can anyone tell me is there a website for calculating your own income to see if you can get help with rates etc, both in our seventies. Under sixteen thousand capital, old age pension and company pension (not a big one)

Rather than approach the Benefits Office at this stage would like some way of doing it ourselves, like the income tax one on MSE.

Thank you
oap

http://www.entitledto.co.uk

Indie_Kid

It says that from April 2011 people with severe sight loss will receive HRM - does anyone know if the DWP have decided which group(s) of people this will be? I mean, how bad the sight has to be.

DX2

sh1305 wrote: »

It says that from April 2011 people with severe sight loss will receive HRM - does anyone know if the DWP have decided which group(s) of people this will be? I mean, how bad the sight has to be.

Our understanding is that the basis on which eligibility will be decided will be a combination of visual acuity and field of vision. We believe that DWP are looking to include the following people:

· People with no light perception
· People with only light perception
· People who can only see hand movement in front of their face
· People who have 3/60 visual acuity (can see only the top line of an eye test chart from 3 metres away) and who also have a highly restricted field of vision.
http://www.rnib.org.uk/Search/Pages/results.aspx?k=benefits%202011

Open word document autum 09

Paparika

Cold weather payments ...


for those who are entitled to cold weather payments, you can check your postcode to see if your area qualifies IFSWIM


http://pensions.direct.gov.uk/en/cold-weather-payment/home.asp

louise735

found these for this xmas for tax credit payments over xmas hope there of help

January 1 Jan 2009 (New Year's Day) 30 Dec 2008
2 Jan 2009 (Scotland only ) 30 Dec 2008 March 17 Mar 2009 (St Patrick’s Day - Northern Ireland only) 16 Mar 2009 April 10 Apr 2009 (Good Friday) 9 Apr 2009
13 Apr 2009 (Easter Monday) 9 Apr 2009 May 4 May 2009 (early May bank holiday) 1 May 2009
25 May 2009 (spring bank holiday) 22 May 2009 July 13 Jul 2009 (Battle of the Boyne - Northern Ireland only) 10 Jul 2009 August 3 Aug 2009 (Scotland only) 31 Jul 2009
31 Aug 2009 (summer bank holiday) 28 Aug 2009 December 25 Dec 2009 (Christmas Day) 24 Dec 2009
28 Dec 2009 (Boxing Day) 24 Dec 2009
29 Dec 2009 (Northern Ireland only) 24 Dec 2009
so payments will be made on the 24th of december if they are due on xmas day and the 31st of december if they are due the 1st of jannuary
louise xx

ashknowsbest

on the direct.gov site, it has info for the pre budget april 2010

it says that
the amount of WTC not taken into account when calculating Housing Benefit


so does this mean that that element will be disregarded??

if so lots of familys will be much betterof working??


have i read the site right? can someone else look? xx

DX2

ashknowsbest wrote: »

on the direct.gov site, it has info for the pre budget april 2010

it says that
the amount of WTC not taken into account when calculating Housing Benefit


so does this mean that that element will be disregarded??

if so lots of familys will be much betterof working??


have i read the site right? can someone else look? xx

Increase in inflation-linked benefits and tax credits


The government will increase inflation-linked benefits and tax credits by 1.5 per cent in April 2010 including:

• Child Benefit
• Guardian’s Allowance
• disability elements of Child Tax Credit
• all elements of Working Tax Credit (WTC) apart from the childcare
• the amount of WTC not taken into account when calculating Housing Benefit

So far this year tax credits have helped 400, 000 people by an average of £37 extra per week.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/PreBudgetReport2009/DG_183030

:think: