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

muddi

Thanks for that, I have actually been mulling over the idea of working for myself (bit scary though) As im a qualified Holistic Therapist so have been looking into ideas of renting a room or going mobile.

Think a bit more thought of going down this path is needed - and to look at all my options.

Thanks again for the advice

DX2

dktreesea wrote: »

Not sure about getting a 16 hour a week job working for someone else, but how about being self employed instead? As long as you work 16 hours a week at it, you can get WTC. There are plenty of people selling at car boots and table sales each week who are going down this route. By the time you include sourcing items to sell, the 16 hour minimum time limit is covered quickly. If you register with the HMRC as a self employed market trader then you become eligible to claim working tax credit.

Once you get working tax credit, you can then claim for housing benefit.

If considering this path, I would wait until you stop qualifying for income support before you do it though, because IS pays more than WTC.

:huh: You can claim HB at any time as long as your income is low you will qualify.

katya1971

DX2 wrote: »

In addition, from April 2010, child maintenance will be fully disregarded when calculating all out-of-work benefits. This will allow parents with the main day-to-day care to keep every penny of their child maintenance payments, where maintenance is paid.
http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/childsupport/benefits.html

I have read this also on the child support website, but when i call them to confirm they are not aware, also same reply from DWP. Can anyone confirm this is true i have lost my mortgage help because of case increase im 66p over.
Can anyone tell me also will it affect my council tax? what is taken into consideration as income?

DX2

katya1971 wrote: »

I have read this also on the child support website, but when i call them to confirm they are not aware, also same reply from DWP. Can anyone confirm this is true i have lost my mortgage help because of case increase im 66p over.
Can anyone tell me also will it affect my council tax? what is taken into consideration as income?

DISREGARD OF CHILD MAINTENANCE AND THE TREATMENT OF
LIABLE RELATIVE PAYMENTS
The child maintenance disregard

From the first day of the claimant’s first benefit week on or after 12.4.101 the special
rules of attribution for LRPs and child maintenance no longer apply to payments of
child maintenance. Any payment of child maintenance paid by or derived from an LR -
but not by the claimant or claimant’s partner - falls to be fully disregarded for the
purposes of IS, JSA(IB) and ESA(IR)2. LRPs which do not fall within the meaning of
child maintenance continue to be taken into account3. As a reminder, guidance to
DMs will be issued in the form of another DMG memo nearer to 12.4.10.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/m-37-09.pdf
Page 10 ^^^

katya1971

Thanks very much, glad to read that. Just got to struggle feb and march now then.:beer:

NASA_2

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/m-03-10.pdf

'Interesting' document on what constitutes a claim to benefit and the implications.

Lip_Stick

I had a letter from my Council office saying that the dates of my housing benefit payment was changing from April. Anyone know what this is about? Are they changing it from being paid one week in advance and one week previous, to both weeks previous? Am sure I read something along those lines last year sometime.

dktreesea

DX2 wrote: »

:huh: You can claim HB at any time as long as your income is low you will qualify.

Yes, that's true, but you still have to "prove" your income in order to claim it. If you work, the thing the council usually ask for is your latest tax credits declaration form from the HMRC, - i.e. what you have estimated your income will be for the current year. That's the basis they use to calculate how much housing benefit/council tax benefit you would be entitled to.

DX2

dktreesea wrote: »

Yes, that's true, but you still have to "prove" your income in order to claim it. If you work, the thing the council usually ask for is your latest tax credits declaration form from the HMRC, - i.e. what you have estimated your income will be for the current year. That's the basis they use to calculate how much housing benefit/council tax benefit you would be entitled to.

The council will ask for bank statements.

missblueeyes100

Hi, I called into my council place today to update with my Housing Benefit claim and asked about WTC not taken into account when calculating HB and it actually means that the increase for tax credits by 1.5 per cent will not be taken into account when calculating HB
Hope this helps