Housing benefit mess looming

tincat

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Have you really asked on here without going through it all with Student Support first?

I've been through everything I've written regarding this, and I can't see anywhere where anyone else has mentioned this as a course of action, so am unsure why you sound as though your flabber is ghasted.

I have finally thanked your message from the other thread though.

crystaltipps

Hello all,
I am also a full time student, with just the loans/grants, CTC, CB and the uni £1000 bursary (for low income). I also have 2 girls (aged 12 & 14) and am only getting just under half my £85 a week rent paid by LA as well as a third (about £4 a week) council tax paid. This is at such odds to the OP situation and advice given that i am in shock!

Many apologies to the OP for putting this here, but would love to know if i should be applying for IS and getting more HB/CTB. I gave the council my CT exemption letter but are still charging me. There is no reference to any income disregard in my decision letters.

Just a bit of context - am not after anything extra, but i have gone from working part time, getting just under £100 in wages, plus WTC and CTC and getting about 95% of my rent/council tax paid - so to say i am now on a major belt tightening exercise is an understatement!

Many many thanks for anything useful, and, again, much apologies for jumping on your thread, OP - although i hope you will be glad to know you are not the only mother/student, trying to juggle things .

Sarah

sunnyone

crystaltipps wrote: »

Hello all,
I am also a full time student, with just the loans/grants, CTC, CB and the uni £1000 bursary (for low income). I also have 2 girls (aged 12 & 14) and am only getting just under half my £85 a week rent paid by LA as well as a third (about £4 a week) council tax paid. This is at such odds to the OP situation and advice given that i am in shock!

Many apologies to the OP for putting this here, but would love to know if i should be applying for IS and getting more HB/CTB. I gave the council my CT exemption letter but are still charging me. There is no reference to any income disregard in my decision letters.

Just a bit of context - am not after anything extra, but i have gone from working part time, getting just under £100 in wages, plus WTC and CTC and getting about 95% of my rent/council tax paid - so to say i am now on a major belt tightening exercise is an understatement!

Many many thanks for anything useful, and, again, much apologies for jumping on your thread, OP - although i hope you will be glad to know you are not the only mother/student, trying to juggle things .

Sarah

Under what grounds would you qualify for IS?

crystaltipps

I don't know...am smiling, i didn't think i could and certainly wouldn't waste the job centre's or my time by trying to if i thought i wasn't eligible.

My reason for posting was a lack of understanding on my part of the huge difference between my (similar) payments received and HB/CT benefit paid out to me, in comparison to the OP.

The post detailing the income disregards is the one that has really made me sit up straight!

Thank you in advance for any advice. And thanks, again to the OP, for bringing this all to my attention.

Macro_3

crystaltipps wrote: »

I don't know...am smiling, i didn't think i could and certainly wouldn't waste the job centre's or my time by trying to if i thought i wasn't eligible.

My reason for posting was a lack of understanding on my part of the huge difference between my (similar) payments received and HB/CT benefit paid out to me, in comparison to the OP.

The post detailing the income disregards is the one that has really made me sit up straight!

Thank you in advance for any advice. And thanks, again to the OP, for bringing this all to my attention.

I did make the assumption that the grant was a SSG because the amounts appear to tally - if it isn't, then the outcome would be different.

crystaltipps

Thanks Macro,
So the 600 odd quid plus 10 a week disregard is not a general thing then? Is there a difference between SSG and standard grant? There was an element of income disregard when i was working, which was included on the decision letter, and i was surprised that as a student parent i didn't get a similar amount disregarded off my loans/grants.
The only reason i butted in here is that i didn't expect to be worse off on less income when i signed up, but as i am finally 'living my dream' i will continue being a very skint student knowing that my job prospects increase on graduation!
Many thanks for all advice and comments, and also, best of luck to Tincat in your endeavors!
Sarah

fluffymovie

Hiya

Just wanted to add that if you are in receipt of LHA at present and this will only be a change in circs (from IS to student income), you won't get the Jan 2010 LHA rate but the rate that was in force when you first applied.

Hope it hasn't changed too much but good luck regardless.

Oldernotwiser

tincat wrote: »

I've been through everything I've written regarding this, and I can't see anywhere where anyone else has mentioned this as a course of action, so am unsure why you sound as though your flabber is ghasted.

I have finally thanked your message from the other thread though.

Sorry, I don't think that anybody's actually suggested this but it seems so obviously to be your first port of call before you ask for advice from a forum. People go to Student Services/Support//Welfare for absolutely everything.

Oldernotwiser

crystaltipps wrote: »

Hello all,
I am also a full time student, with just the loans/grants, CTC, CB and the uni £1000 bursary (for low income). I also have 2 girls (aged 12 & 14) and am only getting just under half my £85 a week rent paid by LA as well as a third (about £4 a week) council tax paid. This is at such odds to the OP situation and advice given that i am in shock!


Sarah

If you're a lone parent and a student, you're exempt from paying council tax anyway - haven't you applied for exemption?

crystaltipps

Thanks for your reply.
Yes, there is a policy of home visits here - a really nice guy comes around and goes through everything with a fine toothcomb - which is why i was sure it was all ok until last night and this thread.
He took all my proof of income, as well as my exemption letter from uni - but as it is all means tested, i have still to pay some. I have a friend in the next district with similar circumstances, and she pays nowt!
It is this business of income disregard that puzzles me - like i said earlier, i did have an element of income disregard when working part time, but now none of the loan income is disregarded, which is why my award went down despite my income also going down! Confusing!
I start back next week, and will take it all along to student support services - see what they say!
Thanks!