Student and tax credits

missk_ensington

Anyone else here a student who has children and claiming tax credits?

I've just become aware about 5 minutes ago from the entitledto.co.uk website that I should have declared my uni grants!! I had no idea! Is everyone else aware of this?!?!?!?

Also, not strictly on topic but I'm not starting a new thread just to ask: are CSA payments counted as income that your should declare to Tax Credits????

Crispy_Ambulance

It shouldn't make any difference to your award. Most of the money that you get as a student is not counted as income for tax credits. If you are unsure, you should get in touch with your student union advice centre who can check your award for you.

missk_ensington

If its not counted then why do you have to decalre it? You don't have to declare your student loan and grants towards tuition fee's but you have to decalre means tested grants, therefore I am assuming this is income and thererfore bumping my salary up by about £2500 a year!

Not entirely sure how they would every find out though....

tazzababe

Hiya, I get tax credits, student loan, parents learning allowance and grant to help with living. Tax credit people don't take any of the finance info into consideration when working out you award- might be different if you get a bursary for teaching or NHS though. I still tell them.
Its funny how income support, Housing and Council tax benefit see student finance as actual income and therefore change the amount they give out (if any), but tax credit peeps don't. Wonder why?

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Non-parent students should be entitled to working persons tax credits

sheashea1

tazzababe wrote:

Hiya, I get tax credits, student loan, parents learning allowance and grant to help with living. Tax credit people don't take any of the finance info into consideration when working out you award- might be different if you get a bursary for teaching or NHS though. I still tell them.
Its funny how income support, Housing and Council tax benefit see student finance as actual income and therefore change the amount they give out (if any), but tax credit peeps don't. Wonder why?

Did u know that if you are a lone parent you qualify for Income support during the university summer vacations? The FULL amount assuming there are no CSA payments received...It is surprising how many people I talked to did not know this. This also means automatic full help with h/benefit. If you do not work during the break.

clairec79

NHS bursary doesn't count as income

missk_ensington

On entitledto.com theres a link for 'tax credits for students' and it says has 2 lists of income- one thats counted and one that isn't. Student loand, help towards tuition fee's isn't counted, but it says that grants are counted?!? They must be taken into account otherwise why would you need to declare the second list and not the first?

Crispy_Ambulance

I think the site must be a bit misleading

The only student grants that are taken into account for tax credits are:

adult dependants grant
lone parents grant
two homes grant

most people will not receive any of these and the lone parents grant has disappeared for new students

missk_ensington

I get HE grant and PLA and childcare, are these taken into account?

Also, should I have told them about CSA payments? For some reason it never occured to me to tell them about that!

I'm not suggesting I'm wishing to be fraudulent in saying this, just curious, how would they know even if you were getting the grants they take into account, and how do they find out you get CSA as it isn't linked up to DCI?

Crispy_Ambulance

missk_ensington wrote:

I get HE grant and PLA and childcare, are these taken into account?

Also, should I have told them about CSA payments? For some reason it never occured to me to tell them about that!

I'm not suggesting I'm wishing to be fraudulent in saying this, just curious, how would they know even if you were getting the grants they take into account, and how do they find out you get CSA as it isn't linked up to DCI?

These grants are not taken into account.

maintenance is also ignored.

The DWP and Inland Revenue will assume you are receiving all student income you are entitled to and they will usually ask for a copy of your notification to show what you are getting.