I do not qualify for Income Support yet according to their website I do!!

viktory

martinb10 wrote: »

Just had a very frustrating phone call with the Income Support department. I am currently on a low income (self employed <3000 a year) and after checking the DirectGov website (Cannot post link as I am a new user but do have a screen dump) happy to see I qualified for Income Support. I downloaded the forms, spent hours filling them in and duly sent them off.

After not hearing anything for 2 weeks I decided to give them a call just to make sure they had received the forms and they told me that a letter had been sent out informing me I did not qualify for income support as I was not a lone parent, on parental or paternity leave, a carer or a refugee learning English who arrived less than a year ago.

I explained to them that their website stated the conditions and that I ticked all the boxes and the guy turned around and said "We are not responsible for what is on that website". I was so shocked to hear such a ridiculous statement, it's not a price that has been misquoted on a website IT'S A GOVERMENT website. Had it stated I needed to have one of those 4 conditions I would NOT HAVE SPENT HOURS FILLING IN THE FORMS.

I really need some advice as to what to do next and if there is anyone I can contact, I don't want anyone else going through this and speaking to people at Income Support who quite frankly didn't care.

Can you please post a link to the website in question.

martinb10

I can't post links as I am new here however this is the statement at the top of the site. Notice the "May" in the second set of conditions, these are not "Mays" they are "Will Only" this is my issue..mis-information.

Who can get Income Support
It's for people who all the following apply to:

•are between age 16 and the age they can get Pension Credit
•have a low income
•work less than 16 hours a week
•aren't in full-time study (but there are some exceptions)
•don't get Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
•don't have savings above £16,000
•live in Great Britain

You may get Income Support if you are one of the following:

•a lone parent
•on parental or paternity leave
•a carer
•a refugee learning English who arrived less than a year ago

Indie_Kid

How is the direct gov site misleading? You have to meet all the conditions in part one, plus another from part 2.

dmg24

martinb10 wrote: »

I can't post links as I am new here however this is the statement at the top of the site. Notice the "May" in the second set of conditions, these are not "Mays" they are "Will Only" this is my issue..mis-information.

Who can get Income Support
It's for people who all the following apply to:

•are between age 16 and the age they can get Pension Credit
•have a low income
•work less than 16 hours a week
•aren't in full-time study (but there are some exceptions)
•don't get Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
•don't have savings above £16,000
•live in Great Britain

You may get Income Support if you are one of the following:

•a lone parent
•on parental or paternity leave
•a carer
•a refugee learning English who arrived less than a year ago

I don't see anything misleading?

martinb10

It's for people who all the following apply to:

•are between age 16 and the age they can get Pension Credit
•have a low income
•work less than 16 hours a week
•aren't in full-time study (but there are some exceptions)
•don't get Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
•don't have savings above £16,000
•live in Great Britain

I qualify for all of the above yet my application has been refused.

Indie_Kid

martinb10 wrote: »

It's for people who all the following apply to:

•are between age 16 and the age they can get Pension Credit
•have a low income
•work less than 16 hours a week
•aren't in full-time study (but there are some exceptions)
•don't get Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
•don't have savings above £16,000
•live in Great Britain

I qualify for all of the above yet my application has been refused.

But do you meet at least one criteria from part 2?

martinb10

Well obviously not and it doesn't state that, it should say "And one of the following" it is not clear. If it was clear I wouldn't have wasted my time filling the forms in.

healy

martinb10 wrote: »

I can't post links as I am new here however this is the statement at the top of the site. Notice the "May" in the second set of conditions, these are not "Mays" they are "Will Only" this is my issue..mis-information.

Who can get Income Support
It's for people who all the following apply to:

•are between age 16 and the age they can get Pension Credit
•have a low income
•work less than 16 hours a week
•aren't in full-time study (but there are some exceptions)
•don't get Jobseeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
•don't have savings above £16,000
•live in Great Britain

You may get Income Support if you are one of the following:

•a lone parent
•on parental or paternity leave
•a carer
•a refugee learning English who arrived less than a year ago

It seems totally clear to me. You do not fit into any of the categories in the second list so therefore you do not qualify.

I have seen this list posted many times and you are the first person to read it the way you have.

nannytone_2

i understood it too!
some people see what they want it to say rather than what it actually says.

Robbie64

Martin

how long ago is it since you came off Incapacity Benefit? Is it within the past 6 months? if so and you could up your hours worked to 16 hours you could claim Working Tax Credit.

Also, when your IB claim ended did you get a 104 week benefit protection?