Help - Losing week's money on IB

alluring29

I received a letter today from Belfast stating that my Incapicity Benefit will be paid fortnightly instead of weekly, commencing in August.

The new payment will be paid in arrears but means that I lose one week's money while the change over takes place.

They have offered me a loan but I have to repay it back over 12 weeks. Essentialy, everone receiving IB on a weekly basis and then is switched to fortnightly payments will all lose a week's money because it is paid in arrears.

How can the Government expect us to live without that extra week's money, I am thoroughly fed up and confused. Where do we go to complain about the disastrous decision?

Loopy_Girl

But you're not losing it..they have offered a loan (which in effect is that weeks payment) which is interest free and paid back over 12 weeks.

You can only lose something you are not getting and you are getting it albeit in the form of a loan which means there will be no break in payments.

Jesus, it's not rocket science;)

dmg24

You will not lose a weeks money, you will just receive it a week later. You have been offered a loan to cover the short term issue. I fail to see your problem.

(Crossposted!)

alluring29

dmg24 wrote: »

You will not lose a weeks money, you will just receive it a week later. You have been offered a loan to cover the short term issue. I fail to see your problem.

(Crossposted!)

No, I definitely do lose a week's money. The letter reads:-

11/08/2010 - normal money

18/08/10 - 1 day's money because moving benefit payment day from Wednesday to Thursday

26/08/2010 - 2 weeks money

09/09/2010 - 2 weeks money

The fortnightly new payment is paid in arrears, I do not get any money for the week 18th August, apart from 1 days.

A loan has to be repaid.

Basically, I presume that you receive the extra week's money when you finish claiming IB but because I have broken my spine x 2 and bed bound and am signed off work for life, it doesn't apply to me until I get a pension in 20 years time!

alluring29

Loopy_Girl wrote: »

But you're not losing it..they have offered a loan (which in effect is that weeks payment) which is interest free and paid back over 12 weeks.

You can only lose something you are not getting and you are getting it albeit in the form of a loan which means there will be no break in payments.

Jesus, it's not rocket science;)

How can a loan that has to be paid back be that week's money?

seven-day-weekend

But you can have a loan to cover the missing week and then you repay it over twelve weeks, so that should be less than £10 a week.

dmg24

You are only missing the money for a week because you are already being paid in arrears. There is nothing you can do to change it. You are not being put to any detriment. If you cannot budget for the one week without taking the loan, contact them now to arrange this.

Loopy_Girl

alluring29 wrote: »

How can a loan that has to be paid back be that week's money?

Because they are paying you in arrears so the loan money is to cover you for a week where there is no payment, however - that payment will be rec'd in the first 2 weekly payment which is paid in arrears hence why the loan has to be paid back.

The loan is to bridge the gap between weekly and bi-weekly payments.

alluring29

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

But you can have a loan to cover the missing week and then you repay it over twelve weeks, so that should be less than £10 a week.

A loan which I have to REPAY back does not equal my IB - a loan is just that, a loan, NOT my IB.

I fail to see why people do not understand.

I need my IB and cannot afford to pay back £10 a week via a loan. The Benefit's Office should pay everyone in advance and then the extra work load to sort out the loans and problems people will face without the extra week's money will not occur!

dmg24

alluring29 wrote: »

A loan which I have to REPAY back does not equal my IB - a loan is just that, a loan, NOT my IB.

I fail to see why people do not understand.

I need my IB and cannot afford to pay back £10 a week via a loan. The Benefit's Office should pay everyone in advance and then the extra work load to sort out the loans and problems people will face without the extra week's money will not occur!

It is not other people that do not understand, it is you.

If the Benefit's Office paid everyone in advance they would have a massive extra work load recouping overpayments!

alluring29

dmg24 wrote: »

It is not other people that do not understand, it is you.

If the Benefit's Office paid everyone in advance they would have a massive extra work load recouping overpayments!

DMG I understand what you are saying but basically I am still losing the week's money because I will get it at the end of my IB claim, i.e. in 20 years time.

Just a pain being switched over to fortnightly payments, losing a week's money and now trying to think of where I can find money to support my family for that one week.

I guess a loan from them is the ONLY option I have.