Please advise: Council and housing benefits.

amber1979

Hi,

I'm totally confused by the whole thing. If anybody can explain any of this I would be very grateful!

I moved into a new home a few weeks ago. The first week, it was just me on my own. The second week my partner moved in, which I duly informed the benefit office of.

This appears to have the effect of take removing all of my council tax benefit entitlement and a good chunk of my housing benefit.

Niether of us are working. He is on cont ESA and I am on cont JSA. I have savings of around £9,000. I have been totally honest with the council on all of this. He also gets £20 per week working tax credit, we thought this should have stopped weeks ago but apparently it hasn't. We're not entirely sure why and the tax credits people are not being particularly forthcoming on the matter.

Is all of this right?

Before anybody asks, yes he is genuinely ill and I am looking for a job like a mad thing.

The council tax bill scared the pants of us though. Please help!

:beer: In advance.

DX2

Your savings will reduce your entitlement to HB and CTB.

Regarding the working tax credits how long has your partner been on ESA?

amber1979

I know it will reduce my entitlement, what confuses me is that my savings did not change when my partner moved in. He has debts - not savings lol.

He has been on ESA about six weeks.

I have a total of five seperate council tax demand letters - all totally different! The best giving me full entitlement for the week I lived alone, to asking for a partial payment to demanding the whole lot. Confuzzled.

Nicky23_2

When someone becomes sick from work, working tax credit is still paid for the 1st 28 weeks of sickness - if your partner has been sick longer than 28 weeks then he's being overpaid and you need to not spend anything else he gets as they will want it back.

Have you made a joint claim for council tax benefit? That may be all that's needed.

Your savings of £9,000 will mean that you are treated as if you have £12 a week income if you're under 60 which i'm assuming you are - you sound it

DX2

amber1979 wrote: »

I know it will reduce my entitlement, what confuses me is that my savings did not change when my partner moved in. He has debts - not savings lol.

He has been on ESA about six weeks.

I have a total of five seperate council tax demand letters - all totally different! The best giving me full entitlement for the week I lived alone, to asking for a partial payment to demanding the whole lot. Confuzzled.

But your income so to speak did increase his ESA and tax credits.

amber1979

Yes we have made a joint claim - we did this the day he moved in. Followed all the rules.

So do they pay working tax credit for 28 weeks after you start claiming ESA? Is that what you're saying?

As to "you sound it" I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and take it as a compliment.

amber1979

DX2 wrote: »

But your income so to speak did increase his ESA and tax credits.

Given that I suspect that the tax credits people are overpaying, would this really have such a huge impact as to cause the council to demand an extra £700 from us in council tax? It seems a little harsh.

DX2

amber1979 wrote: »

Given that I suspect that the tax credits people are overpaying, would this really have such a huge impact as to cause the council to demand an extra £700 from us in council tax? It seems a little harsh.

But the tax credits aren't overpaying.

Sick leave

If you are off work for up to 28 weeks because of illness and are
receiving either:
• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
• short-term Incapacity Benefit at the lower rate
• an Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support paid on the grounds of incapacity for work, or
• National Insurance credits on the grounds of incapacity for work or
limited capability for work
then you will still be able to claim Working Tax Credit, provided you
worked at least 16 or 30 hours a week (whichever applied) immediately
before you started to receive any of these benefits. This also applies if you
are self-employed.
When the 28 weeks of sick leave are over you continue to be eligible for
Working Tax Credit if you begin work again at that point. Any further sick
leave does not count as being in work and you will only be eligible for
Working Tax Credit for a further four weeks after this period. You must tell
us within one month if you do not go back to work after the 28 weeks.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/wtc2.pdf

Nicky23_2

What the person who has posted above says is mostly correct but rather out of date.

Best thing for you to do would be to go to your local CAB or Welfare Rights organisation.

As for the "you sound it" comment that's absolutely a compliment :beer:

DX2

Nicky23 wrote: »

What the person who has posted above says is mostly correct but rather out of date.

Best thing for you to do would be to go to your local CAB or Welfare Rights organisation.

As for the "you sound it" comment that's absolutely a compliment :beer:

That's strange as it is a 2010 -2011 guide, can't see how that could possibly be out of date.

Robbie64

have I got these figures correct?

JSA: £65.45
ESA £65.45
WTC: £20
tariff income (from savings): £12 - this is calculated by deducting £6000 off your savings and then is £1 for every £250 you have left

total: £162.90

The above is your income. Your "needs allowance" as a couple for HB and CTB purposes is £102.75 per week which is not only the amount the law says you need to live on as a couple but is also the amount at which you will get maximum HB and CB. Your income is £60.15 above this amount.

At £60.15 per week any HB will be reduced by £39.09 per week and CTB by £12.03 per week. Your maximum HB may not be the same as your actual rent but CTB should be equal to your weekly council tax bill (less these amounts of course).