partner returning to full time education, advice please

stuckinarut23

Hi guys,

any advice on this would be really appreciated, currently my partner and I are both unemployed. we have a 9 month old son and I have got a job offer in nursing but i cannot start till october 4th as security checked etc need to be done (CRB etc).

My partner has been looking for work since March and was not entitled to job seekers until June as I was receiving basic maternity pay which ended then. He has decided to go back to college to finish his carpentry training and we have been told we wont be able to receive jobseekers allowance as he will be studying 18 hrs a week and this is classed as full time.

Without jobseekers we wont be able to pay our bills, thankfully we receive housing benefit but we get it after our rent falls due also im not sure if we will still be entitled to housing benefit as its based on his job seekers?!

Are we going to be entitled to anything just until I get paid from my job once i start? it doesnt sound like a long time but were going to be in a complete mess if we dont get anything.

thanks again, sorry for going on

Indie_Kid

You can claim housing benefit / local housing allowance without claiming JSA. You're also entitled to a 25% single person council tax discount - he needs to get a letter from the college about this.

What are you claiming now?

stuckinarut23

we are claiming couple jobseekers allowance £102.00 a week, housing benefit, council tax benefit and child tax credits.

his course starts the 2nd week of september so its coming up fast, they have sent review forms twice for housing benefit because for some reason the jobcentre put that we are not eligible, then when we call they say we are. we wont be getting job seekers if he does do the course but our income wont have gone up. thanks for your quick reply

Oldernotwiser

He could look at the college website to see whether his course is available part time and do this whilst claiming JSA or working part time as well.

If this would be his first level 2 qualification or level 3 qualification he could claim ALG if he's studying full time and this wouldn't be affected by any part time earnings.

bigbill

You need to claim the Jobseekers and HB now as he is no longer eligable as a full time student.