Housing Benefit-Student Finance

mikeyburnsey

Hi

I need to know how much of my daughter Student Finance will be used when our housing benefit is updated.
Our local council has today cut our housing benefit and Council Tax, by £250 per month, this is because my daughter is a non-dependant, they are awaiting my daughter pay slip, she works part time and how much student finance she will be receiving including her loan.
What is the procedure as I mention we have been cut by £250, the letter indicates that the is the lowest figure while they await her documents.
Am I right in thinking that the £250 will not go up, once they get all the information, but could it go down? How do they use the student finance money, do they write to us, and say that this is how much your daughter should pay, therefore we will pay xxx the rest is to paid by your daughter, or do they ask for money from my daughter to be paid to the council?

Please help I am and my daughter is desperate for an answer
Thanks for looking
Mikey

adviceforall

Our daughter ( 22) was a non dependant but she started Uni in Sept and as she is full time she will now be classes as a dependant, so I don't know how old your daughter is or if she is full or part time whether tyhe same will apply?

mikeyburnsey

adviceforall wrote: »

Our daughter ( 22) was a non dependant but she started Uni in Sept and as she is full time she will now be classes as a dependant, so I don't know how old your daughter is or if she is full or part time whether tyhe same will apply?

My daughter works part time and she is 19.

Oldernotwiser

adviceforall wrote: »

Our daughter ( 22) was a non dependant but she started Uni in Sept and as she is full time she will now be classes as a dependant, so I don't know how old your daughter is or if she is full or part time whether tyhe same will apply?

I don't mean to be abrupt, but are you sure?

mikeyburnsey

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I don't mean to be abrupt, but are you sure?

I am now on the phone to the council, this will be interesting

mikeyburnsey

mikeyburnsey wrote: »

I am now on the phone to the council, this will be interesting

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I don't mean to be abrupt, but are you sure?

Oldernotwiser thank-you so much, just spoke to the manager, she will be classed as a student, once they receive proof, I might also get the £250 back????:j Mikey

fluffymovie

If you get child benefit for her, she will be classed as a dependent and will be included for the purpose of giving you extra premiums.

If you dont get child Ben for her, she would be a non dependant and if they think she's working, they'll take the highest non dep deduction which is £47.75 per week for Hb and £6.95 for ctb.

However, they can only take this if they think she's in work. It is a default to assume this and if you provide what they need, they should revise this decision and you would get an underpayment

mikeyburnsey

well, another big twist, they have confirmed that my daughter (19) who is not in receipt of Child Benefit, she is no longer classed as an dependent, therefore they are reducing our Housing Benefit by £169 per month and also we now have to start paying Council tax which is further £77 a month.
They know that my daughter is a student, BUT it counts for nothing, as far as they and the Government are concerned she is not a DEPENDANT

Tell you guys now, this country is going to have disputes, strikes, walkouts and more people losing there homes, and more becoming homeless. There will be a lot of people who will be facing poverty

That's Conservative for you, happened in the 80s, and will happen again. :(:mad:

fluffymovie

The facts are that as you don't get child benefit, she isn't considered a dependent on you. That's the law and however unfair you may think it is, the job of HB is to calculate your award in line with the legislation, which has been in place for decades under both conservatives and labour.

Your daughter being a student does count for the purposes that you would still be entitled to the single person discount if you were on your own, no non dep deduction is taken.

What happens is that you lose the premium for having a child that you need to support.

mikeyburnsey

Ok, she is a non-dependant we understand that, what we can't get our heads around is that last month we got £595 and had no Council tax to pay, now this month we have £250 deduction, just because she in a non dependant

Oldernotwiser

mikeyburnsey wrote: »

Ok, she is a non-dependant we understand that, what we can't get our heads around is that last month we got £595 and had no Council tax to pay, now this month we have £250 deduction, just because she in a non dependant

Has your LHA amount gone down because you're now assessed as needing a smaller home? In other words, has your assessment gone from a 2 bed to a 1 bed because your daughter's not taken into account?

How much rent is she paying, by the way?