JSA of 10p due to girlfriend's student loan and other related issues!

DocSavage

Hi guys,

I would be EXTREMELY grateful for some help with the following, as I am at my wit’s end!

The key facts are as follows:

- I am currently unemployed and claiming JSA
- I live with my girlfriend who is a full-time student in receipt of a student loan for 2009/2010 of £9000
- Of this £9000, £3225 goes immediately to her uni in the form of fees, leaving £5775. Another £1000/year goes on transport to and form uni leaving £4775.
- Neither myself nor my girlfriend have any savings whatsoever
- I have a mortgage (fixed at 4.9%) however which the DWP is currently paying the interest on

When it assessed me for JSA, the DWP took the full amount of my girlfriend’s student loan into consideration as ‘joint income’. Not only that, they allowed no deductions for either uni fees (completely mandatory) or transport to and from uni (or books etc). I questioned all of this in writing at the time but was assured it was just how they do things.

As a result of our £9000 of ‘joint income’, my JSA is only 10p/fortnight and I am not eligible for a reduction in council tax (over and above the smaller deduction we are allowed anyway due to my girlfriend being a student).

Additionally, although the DWP is currently playing the interest on my mortgage (for which I am very grateful) they will not consider paying the service charge on my ex-council flat (£1500/year), which they ordinarily would, on the basis that our ‘joint income’ is too high.

On top of all this my mortgage benefit is now being cut to 3.7%, meaning I will need to find an additional £1550/year from somewhere to cover the shortfall!

Is the DWP correct in how it’s evaluated out joint income? I find it very hard to believe it could be, but have got absolutely nowhere with them.

Essentially we have £4775 BETWEEN US out of which we have to pay all bills (electricity, phones, tv, water), food, council tax, service charge (theoretically- I have simply not been able to pay it this year), other general and credit card debt and now another £1550 on top! It is not even vaguely possible.

Do you think, at the very least, that if my mortgage interest payment is reduced then my JSA payment may increase to compensate?

Please help!

KimYeovil

Commuting costs are neither here nor there - they are never included. So you have an income of £5775 after fees - several hundred pounds more than the £100-odd per week a couple is expected to live on.

Sam____2

Your girlfriend could pick up a push bike from freecycle or freegle, that would cut the traveling costs

Indie_Kid

Does she get a tuition fees loan? That's ignored for benefits. £10 a week is disregarded for travel and some money for books is disregarded too.

cassieB57

Regulations allow for a fixed amount to be disregarded from the student loan for 'books and travel', the first £10.00 per week of the amount treated as income is disregarded, also some disregards apply to student grants, for example the amount intended to meet tuition fees. You should ask for a complete breakdown of the way your claim has been worked out, including how the student loan income has been calculated. You mention that you get 10p JSA; is this because an amount has been deducted to pay your mortgage interest direct to your lender, as they have to leave 10p in payment? That means that the actual amount you are entitled to is not 10p, but 10p PLUS any mortgage interest paid to your lender. So really important to check the breakdown of the award.

cassieB57

sh1305 wrote: »

Does she get a tuition fees loan? That's ignored for benefits. £10 a week is disregarded for travel and some money for books is disregarded too.

Crossed post. (it did take a while to type and post as I was checking my information!)

fluffymovie

If you've applied for CTB if you are on jsa income based, you'd get full ctb.

If it's jsa contribution based, your joint income would be calculated and after appropriate disregards, any benefit would be awarded. Ask the council for a statement of reasons as to the calculation and check it's correct. Tbh, most couple claims I have do get some ctb

cassieB57

cassieB57 wrote: »

Regulations allow for a fixed amount to be disregarded from the student loan for 'books and travel'


for the 09/10 academic year these amounts are £390 + £303 from the loan award

cassieB57

KimYeovil wrote: »

Commuting costs are neither here nor there - they are never included. So you have an income of £5775 after fees - several hundred pounds more than the £100-odd per week a couple is expected to live on.

eh?
This is Annual income, no? so £5775/52 is only £111.05 a week, hardly "several hundred pounds more"

DocSavage

That's correct- £5775 is joint, annual income.

Thanks to everyone who's replied so far. All very helpful and I'll get on it.

I believe that the reason I am only getting 10p/week in JSA at the moment is precisely because I am getting DWP mortgage-interest payments (it's v hard to figure out what's going no form the generic letters they send out). If this is indeed the case, do you think I'd get more JSA when my mortgage-interest payment gets cut?

MrsManda

DocSavage wrote: »

- I am currently unemployed and claiming JSA
- I live with my girlfriend who is a full-time student in receipt of a student loan for 2009/2010 of £9000
- Of this £9000, £3225 goes immediately to her uni in the form of fees, leaving £5775. Another £1000/year goes on transport to and form uni leaving £4775.
- Neither myself nor my girlfriend have any savings whatsoever
- I have a mortgage (fixed at 4.9%) however which the DWP is currently paying the interest on

Did you tell the DWP that your GF was getting £9000 or did you say that she was getting £5775 + a tuition fee loan?
The tuition fee loan shouldn't count as income for working out
benefits so if you told them your GF was getting £9000 then you need to speak to the DWP again and tell them your error.

What Student Finance Counts Towards Benefits

Edit: In my post above I presumed your GF is getting a tuition fee loan. Is this the case? Is she assessed as an independent student or on her parents income?