sure start maternity grant

phidy2010

Hi there the wife and i am expecting our first on the 6th march

i dont really understand benifits ect we filled the form in as requested by the midwife and posted it of and we have been told we wont be getting it:eek:

can anyone give reasons why as it doesn't say anything

the other thing 190.00 we got *well haven't-as they have paid it into someone elses account and keep coming up with excuses*

thank you

MrsManda

Do you meet the qualifying criteria for the Sure Start Maternity Grant?

You can get a Sure Start Maternity Grant if you or your partner receive any of the following:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit at a rate higher than the family element
• Working Tax Credit where a disability or severe disability element is included in the award

and if one of the following applies to you:

• you or your partner are pregnant and expecting a baby within 11 weeks or have given birth within the last three months
• you or your partner have adopted a child, or in certain circumstances have been granted a residence order for a child, within the last three months and the child is less than one year old
• you and your husband or wife have been granted a parental order for a surrogate birth within the last three months
• you or your partner are getting benefit for a dependant under the age of 20 who is pregnant and expecting a baby within 11 weeks or has given birth within the last three months

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018854

AsknAnswer2

The letter gives the reason for the refusal. The letters are automatically generated when someone enters a decision on the system and formatted to contain the reason entered on the system. It will say something like:

"On X date, you applied for a Sure Start Maternity Grant from the Social Fund. We have decided that you are not entitled to a Sure Start Maternity Grant". This is because XXXXXX"

It will be because you do not satisfy one of the reasons given above by Mrs Manda. If you disagree with the reason they have given, you can appeal against the decision.

What excuses are being given for the payment made to the wrong bank account? Did they input the bank account details wrong, or did you give incorrect details on the application form? If it's the latter, they aren't under any obligation to replace it unless the payment is returned to them. If they made the error, they should replace it.

dazzadub

sure way of getting it.

when baby is born you will get child tax credit and baby element which will take you above the family element which automatically qualifys you to the grant, and you can claim sure start grant 3 months after baby birth.

this is how i had to do it.


if you look at criteria for the grant it states child tax above family element.
baby element and child tax credit takes you over family element.


simple

phidy2010

hi there will it not be too late then? as it is being stopped soon?

phidy2010

AsknAnswer2 wrote: »

What excuses are being given for the payment made to the wrong bank account? Did they input the bank account details wrong, or did you give incorrect details on the application form? If it's the latter, they aren't under any obligation to replace it unless the payment is returned to them. If they made the error, they should replace it.

they paid it into right sort code but on the last digit of the account number they used a 6 rather than a 9,

i have gone direct to the head of hbos and the department head of this part of the goverment but because the person whose account it was paid into has withdrawn the funds we are not getting it.

AsknAnswer2

HIP - If that's the case, then you must have written a 6 on the form rather than a 9. If they input the account details incorrectly, they will replace the payment as you cannot be penalised for their error. If they input the account details exactly as they appear on the form, they have fulfilled their responsibility by issuing the payment as requested and can only replace it if the money is repaid to them. If the account holder withdraws the funds the most that the bank can do is write to the account holder asking them to repay the money to HMRC. But the account holder is not obliged to respond to the letter nor repay the money. If they do repay it, then HMRC can replace it once they have received the money back. If they don't respond to the letter or repay the funds then it cannot be replaced.

If you are certain you wrote the correct account details on the form and HMRC have input it incorrectly, you should send a written request for a copy of the application form you completed so that you can see it for yourself. If it turns out that you did give them the correct details and they input the details incorrectly and are refusing to replace it, you would be perfectly within your rights to take the matter further.

SSMG - Assuming the reason you have been refused is that you are not receiving a qualifying benefit, it won't be too late in respect of the maternity grant if you receive the higher rate of child ax credit so long as you re-apply for the maternity grant by the time the baby is three months old. The maternity grant is not being stopped, it is being restricted to the first child only. As this is your first child, you won't be affected by that change.

I would stress however that having the baby element does not automatically take you over the family element. A lot of people get this wrong. the baby element is a part of the family element - because of the way HMRC set out their rates, a lot of people don't realise this as it appears on an award notice as seperate. The family element is currecntly £547.50 (to change in April). If you have a baby under one, you also receive the baby element which is an integral part of the family element and is also £547.50. Though the HMRC website still has it down as £545.

To satisfy the qualifying criteria for the SSMG under the CTC rules, you must be receiving the CTC at a rate higher than the family element. This means that you must be receiving child tax credit at a rate higher than £548 for the tax year, but if you have a child under the age of one, you must be receiving more than £1095 for the tax year - this is to factor in the baby element as part of the family element. This information is written on the SSMG application form. So if you only receive £1095 CTC you would not get it. If you receive more than £1095 CTC (before any working tax credit entitlement) you would meet the qualifying benefit criteria.

Hope this helps