Housing Benefit - Earnings disregards?

meljane_3

Hi, my partner and I are both self employed full time, and have have just received our HB/CTB recalc following a change of circumstances.

In the letter it says that £10 of our self employed earnings are disregarded. I believe that there is also an Additional £17.10 earnings disregard, if you are over 25 and work over 30 hrs per week, but there is no mention of this anywhere in the calculations, so I'm assuming that they've not included it.

Before I phone up and make a fuss/an idiot of myself, could anyone confirm that we would likely be entitled to the additions £17.10 disregard?

Thanks very much!

ETA: We are in receive of Working Tax Credits - I believe the eligibility test for the additional earnings disregard is the same as for WTC?

MrsManda

I think you should get the additional disregard on the basis of the information in the below but I don't know for certain.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/local-authority-staff/housing-benefit/claims-processing/claims-guidance/calculating-hbctb/

fluffymovie

As part of a couple, if both over 25, you get the additional earnings disregard if combined, you work over 30 hrs per week.

It does depend on the software that the council use but my council use a system which automatically gives the disregard assuming the assessor inputs correct hours. We can also use a code for WTC if there is a 30 hour element so I would expect that the assessor knows this?

Ring and find out and do come back to us!

meljane_3

Thanks to you both for that - that was what I thought, but was just worried that I'd missed some reason why we wouldn't be entitled to it. We'll get on to them tomorrow and let you know what they say!

meljane_3

Woohoo, just called them and they have agreed that the £17.10 should have been taken off our earnings. Still got to challenge the business expenses that they have disallowed, but we're waiting for a statement of exactly what they've disallowed and their reasons (It seems to be just about every expense we've given, as the income they have put in our award letter is within a couple of £s of the money we bring in, before we take expenses out).

Still, getting that £17.10 taken off our earnings means that at least we can eat this week! :-D