Income support for full time student (single parent)

Macro_3

Getting council tax paid by benefits is not the same thing as having no liability due to being exempt, which is what ONW is probably getting at.

Oldernotwiser

oliviatwist wrote: »

"I did get my council tax paid but that was about it to be honest"

yeah she did

Nobody pays the council tax if the person is exempt.

Oldernotwiser

Macro wrote: »

Getting council tax paid by benefits is not the same thing as having no liability due to being exempt, which is what ONW is probably getting at.

I'm glad someone can read.

sarahevie

Sorry to bring this post back up.

I have had a call today from an ex colleague, who is trying to support a pregnant 21 year old undergraduate student.

We are trying to work out entitlement, but it is very confusing. Directgov suggests she can claim.

Tax credits £3398
Income support £3412
Housing Benefit £5415
Child Benefit £20.30 a week


Is this on top of regular undergraduate study grants

£4745 Maintanence Loan
£2905 Special Support Grant
£1508 Parent Learning Allowance
Childcare grant of 85% of costs upto £148.75 a week
Higher Education maintenance grant £2900

We think we must be missing a trick as this would mean entitlement of £24283 excluding child benefit. Surely this is too high? Where are we going wrong?

We would really like to help the girl she has only been with the boy 4 weeks, just found out she's pregnant only in her first year of uni.

I've been called in as I had two children whilst studying for a phd but benefits confuse me as I didn't claim them. (Mortgaged house/full time working partner.)

RAS

Hi

Your student can either get student grants/loans or benefits, for the most part.

She can either have tax credits or the childcare grant, not both.

She is not generally eligible for Income support, but may get some during the summer vacation. She may get some HB (for the child) but not all of it as her own rent is covered by the maintenance loan.

sarahevie

So approx £13500 then or very similar to entitlement if she were to drop out of uni and just claim income support based benefits.

We are trying to show that she wouldn't be better off dropping out if she doesn't want to. That financially her situation will be the same, if not better, if she stays on.

We don't want her thinking that dropping out of uni is her only financial option, if that isn't the case