Housing Benefit

thescottgang

I,m not sure is this is the right place to post this, i,m new lol. Just need to ask some advice about housing benefit. My wage is going down in a couple of months by quite alot and i might qualify for housing benefit, but my firm have now said they will give us a fuel allowance for travel to work as the premises have now moved and i will need the travel allowance to pay for it as it is now far away. Will housing benefit take this an in come even though i will be using it for fuel ? Help would be very much appreciated, i keep going round and round on other sites.

pandaspot

I answered This for you on the other thread. Yes fuel expenses will be included on the calculation as it's for getting to work.

thescottgang

So does that mean ,yes, it will count as income therefore i go over the amount to get help for HB

pandaspot

Yes it will count as income unfortunately, as its just to go to and from work

If the expenses were incurred in the performance of your job then they would be disregarded in full

Have you had a look on the turn2us calculator to see if you would be entitled?

thescottgang

Well i went to the citizens advice and they told me i should be entitled to about £50 a week HB once my wage goes down next month, but since then we have been told we will be given a fuel allowance for the extra journey for the first year only, but i do NEED that fuel allowance in order to afford to travel to my job.:)

pandaspot

Have a look on the calculator ( https://www.entitledto.co.uk) it's the turn2us one but easier to type

It's a bit rubbish isn't it, you have to travel further ,so work pay for you, but your wages have gone down, but hb have to assess your claim with the expenses included as part of your earnings. When reality you are out of pocket

thescottgang

I know, i now wont get any help ! but all the extra will be for fuel, seems ludicrous to me !

pandaspot

Here is what the guidance says:

Earnings from employment means any money you are paid when you work for someone else. This includes the following types of payments:

bonuses or commission (including tips)

money you get instead of your normal pay (for example, a liquidator may give you money when your employer stops trading and you are owed some pay)

money you get in place of notice to end your employment, or money you get to make up for losing your job

money you get for holidays you did not take (holiday pay) – but not holiday pay owed to you more than four weeks after you stopped work

money you get if you are kept on while doing no work (for example, a retainer paid to school cooks during school holidays)

expenses you are given to cover your travel to and from work

expenses you are given to cover the costs of looking after someone in your family (like childminding – but if you are a childminder)

any expenses you are given that are not essential for you to carry out your work
money you get, under the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, when you are not given work because of bad weather, or money you get because of unfair dismissal

money that an industrial tribunal orders your employer to give you if the period of notice or redundancy that is required by law has not been given

money you get from your former employer’s redundancy funds if the business goes into liquidation

Statutory Sick Pay or Statutory Maternity Pay

Statutory Paternity Pay and Statutory Adoption Pay

employer’s sick pay or employer’s maternity pay

earnings from permitted work, that is, work while you are getting an incapacity benefit which your doctor thinks would benefit your health.

Earnings from employment do not include: [HB 35(2), HB(SPC) 35(2); CTB Reg 25(2) CTB(SPC) Reg 25(2)]
payment in kind (where no money is involved)

expenses you are given that are essential for you to carry out work
any occupational pension.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/rr2-a-guide-to-housing-benefit/working-it-out/income-and-capital/

Some of the rules are stupid, I think there should be some discretion used in some cases

thescottgang

It just seems silly, they were willing to help before i knew about the travel allowance, but i wont actually be getting any of it coz its got to go towards fuel.

pandaspot

I know it's one of those stupid things, if they didnt give it to you on your wage slip as an expense item then it would be ok.

thescottgang

can they put it down as something else then ?