Just realised my Income Support claim was cancelled

Kay.Samuels

I've been thinking the past month or so that money hasn't been going as far as usual but not thinking any more of it than that.

Yesterday something made me look thoroughly through my bank statements and I realised I'd had no income support this month, or (looking back further) September, or (looking back further) actually since the beginning of August!

I called up them up and it seems my address was changed and then as they couldn't confirm the new address my claim was automatically cancelled. The new address is my abusive ex partner's new address!! :mad::( _pale_:exclamati:shocked:

The address was then somehow changed AGAIN to a random house number down my actual street!

I feel like ex has P***ed all over my finances.

I had to call a different number to re claim income support, and to apply to have my payments back dated from when they were stopped. I also have to go into the jobcentre in person to process the claim on Monday. It's half term and I will have my son with me.

I am so so fuming! I'm still shocked at it and can't believe how easy it is that they have had my address claimed and then unbeknown to me tried to confirm it, not been able to, so cancelled my money!

I also can't believe it's taken me so long to notice but I'm so frugal with money and it got cancelled half way through the summer hols so I'd put it down to that. I don't get the whole amount of income support as I'm a full time carer to DS, and I get it paid fortnightly so it's not like it was a big payment I was missing on a weekly or four weekly basis.

Does anyone on here know if it will be an issue or not me getting it back dated? The lady on the phone said I should be able to but I'm so anxious I'll get it refused or something, and that will mean ex has managed to deny me and HIS OWN CHILD (who has a disability) of hundreds in pounds of benefits with his meddling.

pcombo

So how are you living i.e buying things, getting by with day to day things.

Kay.Samuels

I receive other benefits pcombo

CB, CTC with disabled child element, HB, CA,

because they all go in differently (ie weekly, fortnightly, four weekly) I had been doing my grocery shopping and so on wondering why I had so little in the bank but not having the time/energy for the deeper thought process of investigating! I had been struggling but with a child that doesn't need sleep I just plod through day to day in survival mode.

LL30

The !!!!!!!!! I think you ought to write and enquire as to how exactly how your personal data was changed - you didn't do it, so who did and when? There should be a computer trail somewhere. I'd probably go for a 2 pronged approach: a) a letter of complaint as above and b) an appeal letter outlining why you want the IS backdated stating that you have written a letter of complaint regarding the breech of security (? is that the way to put it? It's what I'd do!)

If in doubt, go to your MP - I know everyone seems to be saying it nowadays, but I've just done it and it worked (and very speedily at that) for me.

Good luck - sleep deprivation sucks!! x

Orville

But then again the op has been surviving quite happily for the past few months without it. I'd say they were hardly on the breadline. All the op said was that they noticed they didn't have as much in as usual, not that they were going overdrawn or cheques bouncing etc....

Kay.Samuels

WOW I had a feeling I would get a snidey comment, once upon a time I worked two jobs, then instead I ran my own business self employed, I've worked hard from being 14. When I had my son I was in a stable happy relationship, a joint homeowner in a good position. Then I had my little boy and my world turned upside down. My relationship collapsed as my partner's selfish nasty streak was brought out by my son's high care needs, he became jealous of his own child. I couldn't continue working and I suddenly found myself a single parent on benefits.

Anyone jealous of my situation, well I envy you too.

Thank you to the kind posters who've posted while I've not been online.
I intend to ask about the complaints process when I go in for my appointment on monday, and asked for written timeline of when these addresses have been changed and how. Right now I am just anxious to get my IS back on track.

When you go nowhere, do nothing, have no social life, no loans or credit, no sky, car, smoking, drinking, social life, hobbies, etc you are spending very little and you also have no time for yourself to even think so that is why I didn't notice for a while what exactly had changed.

kingfisherblue

Kay, I am in a similar situation to you, but I have three children. Ignore rude posters like pcombo - they have no idea of the realities of bringing up a disabled child. They also have no idea of the average wage, which he quotes as £130 a week. On the national minimum wage, that is only around 20 hours work.

To get £55.55 a week carer's allowance, you have to care for somebody with significant care needs for a minimum of 35 hours a week, as well as fulfilling other criteria. For children, this is caring for needs over and above the needs of a non-disabled child of the same age. It is nowhere near the NMW, and it saves the taxpayers of this country billions of pounds a year. Of course, someone who only works 20 hours a week (possibly less, if paid above NMW) would pay very little tax anyway.