Nightmare :(

JoAndRoo

Hi,

It's my first post on here so I'm not sure if this is in the correct section but hopefully someone will be able to help me.

I am a single mum, aged 26, with one daughter aged 9. After leaving uni in June of this year I started claiming Job Seekers Allowance whilst looking for employment. During this time I was also in receipt of housing benefit (£126 pw), council tax benefit, child benefit and child tax credit.

I was offered a part time position (23 hours pw for £7775 per annum) in September which I accepted. When the Job Centre advisor heard that I had found employment she offered to complete a calculation form for me which showed exactly what I could claim alongside the income from my job. This consisted of housing benefit (£68 pw), council tax benefit (a few pounds per week), child tax credit, working tax credit (including the childcare element), and child benefit.

I started work in mid-November (once my CRB and other forms had been completed) and immediately informed tax credits and housing benefit so my claims could be recalculated. I received a letter last week from housing benefit saying that they needed proof of my income and proof of my childcare costs so that my claim could be processed - fair enough. The following day I received a letter stating that due to my income (£7775 per annum) and the money I receive from working tax credit, child tax credit, and child benefit, I'm not entitled to any help with my rent and have to pay the full £550 myself.

I'm beside myself with worry. I know I can't afford to pay the bills, debt I have (my fault I know), rent, and food etc on my wage, and the income from tax credits, it's just not possible. I'm so angry with the Job Centre for giving me a false sense of security, but equally angry with myself for not realising that they were lying to me.

I think I'm going off on a tangent, I suppose what I need to know is... do any of you working part time (16+ hours per week) still get housing benefit, or am I completely stuffed? Obviously I'm going to return the proof of wage/proof of childcare costs forms that they originally asked for but I'm not holding my breath that it's going to alter their decision signifcantly. Where do I go from here? Is there anything I can do (other than throwing myself off a bridge )? Moving house isn't an option as we only recently moved into this one, neither is upping my hours at work as there just aren't any available. I've cried so much already over this, I just don't know what to do. I thought I was doing the right thing by wanting to work and provide for my daughter but it's looking like I should never have bothered :'(

JoAndRoo x

BigAunty

Do an independent check on the Turn2us online benefit checker.

MrsManda

Put your household details into the benefits calculators below to see if you are receiving everything you are entitled to.
http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

https://www.dwpe-services.direct.gov.uk/portal/page/portal/ba/lp?_piref278_36249_278_36248_36248.__ora_navig=

Do you receive any maintanence from the father of your child?

JoAndRoo

Thank you for your replies. I have completed the Turn2Us benefit checker and it's saying that I should be able to get £73.14 a week in housing benefit so I'm not sure where I'm going wrong. I will have a look at the second one you have linked now MrsManda.

And no, I don't receive any maintenance payments from my daughter's dad.

JoAndRoo x

JoAndRoo

I've completed the second link you posted and it's not even mentioning housing benefit on the results page which makes me think I'm not entitled to claim it?

Argh!!!! I'm far from stupid but benefits are so blummin' hard to understand

AimeesMum_2

How much childcare do you have to pay? xx

JoAndRoo

Ok, I rejigged the DirectGov info and it's saying that if I rent from a private landlord on a commercial basis I can claim £66.70 a week, but if I put in that I rent from 'a Government department (or propety managed for the Crown)' as I originally did, then it shows I can claim no HB at all. I'm very confused now as the house we rent is private, but it's owned by the Highways Agency, managed by Smiths Gore, and is a Crown tenancy... so surely that means I can't claim anything?

Sorry guys I feel awful for bombarding you with all this

JoAndRoo

AimeesMum - I pay £18 per week during term time, and £45 per week during holidays x

JoAndRoo

I've just Googled around and have managed to answer my own question. We were only entitled to housing benefit when I wasn't working, now I am we're not allowed to claim it - all because of the sodding Crown tenancy agreement. I hate life :'(

Fiver29

Have you phoned the council? They might be automatic letters because they haven't got your salary details yet (you said the 2nd letter arrived the next day). I get about 6 or 7 letters all saying different things, from over payments to under payments, to not being entitled. Then once they have the full details they work it out properly.

sleepless_saver

JoAndRoo wrote: »

I've just Googled around and have managed to answer my own question. We were only entitled to housing benefit when I wasn't working, now I am we're not allowed to claim it - all because of the sodding Crown tenancy agreement. I hate life :'(

Sorry to hear that. Hope you find a way to make it work out.

It looks like it was only because you were getting income related JSA that you got it, it's very limited.

ETA: although I see some Crown landlords operate their own rebate scheme for people on low incomes. It would be worth checking out if yours does this. The local authority is meant to do a notional assessment and pass the results to you to pass on to the landlord.