Adult Dependants Grant - allowable expenses?

Leah-WW

Does anyone know what the list of allowable expenses are for submitting in support of an Adult Dependants Grant application, please?

My husband (F/T HE student) received the full ADG for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 academic years based on estimates of our income and expenditure. The 2009/10 year went through without a hitch when we submitted our actual income/expenses, but student finance direct are claiming that we have been overpaid by £880 in 2010/11. I dispute this, as our income and expenses did not change significantly in the 2010/11 year (my earnings increased a little in the final 4 months of that year, rising by approximately £1500).

As I understand it, the ALG is intended to cover those expenses which are incurred by my husband, and that I pay on his behalf during his course. The TV license and telephone/broadband (which it has been agreed by the Disabled Students department is essential to my husband's course as he is training as a Web Developer, and is dyslexic) are in my husband's name, so logic suggests that we should be able to claim at least for half of the broadband? (they surely can't try to claim that it is a 'luxury' when one of their departments has agreed that it is essential to my husband's field of study?).

I would like to ask for a full re-assessment of the 2010/11 application, but cannot seem to get a straight answer about exactly what expenses are able to claim for. So far my list is as follows:
Yes: mortgage, car insurance, private pension, council tax, home/contents insurance.
No: utilities (gas, electric, water), food bills.
Unsure: broadband/telephone, TV license.

We have no children, credit cards, store accounts, loans (except the mortgage), etc.

Oldernotwiser

How much do you earn and how many hours do you work?

Leah-WW

During the 2010/11 year I worked 16 hours a week for the first 8 months, and 31 hours a week for the final 4 months. My total income for the period was approximately £10,500 (gross).

Taiko

No to broadband and TV in the calculations.

Leah-WW

Taiko wrote: »

No to broadband and TV in the calculations.

Ok, thank-you for the clarification. It still seems odd to me though that with a (gross) income of only £10,500 and allowable expenditure of around £6000 (total) for 2010/11 Student Finance England are saying that we are not entitled to the full ADG (especially when we were during the previous year).

Leah-WW

I've just been reading a little more, and found this in the current year's guide to additional help relating to dependants (children/adult dependants):

Do I have to pay back the ADG? No, unless you’ve been overpaid because your household’s actual income and outgoings were different from those you gave in your application.

So does this mean then, that if our actual figures were greater than our estimated figures, they will calculate the difference as an overpayment, even if the actual figures are still within the thresholds for household income? e.g:

A] Estimated net income (gross income-expenditure) = £9,000
B] Actual net income (gross income-expenditure) = £10,500
C] Difference = B - A = £1,500

D] ADG based on estimate = £2,642
E] ADG based on actual income = D - C = £1,142.

Sarah010

Hi Leah, do you know if tax credits are actually calculated into our income? Some people on the phone they dont count as they are not taxable and they want to see the paper to make sure you are not claiming for the childcare but other say they do count.

Leah-WW

Sarah010 wrote: »

Hi Leah, do you know if tax credits are actually calculated into our income? Some people on the phone they dont count as they are not taxable and they want to see the paper to make sure you are not claiming for the childcare but other say they do count.

Hi Sarah. I'm sorry, but I don't know - we don't have children, so can't claim any tax credits against my income.

Taiko

They are included as the student's income to assess where dependancy lies, either with the student or the partner. The income itself isn't used in the calculations though.

Sarah010

Taiko, can I ask how does that work? It is a joint claim. Thank you

MedicParent

Apologies if this has already been asked.

I saw on another thread that tax credit does not count in residual income calculations for SFE's ADG/PLA/CCG. Is that true? Would really help if it didn't!!

Does anyone know if child benefit is similarly excluded?

If I may, can I ask some basic questions that SFE seem reluctant to answer:

Am I right in thinking that residual income is:
my partners net income+(possibly) child benefit LESS (mortgage+house insurance+private pension+council tax)

Also, I believe it's possible to add some 'home improvements' to those expenses. What qualifies? Seems rather open to abuse?!

Thanks so much to all experts here...