A way around paying full fees ?

SteveG_2

Hi,
My daughter will be going to University next year and i have started to worry about the fees. Having read the excellent advice etc. on the main web pages, a thought occured to me.
I earn more than the upper amount allowable for rebates etc for the fees, so i wondered if i made my daughter pay rent, with a proper agreement (so she is effectively a lodger) and claim that she is estranged and no longer my responsibilty etc. if then my earnings would not be taken into account.
Hope that made sense!
Any advice that you have would be very welcome.
Best regards
Steve G

chugalug

Blimey - there was I thinking that help towards university fees was for those who cant afford to pay! Surely what you're suggesting is fraud and not in the spirit of this site. If you're that concerned get your daughter to wait to apply and go to Uni in 2006. Then no fees will be due upfront. She will have these added to her student loan repayable directly by her. You could then contribute if you felt able to support her at that point. You should consider yourself fortunate to be in the position of earning enough to be assessed as having to pay!

loopy_lass

SteveG wrote:

Hi,
My daughter will be going to University next year and i have started to worry about the fees. Having read the excellent advice etc. on the main web pages, a thought occured to me.
I earn more than the upper amount allowable for rebates etc for the fees, so i wondered if i made my daughter pay rent, with a proper agreement (so she is effectively a lodger) and claim that she is estranged and no longer my responsibilty etc. if then my earnings would not be taken into account.
Hope that made sense!
Any advice that you have would be very welcome.
Best regards
Steve G

blimey aswell... your suggesting fraud here... alternatively there may be some university bursaries available if you are really strapped.

loops

Katgoddess

SteveG wrote:

if i made my daughter pay rent, with a proper agreement (so she is effectively a lodger) and claim that she is estranged and no longer my responsibilty etc. if then my earnings would not be taken into account.

The only way this would work was if she moved out and/or got married.

Prehaps you could find an illegal immigrant to wed her in exchange for a free passport.

:rolleyes:

Savvy_Sue

I'd be astonished if this worked while she was still living under your roof.

But I'm hoping my son will be able to pay whatever is due for his tuition fee from what he's earned over the last few years, even if that means we sub him a bit during the year - finding the lump sum is going to be our problem! If you don't want to pay for your daughter, tell her to get a job now.

student100

Savvy_Sue wrote:

...finding the lump sum is going to be our problem!

Bristol certainly let you pay the tuition fees in three termly installments of £375, which is certainly a lot easier than having to pay up the full £1125 at the start of the year. I'm sure other universities must have similar policies.


As far as the original poster's idea goes, I would think you'd certainly be on dodgy ground as far as the law goes. You would need to look into things very carefully and probably seek legal advice before starting something like this - the cost of which would probably outweigh the possible benefits. If you're not careful you could find yourself in very hot water indeed. :eek:

newfoundglory

I believe there there are already measures in place to stop exectly what you trying to do.

Currently, i'm quite sure that to qualify for fee support as a student who is financially independent of parents, you have to show that as a student you have been independent from your parents for something like at least 3 years. They will *always* ask for proof, as they will do if you ask the LEA to access you income as parent anyway.

I never bother with the fee support, as I know I don't quality on both counts of a) my dad's income; and b) the fact I have an unsually large amount of cash savings. If a) didn't get me, b) would. So I take the 75% of the maximum loan (which everyone is entitled to), and work over the summer to pay the fees. Which sounds fair to me...

And what do you mean by "next year"... if you mean 2006, the new top-up fees will be in... in which case you won't actually be paying any up-front fees anyway.

lellie

the fee support is bloody pointless - but I still get income assessed as I NEED the larger loan - I get a grand total of £60 paid by the LEA - it's bloody pointless. My parents cannot afford to support me so I have to pay my £1033 myself as well as my accomodation (and I'm in the cheapest crappiest halls just so I can survive) - basically my loan doesn't even cover my accomodation and tuition fees let alone basic stuff to live on - I have a job and also worked full time last summer and it's still tough... AND MY PARENTS ARE MEANT TO BE WELL OFF ENOUGH TO SUPPORT ME - it's !!!!!!.

student100

lellie wrote:

the fee support is bloody pointless - but I still get income assessed as I NEED the larger loan - I get a grand total of £60 paid by the LEA - it's bloody pointless. My parents cannot afford to support me so I have to pay my £1033 myself as well as my accomodation (and I'm in the cheapest crappiest halls just so I can survive) - basically my loan doesn't even cover my accomodation and tuition fees let alone basic stuff to live on - I have a job and also worked full time last summer and it's still tough... AND MY PARENTS ARE MEANT TO BE WELL OFF ENOUGH TO SUPPORT ME - it's !!!!!!.

Yes, it's people in your situation that the income assessment is meant to help. Maybe if less people who can afford to support their kids through uni do that rather than trying to beat the system and get more than their fair share, there'd be more money to support those who really need it.

SteveG_2

I think that you, as most people do, confuse earnings with disposable income. Yes i do earn more than the upper limit for fee support, but i have a large family and my i simply cannot afford to save anything each month let alone support my daughter at university.
Imagine a couple who are just under the gross earnings level, but have one child, their disposable income would be far greater than mine. I pay 40% tax, this couple would not. etc. etc.
I see nothing wrong in trying to bend the rules when those rules are weighted so heavily against me. I would also ask those who posted the self righteous / pompous replies to look at themselves - have they never bent / broken any rules ? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

student100

Whether or not the rules/laws are right is the subject for a different discussion. The fact is, breaking the law (laws don't bend, they break) is not to be condoned or encouraged by posts on this site.

This site is about finding legal ways to save money, not about breaking the law to do so.