bedroom tax

norfolkshops

bedroom tax will it affect me on pension credit

i am married with no children

merlin68

It will affect anyone who claims housing benefit.

anguk

I thought it was only for people of working age?

lld01

If you recieve Guarantee Pension Credit then the new rules will make no difference to your housing benefit

fogartyblue.

Not sounding thick, but what is a 'bedroom tax'?

We have the 'Granny tax' and the 'Pie tax'.

Is it something to do with bedroom activities? The more you are 'active' the more tax you will pay?

If so, I want a rebate as I can't remember when our bedroom last saw any action!!

BigAunty

In future, social housing tenants will not receiving full housing benefit if they are under occupying their properties and have too many bedrooms than their needs.

There is a crisis in social housing with millions on the housing lists and huge numbers in overcrowded accommodation while around a third of social housing tenants have at least 1 spare bedroom.

Therefore, in future, they will lose 14% of their housing benefit for 1 unoccupied bedroom and 25% for two or more.

It's not a tax, really, the word is used to garner sympathy. All that is happening is that there is more parity with how Local Housing Allowance operates in the private sector.

anguk

In my opinion, and I know there's some who won't agree, this is a good thing. As Big Aunty says there's a huge waiting list for social housing and families crammed into 1 bed flats while many family houses are occupied by one or two people.

A guy lived on his own in a three bed house on our old street, he'd lived there for about 30 years, first with his parents and then when they died he was on his own, he never married. He was in his early 50s and the council kept offering him nice one bed flats or smaller houses but he refused to move. On one hand I can understand why, it's his home and he'd lived there for so long so obviously didn't want to move. But on the other hand he was a single man living in a large 3 bedroomed house that was more suited to families.

BigAunty

norfolkshops wrote: »

bedroom tax will it affect me on pension credit

...

I'm not aware of any exemptions at all but hopefully another MSE member can confirm - it looks like the proposals to exempt foster carers, individuals with disabilities, war widows and separated parents with children was thrown out.

Most of the articles I read do refer to its affect on housing benefit for 'working age adults' though. For example.

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/tenancies/tenants-fight-under-occupancy-benefit-cut/6514850.article

And this fact sheet produced by a housing association does state that it is only for those tenants of working age and then defines the age.

www.tameside.gov.uk/factsheets/housingbenefits.pdf


What is Working Age?
[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]At the moment working age is someone less than 60 years [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]and 6 months [/FONT]

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[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]As from 2013, it is likely that working age will be someone less than 61 years and 6 months. old. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]


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anguk

There was a thread a few days ago, someone had received a leaflet about this "bedroom tax" and was asking if it would affect his wife. If I remember correctly the leaflet said working age and it had different ages for women because their retirement age is changing.

Edit: found the thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3868637

norfolkshops

What is Working Age?
[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]At the moment working age is someone less than 60 years [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]and 6 months [/FONT]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman]As from 2013, it is likely that working age will be someone less than 61 years and 6 months. old.


so if you are 6o now but 61 next january 2013
i will not pay??
[/FONT][/FONT] [FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman][FONT=Helvetica 55 Roman,Helvetica 55 Roman] [/FONT][/FONT]

BigAunty

Haven't really found clear information on their definition of working age which seems to be a moving feast, allied to changes in age for qualifying for a state pension. As far as I can tell, it comes in during April 2103 and doesn't affect those who reach pensionable age.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf



The change will only apply to working-age Housing Benefit claimants. Until April 2010, working-age included claims where both the claimant (and any partner) was under the age of 60. By 2020, legislation currently provides that the relevant age threshold will be 65 (in line with changes in the state pension age for women, and entitlement to the guarantee element of state pension credit). New and existing Housing Benefit claims from those claimants who have reached the qualifying age for state pension credit will be unaffected by this measure.