Online calculators-are they reliable?

FeeBee3

Hi, I'm new to the site and was looking for some advice as I'm panicking a bit. I have three children aged 11,9 and 7, I earn under £16000 for 30 hours and my husband has had hie contribution ESA stopped because he has been on it for too long. I recieve childrens tax credit but not working tax. My husband now gets middle rate care DLA and lower rate mobility but has been told he cannot claim any other benefits. Because we have lost his benefit I did the online benefits calculator which said I should recieve housing benefit and council tax benefit. If this is the case we will manage but I'm anxious that they may be inaccurate. Can anyone advise if this is the case or there is anywhere else I should be looking.

Sorry if I'm ranting and thanks in advance for your help.

[Deleted User]

phone you councils h/b c/tax benefit dept tomorrow morning they will give you the definitive answer

Icequeen99

You might qualify for Working Tax Credit now if your household income is only 16,000.

IQ

FeeBee3

Thank you, I used to get WTC but it's stopped now, not sure why!

Broke_n_Broken

There's nothing to stop you claiming, if you don't qualify they will tell you.
Be honest and make sure you don't forget anything though.

Chrissiew

I used an online calculator once to find out if we qualified for WTC, it said we would get £28 per week, in reality we got £3.98! Bit of a difference to say the least, they may work for some but I wouldn't trust them and find it best to phone and enquire.

ani_26

I've used online calculator's which have shown i would qualify for full benefits, but in reality i've been turned down. There's only one way to find out, as it's been said, to apply, although being honest, doen't seem to make any difference. I would say £16k is above the threshold for wtc, but i'm not an expert, ( although i'm increasingly becoming an expert.) :rotfl:

Icequeen99

The most reliable one is Entitled to. The MSE calculator on tax credits is way out many times and is just a very very rough guide.

That said, all calculators are only as good as the data entered into them and given how complex the rules and therefore questions are it isn't surprising the answers differ. There is generally always an explanation as to why they do though.

IQ

FeeBee3

Thanks so much for all the tips everyone, we've had a phone call today saying that he has been put in the support group for ESA and so will continue to be paid. 5 months of stress for nothing!