students and benefits

confusedfan

Hello,

I have just started a university course and me and my partner are currently going through the process of sorting out benefits. I am really worried we wont be able to afford to get by and I may have to quit my course to get a job. Just thought i'd check it out here and see before I quit.

We are a couple
Have a child who is 3
pay £600 rent as a private tennant
My partner is unemployed aged 25
I am full time student aged 22
I will receive maintenance grant f around £3000
I will also receive a maintenance loan of around £3000

What benefits will we be entitled to and how much would it come out at? I am trying to build a personal training business but not yet earning profit and my partner is looking for work with hours to fit around my course....

If anyone could help would be great but got a feeling all our benefits will now stop/

jobbingmusician

http://www.turn2us.entitledto.co.uk/entitlementcalculator.aspx

confusedfan

Thank you for the link but it doesn't calculate students - It has no where to put the income from student loan or maintenance loan.

BigAunty

I'm don't believe that the above calculator is any good at calculations when a claimant is a full time student.

However the OP has submitted a fairly regular query so someone will be along to tell her what is classed as income for means tested benefits and what parts of the maintenance grant is ignored, offset for certain student related expenses like books or similar.

Your loan will be classed as income and even if you don't take out the loan, you are treated as if you have.

As well as child tax credits and child benefit, you should also qualify for HB and council tax discount (how much I do not know), plus the JSA, I believe.

You will not qualify for income support. If you are a full time student, you will not qualify for working tax credits but after you finish your course, you might depending on your income and whether or not you work 24 hours between you with one working at least 16 of them. I think, however, that WTC isn't paid to anyone under 25? How does this work in a couple where one is over and one is under or a couple with kids?

Other posters can tell you how much childcare costs under CTC you might qualify for as this might make it easier for your partner to find work and for you to see each other.

What is the level of education you are in (FE or HE)? England/Wales or Scotland?

confusedfan

I am in higher education doing a full time degree.
I am just going to copy and paste this from direct gov which is what gave me the concern...

Who can claim benefits?


Full-time students

Most full-time students can’t claim income-related benefits but you may be able to claim if you:

• are a single parent
• have a partner who is also a student - and one or both of you are responsible for a child
• have a disability, and qualify for the disability premium, severe disability premium or income-related Employment and Support Allowance

If you have a partner who is not a student and they’re eligible for any income-related benefits, your partner can claim on behalf of you both.


Is my partner eligible for income related benefits? If so I think that means we could get help with rent.

[Deleted User]

confusedfan wrote: »

Hello,

I have just started a university course and me and my partner are currently going through the process of sorting out benefits. I am really worried we wont be able to afford to get by and I may have to quit my course to get a job. Just thought i'd check it out here and see before I quit.

We are a couple
Have a child who is 3
pay £600 rent as a private tennant
My partner is unemployed aged 25
I am full time student aged 22
I will receive maintenance grant f around £3000
I will also receive a maintenance loan of around £3000

What benefits will we be entitled to and how much would it come out at? I am trying to build a personal training business but not yet earning profit and my partner is looking for work with hours to fit around my course....

If anyone could help would be great but got a feeling all our benefits will now stop/

wont you also get a bursary?child benefit?child tax credits?partners jsa?

BigAunty

confusedfan wrote: »

..


Is my partner eligible for income related benefits? If so I think that means we could get help with rent.

Yes. The HB, CTC and council tax benefit will depend on how much of your maintenance grant is identified as household income (as there is a modest amount is ignored), plus the loan.

pmlindyloo

confusedfan wrote: »

I am in higher education doing a full time degree.
I am just going to copy and paste this from direct gov which is what gave me the concern...

Who can claim benefits?


Full-time students

Most full-time students can’t claim income-related benefits but you may be able to claim if you:

• are a single parent
• have a partner who is also a student - and one or both of you are responsible for a child
• have a disability, and qualify for the disability premium, severe disability premium or income-related Employment and Support Allowance

If you have a partner who is not a student and they’re eligible for any income-related benefits, your partner can claim on behalf of you both.


Is my partner eligible for income related benefits? If so I think that means we could get help with rent.

First of all it has to be said that Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit does not have to depend on either of you receiving JSA or Income Support.

Help with rent and council tax is given to people on low incomes so even people who work may receive some help with their rent and council tax.

So you can apply for HB and CTB in your circumstances.

You need to do the following:

1. Make sure you have applied for all the grants/loans that are available. Your university should be able to help you with this.

2. Notify Tax credits of your change of circumstances (when you know if you are entitled to any extra money through grants/loans.)

3. When you know about any extra loans/grants then you can apply for HB and CTB.

Your loans and grants may be treated as income and this may reduce your entitlement to benefits.

So, when your finances are sorted out then you can apply for HB and CTB and CTC.

I will try and see if I can find a link which tells you the different kinds of loans/grants available now we know that you are doing full time higher education.

Remembering a recent thread I think there are different 'rules' for nursing degrees so let us know if this is your course.

pmlindyloo

Here's a good link:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@educ/documents/digitalasset/dg_200483.pdf

confusedfan

Thank you for all your help, I am not doing a nursing degree I am doing a Science degree.

I will look in to all of this advice - Things are going to be tight when bills come to £500 and rent is £600

This website is really helpful, maybe one day I may be able to help someone else out.

Credit-Crunched

confusedfan wrote: »

Thank you for all your help, I am not doing a nursing degree I am doing a Science degree.

I will look in to all of this advice - Things are going to be tight when bills come to £500 and rent is £600

This website is really helpful, maybe one day I may be able to help someone else out.

Any chance of a part time job, move somewhere cheaper?