How is HB worked out?

debtmess

Yet another HB question from me.
Have not had a rent payment since 13th august, started working 1st September. council refused 4 week run on (still no idea why I had been on IS for years)

Payroll had to fill out a form for me to get even this far. Today I had a letter no council tax at all (ok I expected this)

My wages will be £1153 per month
I get ctc and wtc of 492 odd per week
Cb for 4 of £60.50
and high rate DLA for youngest son of the £77 odd a week.

My letter today states I will get 97.53 HB per MONTH, my rent is £1200.

Out of the above I have to find.
£1200 rent
£90 council tax (already have single person discount)
£500 approx before and after school club
£100 travel costs (train/bus, I dont drive)
Elec and Gas (prepayment) approx 120 a month (and not winter yet)
Water is 55 a month (thames water)
other bills insurance(house an cover for me, my mobile 3 months left as no house phone) approx £300.
School dinners for youngest £42 every 4 weeks

Whats gone wrong? this is very different to what job centre put forward to me.

annie1975_2

debtmess wrote: »

Yet another HB question from me.
Have not had a rent payment since 13th august, started working 1st September. council refused 4 week run on (still no idea why I had been on IS for years)

Payroll had to fill out a form for me to get even this far. Today I had a letter no council tax at all (ok I expected this)

My wages will be £1153 per month
I get ctc and wtc of 492 odd per week
Cb for 4 of £60.50
and high rate DLA for youngest son of the £77 odd a week.

My letter today states I will get 97.53 HB per MONTH, my rent is £1200.

Out of the above I have to find.
£1200 rent
£90 council tax (already have single person discount)
£500 approx before and after school club
£100 travel costs (train/bus, I dont drive)
Elec and Gas (prepayment) approx 120 a month (and not winter yet)
Water is 55 a month (thames water)
other bills insurance(house an cover for me, my mobile 3 months left as no house phone) approx £300.
School dinners for youngest £42 every 4 weeks

Whats gone wrong? this is very different to what job centre put forward to me.

So am I right in saying you are on nearly £900 a week(in your hand).or have I misread something.

pmlindyloo

debtmess wrote: »

Yet another HB question from me.
Have not had a rent payment since 13th august, started working 1st September. council refused 4 week run on (still no idea why I had been on IS for years)

Payroll had to fill out a form for me to get even this far. Today I had a letter no council tax at all (ok I expected this)

My wages will be £1153 per month
I get ctc and wtc of 492 odd per week
Cb for 4 of £60.50
and high rate DLA for youngest son of the £77 odd a week.

My letter today states I will get 97.53 HB per MONTH, my rent is £1200.

Out of the above I have to find.
£1200 rent
£90 council tax (already have single person discount)
£500 approx before and after school club
£100 travel costs (train/bus, I dont drive)
Elec and Gas (prepayment) approx 120 a month (and not winter yet)
Water is 55 a month (thames water)
other bills insurance(house an cover for me, my mobile 3 months left as no house phone) approx £300.
School dinners for youngest £42 every 4 weeks

Whats gone wrong? this is very different to what job centre put forward to me.

You can check your entitlements on the benefit calculator here:

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

Before you do it check what your local housing allowance is by googling 'local housing allowance Bromley'. It will depend on the ages and sex of your children as to what the maximum amount of allowance is.

You need to put this figure into the calculator when it asks about rent.

if your rent is higher than the allowance then you are expected to make up the shortfall yourself.

With respect, you have a good amount of money coming in every month and you haven't mentioned any financial support from the father.

From the figures that you have put about your monthly expenditure then it would help you to post on the Debtfree Wannabe forum (not just for people with debts)

They are a very friendly group and will suggest ways to budget.

A couple of things already 'leap out' - your gas and electric are huge. (I know prepayment meters are more costly but you might need to look at reducing your consumption (eg running a dryer!) Also your water bill seems very high - have you got a water meter? How about packed lunch for the kids instead of school dinners?

There is a huge amount of information on here about reducing your expenditure so you can afford the luxuries of life so get reading

Congratualtions on getting a job - four children must keep you busy - but you need to find time to do some careful budgetting

Good luck!

debtmess

That is why I am so confused, from what its looking like, my childcare costs should have been taken into account iykwim, the LHA is 273 per week for my area hence why I am very confused by the workings out, more so when I have not had anything since 13th August despite not starting work until 1st September.

I have no debt was free of that years ago now, 3 are too young to walk to and from school themselves (6,7 and 9) the older one is 18 full time college (my sister)

No mention of the father as my not so lovely ex husband has somehow by looks of it asked for another CSA assesment once again holding things up

cutestkids

With the figures that you have given above you will still have more than £1300 a month left after paying all your bills, rent, council tax etc why would you feel that you would be entitled to more than this?

princessdon

debtmess wrote: »

Yet another HB question from me.
Have not had a rent payment since 13th august, started working 1st September. council refused 4 week run on (still no idea why I had been on IS for years)

Payroll had to fill out a form for me to get even this far. Today I had a letter no council tax at all (ok I expected this)

My wages will be £1153 per month
I get ctc and wtc of 492 odd per week
Cb for 4 of £60.50
and high rate DLA for youngest son of the £77 odd a week.

My letter today states I will get 97.53 HB per MONTH, my rent is £1200.

Out of the above I have to find.
£1200 rent
£90 council tax (already have single person discount)
£500 approx before and after school club
£100 travel costs (train/bus, I dont drive)
Elec and Gas (prepayment) approx 120 a month (and not winter yet)
Water is 55 a month (thames water)
other bills insurance(house an cover for me, my mobile 3 months left as no house phone) approx £300.
School dinners for youngest £42 every 4 weeks

Whats gone wrong? this is very different to what job centre put forward to me.

If the part in red is correct then I make it that you have a huge amount of money left at the end of the month.

Can you confirm you get that value?

princessdon

In fact it must be wrong as I work it out your "take home" for pennies in tax is £4717 per MONTH net.

Not including DLA.

That can't be right as it's the equivilent of a £70K a year salary.

annie1975_2

princessdon wrote: »

In fact it must be wrong as I work it out your "take home" for pennies in tax is £4717 per MONTH net.

Not including DLA.

That can't be right as it's the equivilent of a £70K a year salary.

I worked it out at about £46,000 a year...Which is probably right for a single parent as they seem to get a lot of benefits compared to married couples.Sorry if that offends anyone but its true.

princessdon

annie1975 wrote: »

I worked it out at about £46,000 a year...Which is probably right for a single parent as they seem to get a lot of benefits compared to married couples.Sorry if that offends anyone but its true.

Yeah - I had read the HB as per week not month

Still their monthly income net is less than a 60K a year earns!!

annie1975_2

princessdon wrote: »

Yeah - I had read the HB as per week not month

Still their monthly income net is less than a 60K a year earns!!

I didnt work out HB.
It was £13,836 wages.
£25,584 tax credits.
£3,146 Child benefit
£4,004 DLA.
Total £46,570.per anum.

princessdon

annie1975 wrote: »

I didnt work out HB.
It was £13,836 wages.
£25,584 tax credits.
£3,146 Child benefit
£4,004 DLA.
Total £46,570.per anum.

Virtually tax free too!

There has to be an error with that figure - Given that they remove CB from people earning less!

Plus their return to work grants etc etc!