Which loans, grants and bursaries affect other benefits?

Camp

I am struggling to find this information.

As a mature, married student I am claiming tax credits (working & child) and housing/council tax benefits.

I have recieved a tuitition and maintenance loan plus Adults dependant grant and Parents Learning Allowance from Student Finance.

I have also just recieved information from the university telling me that I am entitled to an Access to Professions and Widening Access bursary/grant.

Can anyone tell me please which of these will affect tax credits and housing/council tax benefits?

Thanks.

redmel1621

The only one that isn't taken as income for housing benefit is the parents learning allownace, all other loans/grants will be... Not too sure about the access one and widening access, but I have a feeling they will be... HB are pretty ruthless..

However, ONLY the adult dependant grant needs to be declared to tax credits as income

Also make sure you get your 25% council tax exemption for being a full time student.

In addition to this the HB claim will need to be put into your partners name, if it isn't already. As a full time student you aren't eligible to claim for HB/CTB.

HTH x

fishybusiness

If you are claiming housing benefit you receive a Special Support Grant (SSP) rather than a Maintenance Grant.

The SSP does not count as income for housing benefit purposes. Maintenance grant does count as income.

I have recieved a tuitition and maintenance loan plus Adults dependant grant and Parents Learning Allowance from Student Finance.

Does your Student Finance paperwork say Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant? I have just checked mine and it is SSP, we receive housing benefit.

I would have thought if you receive housing benefit you should be on SSP, which would make a substantial difference to your HB income.

Camp

fishybusiness wrote: »

If you are claiming housing benefit you receive a Special Support Grant (SSP) rather than a Maintenance Grant.

The SSP does not count as income for housing benefit purposes. Maintenance grant does count as income.



Does your Student Finance paperwork say Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant? I have just checked mine and it is SSP, we receive housing benefit.

I would have thought if you receive housing benefit you should be on SSP, which would make a substantial difference to your HB income.

No I don't think I get a SSP grant but the housing benefit is in my husbands name so maybe that is why. To be honest the amount I'm getting is more than I could have hoped for.

redmel1621

You wouldn't get the special support grant 'because' you receive HB?
Special Support grant is usually awarded in place of the maintenance grant to single parents, disabled people, or those where both partners are students.. There may be other caategories, but those are the main ones.

snackjack

I am a mature student who receives housing benefit. Special support grants and parent's learning allowance are NOT counted as income for the purpose of housing benefit. Only the maintence loan is. Of the maintenance loan, £10 per week is disregarded for books ect and £5 per week for travel is also disregarded. Institutional bursarys are also disregarded, but I don't know if that's what you mean. I recieve nearly full housing benefit, however I am a lone parent.

Camp

Housing benefit have finally got around to recalculating.

Due to my maintenance loan and maintenance grant we are no long eligible for any housing benefit (and have to pay back the last two months worth). This is a shame because over the year after the rent has been paid there will only be £1500 left from the student finance money and I had hoped there would be a bit more to help with other living and university costs.

We are looking for somewhere else to rent due to damp and leak problems but it seems we are in pretty much the cheapest accomodation locally so a move would increase the yearly rent by about £1100 as well as the added costs of moving, registration and initial depost.

And yeah, no special support grant because I am not a single parent or disabled etc.

I'm not complaining because I am very happy to get the chance of going to university but can anyone think of anything I might have missed? I am at uni 5 days a week and work 1 day, I really don't want to work a second day because otherwise I'd never see my children. My partner works 2 nights and does the childcare, he is going to ask after Christmas if he can work a 3rd night a week but this might reduce the working tax credits so not sure if it would make us any better off.

redmel1621

I can't think of anything else sorry.

So I am assuming you get child benefit, child tax credits and working tax credits. Alongside you wage and your partner's wage.

Have you played about with the tax credit calculator and hb calculator (should be on your council website) to find out the best combination or working/benefits ratio etc...

You may find that simply by you not working you become eligible for hb, or by your partner increasing hours to 30 but you not working you get more working tax credits..

It is a juggling act and very hard to balance studies, finances and childcare.

I hope you find somewhere to move to that isn't too much more expensive.