£16,000 savings limit

pipkin71

mazza111 wrote: »

I would set up a separate account for it in all honesty.

My mum's got one to pay for her carers. They pay it in, carer company takes it out. As long as she can show the bank statements and bills on request, all is fine. But I think a separate account is the way to go

I think, due to the amount, it would be wise to set up a separate account. Last year I received just over £3,000 so it wasn't as much of an issue but, because it covers the two children this year, a separate account just makes sense.

I know that doesn't answer the question of what to discuss with the DWP as I will still have the money, but thanks

nannytone_2

i didnt even have to open an secondary account.
the account management company opened it on my behalf.
i dont even know the account number or which bank it is with.
and thats the way i like it. if i have no access to it, thenthere can be no everything is paid from that account ... wages, insurance sll nstional insurance contributions.

if i want anything else paid from that account, i have to contact the council and ask them before i spend anything.
then i send the invoice to the management company and they reimburse the money into my personal account.

it may be long winder, but it keeps everything vlear and above board

HappyMJ

bloolagoon wrote: »

Not that OP should share her details but there are reasons why people cannot open secondary current accounts, perhaps they have genuine reasons and as there will be a very detailed audit train I do not see how it can go over the savings limit.

Really what reason then? I have more than a dozen accounts. Council hate me when it comes time to show savings...I have £1,000 cycling in/out of the accounts to get bonuses..none of it is income it's just the same £1,000 moving all about the place. I just realized when typing this I don't declare the Halifax bonus money as income...hmmm nothing's been mentioned regarding that.

nannytone_2

as for DWP the coincil wil be able to coroborate what you are saying.

just declare the second account. along with the statement and all paperwork from the council.

it may take them a while to get their heads arounbf it, as they dont like anything outside of the norm, but it should be ok

nannytone_2

the OP isnt claiming money for thenself.

it is for equiptment etc.
it does sound a lot, but i suppose when you buy things in singles, it costs more than buying in bulk.

everyone has the right to homeschool their kids.
just most of us wouldnt have the confidence to do it

bestpud

Wow at the payment - good on your LEA! Is that for children over a certain age?

Sorry for going off topic!

I'd definitely set up a completely separate account for each child and keep all paperwork and receipts together, so you can easily show it is used as a sort of business account rather than a personal one.

Maybe write to DWP and include the letters from the council that say what it can be spent on. As it's not for living costs, it would come under the same bracket as educational grants in HE - any that are for educational costs don't count.

It might be worth checking student finance regs and quoting those in your letter, or at least getting your head round them in case you need to argue it.

grandma247

I am curious, is your child disabled and that is why equipment is needed ?
I had no idea anyone could claim anything for home ed kids. It has been the subject of much discussion on home ed groups for a while now.

p00hsticks

HappyMJ wrote: »

Really what reason then?

I'm not saying any of these apply to the OP but in general, things like past bankcruptcy, a bad credit rating, frequent changes of address and even lack of a passport / driving licence to prove ID can make it difficult to open a bank account.

These days, it's no longer a given that banks are falling over themselves to get people to open accounts regardless - they are more and more fussy about who they'll have.

mumx3

Just set up another account for the money, then eveything going out can be accounted for, I get Direct Payments and I HAD to have a separate account in my son's name with me as the second name on the account, I have to send in accounts every 3 months showing what has been spent and what on.

I'm shocked that your council will just write a cheque out for 8K!!!!!!!!

letthemeatcake

VenomousSnake wrote: »

So you can claim to home tutor your kids and you get 8K dosh without any kind of checking that this money is spent for this purpose ? No receipts asked, nothing ? Wow. The councils do know how to throw away cash that isnt theirs.

The OP has made it clear that the council can and will check up on the money.
OP if you put the cheque into a new account it will make things easier for you and the council. Otherwise they are going to be checking your main bank account all the time and asking for an explanation for all payments in and out of the account.