Adoption Allowance & income support/housing benefit

emmie1234

Hi All, I'm after some advice please if anyone can help me? Does anyone know if adoption allowance is taken into consideration when working out your entitlement to housing benefit/ council tax benefit and Income support? We have been claiming these benefits for about five weeks or so now. We get adoption allowance for our daughter due to her extra needs at a rate of £120 per fortnight. I didn't think at the time when applying for the other benefits that I needed to declare this as we had always been told that the money is there to support the extra needs of our child. Adoption Allowance wasn't listed as a benefit I needed to tell them about in the forms I filled in, - either that or I didn't see it. Not sure what to do now. I've been up all night worried sick about it. Does anyone know if we need to or not? I've been looking through the net for answers but can't seem to find anything definite. HELP!!!!!!!!!

Morglin

I found this site, which although based in Essex, would apply countrywide:

"Adoption
Those who adopt children can normally access the full range of benefits according to circumstances, including:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Disability Living Allowance
Child Tax Credit
Working Tax Credit

The law here has changed recently. Adoption allowances are being replaced by discretionary adoption payments. Where an adoption payment is made, it will be completely disregarded for the purpose of means-tested benefits (income support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing and Council Tax Benefit) unless you are still in receipt of Child Dependant's Additions which will be set against your adoption payments.

It is wholly disregarded in the case of Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit."

http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/socialcare/welfarerights/content.php?page=benefits_fost_adopt

Hope it helps!

Lin

emmie1234

Thanks ever so much Morglin!!! It's put my mind at ease. Thank you!!!!!!:j

Em

Hapless_2

you have to declare all income regardless where it comes from when making any sort of benefit claim, in case it leads to extra premiums needing to be paid.

emmie1234

Thanks Hapless, I'm going to give them a call today and let them know. I think I will probably have to put it in in writing as well and provide proof too.

Thanks

Em

emmie1234

Hi all, thanks for your advice this morning Morglin and Hapless. I've since spoken to our local welfare rights officer who checked the law books and stated that " Adoption Allowance is to be ignored in full for the purposes of Income Support " I then spoke to our local housing benefit/council tax benefit officer who suggested that I take proof of my adoption allowance down to them to keep on my file but it will have no effect on the amount of housing/council tax benefit as I claim income support and would get paid the full amount anyway!!!! Feeling a lot better about it all now and glad that I will be able to get some sleep tonight!!

Thanks:beer:

Em

Hapless_2

Glad to have helped