Lone parent at Uni - Income support & summer break query.

Kazzajr

Hiya,

I'm wondering if someone can help me, I am just finishing the 1st year of my degree. I receive a student loan and assumed I had to eek this out during the summer break.

However I have heard that I might be entitled to some Income support during the summer as I am a lone parent. I don't know if this applies in Scotland though.

If anyone has any info regarding this it would be much appreciated.


Thanks in advance.

Freefall

Kazzajr wrote: »

Hiya,

I'm wondering if someone can help me, I am just finishing the 1st year of my degree. I receive a student loan and assumed I had to eek this out during the summer break.

However I have heard that I might be entitled to some Income support during the summer as I am a lone parent. I don't know if this applies in Scotland though.

If anyone has any info regarding this it would be much appreciated.


Thanks in advance.

You are correct, however, may be entitled to more than you think.

I am a student (but don't have a child so am) having a very heard time working out what I am entitled to.

However, in your case (you being "a person who is a lone parent and responsible for a child who is a member of his household") you fall within one of the "prescribed categories of person", for the purposes of claiming income support, all year round. Obviously the situation may well be different if your circumstances change and as such you were no longer responsible for a child. However, it wouldn't be beneficial to discuss that hypothetical scenario on this thread.

Obviously, you would have to meet the income criteria to be entitled to income support (and before you ask you are expected to take out your full loan and bursary entitlement - it is assumed to be availabale income even if you don't take it out). However, assuming your grant/loan is not "assessed at a rate appropriate to your studying throughout the year or, if you do not have a grant or loan, where a loan would have been assessed at such a rate had you had one" then your LEA funding is not treated as income for your summer vacation. I do believe if you "save" your loan such that your total capital is over £6,000 then it will begin to effect your means-tested benefits.

So to get back to your original question: yes, it would appear that during your summer vacation you would be entitled to IS if you are not working. However, if I were you I would check what other benefits you may be entitled to and also if you will be entitled to any (especially IS) during term-time (I don't know what grants you are getting for being a parent from the LEA, etc and can't really comment further without that info).

One last word, some of your student friends (and probably other advisors too) will probably suggest that students aren't entitled to income support. They are generally correct; however, there are various exceptions to this general rule of thumb (one of which is loan parents who are entitled to income support despite being a full-time student).

Freefall

One other thing... phone up DWP/job centre/dss today - I believe you only get IS for the period beginning with you day you phone up to claim.

Kazzajr

Thanks for the information.

I have been into the Jobcentre and spoke to an advisor who wasn't very helpful if I'm honest (although I didn't have an appointment so this may be the reason) and she basically said she didn't think I would be entitled to anything else.

I think I receive all the benefits that I am entitled to during term time (CTC, child benefit, housing benefit).

I get the maximum student loan available (through SAAS), when I went to get my housing benefit sorted they divided my loan into 52 weeks so I guessed this was to last me the whole year.

It's just I've heard people mention that lone parent students are entitled to IS during the summer but I think this may not apply in Scotland because I think we get a higher loan amount in Scotland.

Freefall

Kazzajr wrote: »

Thanks for the information.

I have been into the Jobcentre and spoke to an advisor who wasn't very helpful if I'm honest (although I didn't have an appointment so this may be the reason) and she basically said she didn't think I would be entitled to anything else.

I think I receive all the benefits that I am entitled to during term time (CTC, child benefit, housing benefit).

I get the maximum student loan available (through SAAS), when I went to get my housing benefit sorted they divided my loan into 52 weeks so I guessed this was to last me the whole year.

It's just I've heard people mention that lone parent students are entitled to IS during the summer but I think this may not apply in Scotland because I think we get a higher loan amount in Scotland.

Well as far as I am aware the legislation is the same for Scotland and England for Income Support.

The level of student loan won't affect summer entitlement if I am correct (you are only judged to have received it as income during term time).

On your note for your income support assessment there should be something that reads: "The amount the law says your entitled to" followed by different components of the amount your legally entitled to each week (i.e. "For your", "For your child aged [x] years", "Because your sick/disabled", "Because your a lone parent", etc) with a total underneath.

If the total of your legal entitlement is less than your weekly student loan amount - the total loan divided by the number of weeks of your "period of study" (which, if I am correct, is the number of weeks between the start and end of each academic year) then you may be entitled to income support during term time. The most that they can do is say no.

The most important thing is to go into the JobCentre and ask for the number to apply for income support, don't take any fob offs. It's important that you make an application ASAP as your IS only runs from the date of application. The person you spoke too might of not been a benefits assessor and/or knew what they were doing, however once you make your application you can ensure that u gt ur entitlement.

Good luck. If you need any more help just ask.