Help Please, Benefits Calculator Discrepancy

shell1965

I posted earlier this week but nobody replied, I have done a benefit calculator for my daughter who is single mum to 2 year old boy, she works 18 hrs a week, her wage has just increased hourly to £6.79 per hour, the calculator says she will still get a good part of HB paid but today she has received her entitlement letter and the amounts are hugely different, is there anybody who can advise what is correct please?

sleepless_saver

Can't say what's right from the info you've given. She could take the letter and her payslips along to CAB and ask them to check it out.

shell1965

Thanks, I've suggested that, only thing is last couple of visits to them and all they did was offer a leaflet, it was very limited service.

Poppie68

Have you checked on her Local Authorithies website..also did you use the Turn2Us site?

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Looking at your earlier post I can only assume the Housing Benefit Department isn't taking into account the Child Care Costs. Look at the benefit notification - are any child care costs being disregarded - if not - that is where the discrepency could lay.

Also make sure they are aware she is working 16+ hours per week to qualify for the child care disregard.

shell1965

Hi Poppie, yes it was the Turn2Us site we used, I will ask her if her notification says child care disregard, they did know she was doing 18 hrs a week for tax credit purposes, it seemed that previous to her son going to nursery they awarded a significant part of HB, she then informed them he'd started nursery, showed them her increase in tax credit due to the extra nursery money being added and that is when her HB dropped much lower to the point it swallowed up the childcare part of her tax credit.

shell1965

Thanks For Everyone's Help,We've Looked At The Award Notice, It Just Says £62 Weekly Disregard So We're Assuming £20 CB & £42 From Being Lone Parent & A Little Childcare Disregard

StormyWeather_2

Is she only paying £42 a week? That doesn't seem much for 18 hours.

Check your council's web site for the maximum disregard. It will be higher than £42.

That's why she's getting that portion of tax credits, it isn't to pay rent.

Did she put the Ofsted number on the application?

Caz3121

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

Looking at your earlier post I can only assume the Housing Benefit Department isn't taking into account the Child Care Costs. Look at the benefit notification - are any child care costs being disregarded - if not - that is where the discrepency could lay.

assuming for example that childcare costs are £60 and tax credits pay the 70% (£42) should housing disregard the £60 or the £42?

StormyWeather_2

I'm sure they disregard the amount you pay.

shell1965

Hi again, her nursery costs are £70 weekly.
The nursery is Ofsted Registered & she gave them all the details.
Her hourly pay is actually £6.86.
Her wage is paid monthly and calculated from the 1st to the last of the month.
She receives, £185 weekly tax credits which are, child tax, working tax and childcare costs combined.
They have calculated they will help with HB of £14.59 weekly but no CT.
We went on the local authority site and it came up with zero, whereas Turn2Us checker said she would receive £65 HB???