Housing Benefit

OhWow

NYM wrote: »

Thousands of people make a bit of pocket money by selling their own stuff and it doesn't represent self employment.

Have a read of this link...it should give your friend some guidance on their position regarding trading.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/guidance/selling/income.htm

Sorry for the delay, she isn't on the internet and I have to phone my mother to phone her and then back again.

She said that although the housing benefit staff on the desk told her selling her own stuff wasn't self employment, the housing benefit decision maker insisted that it was and refused to put the claim through unless she said she was self empolyed on zero hours.

She was told by that person that housing benefit rules were different to HMRC rules. Is this correct?

dktreesea

What other income does your your friend have? If she told the housing benefit that her low income was partly from selling stuff, then yes, they may well say that if she wants to use that income to support her HB claim, she has to declare herself as self employed to HMRC in order to claim.

Which if you think about it is laughable, because anyone selling their own stuff, if deemed to be "in pursuit of a profit", is likely to be making a huge loss which could be offset against any taxable income. It's usually the other way around with the council, i.e. if you want to claim as a self employed person they insist on seeing your accounts and evidence of your ongoing revenue stream through your bank account.

Someone selling their own stuff, which presumably they mostly bought new, is hardly "buying and selling products with the intention of making a profit", are they!