Council say I'm not earning enough as Self Employed

tomtontom

Weary_soul wrote: »

Because I've never heard of this happening before? Also If someone can claim due to zero income whats the problem with this?

At least he's trying to do something. Would you prefer he rot on benefits and carry on claiming housing benefit that way?

Zero income claims tend to attract similar scrutiny.

I'm not sure that the LA are suggesting the OP rots on benefits!

Housing_Benefit_Officer

For decades so called 'self employed' claimants have been able to complete a form once a year with Mickey Mouse figures and get Working Tax Credits and Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support with nobody taking and serious notice because that person is removed from the unemployed figures.

I have lost count of the number of eBay sellers, website designers etc who weren't really self employed but living off their Working Tax Credits.

You state that having to provide proof of your income and expenditure every 3 months would "Obviously this would be a disaster".

Why is the scrutiny of your income "...a disaster"?

You are receiving taxpayers money - as a taxpayer I welcome your Local Authorities scrutiny of your finances to ensure you are correctly receiving taxpayers money.

Weary_soul

tomtontom wrote: »

Zero income claims tend to attract similar scrutiny.

I'm not sure that the LA are suggesting the OP rots on benefits!

No but as he says he lives in a rural area and work is hard to come by.

BigAunty

I've never heard of a HB claim challenged because the local council aren't impressed about the income level of a self employed applicant and don't think it's 'viable'.

Sure they scrutinise all claims, but I thought the main trigger for HB is income and it isn't subject to quite the same process of the applicant having to prove their employment is undertaken with the expectation of receiving payment that WTC is subject to?

tea-bag

Good get a proper job, pay your way and top up on car booting and ebay

Marktheshark

WTC and CTC will be stopping once the election is out of the way for everyone.
In work benefits are next to go and will go quickly.
Those who spent their tongue calling other benefit scroungers whilst pocketing tax credits because they are in capable of supporting themselves will be gettin a wake up call.
They are NEXT.
The seed has already been planted that In work benefits will be reviewed in 2015 last budget.

tomtontom

Weary_soul wrote: »

No but as he says he lives in a rural area and work is hard to come by.

Then they need to look at what other people do for an income in their area - they can't all be ebay sellers

rogerblack

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

For decades so called 'self employed' claimants have been able to complete a form once a year with Mickey Mouse figures and get Working Tax Credits and Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support with nobody taking and serious notice because that person is removed from the unemployed figures.

Could you refer to the legislation that allows this for HB?
I am aware of the guidance for minimum earnings for EEA nationals - but not for people born and living in the UK where there is no question of them not living in the UK.

benniebert

rogerblack wrote: »

Could you refer to the legislation that allows this for HB?
I am aware of the guidance for minimum earnings for EEA nationals - but not for people born and living in the UK where there is no question of them not living in the UK.

I agree, if I was the poster I would be requiring the council to quote chapter and verse that gives them any authority to question or even consider the level of income someone is earning.

Currently, the council only have a requirement to ascertain the correct level of assessable income. Whether that is earned over 5 hours or 50 hours is of no concern to them. To even state that losing HB is a possibility due to low earnings is a joke.

I have a similar LA who somehow believe that they are always right even if they are legally wrong. I won a case at a 1st tier Tribunal against the LA recently costing them £1000's in time, effort and legal representation. I now know what it is like to have someone gunning for me - they now question everything that I send in.

tomtom256

Notional income or assumed income comes to mind. It's somewhere in the regs.