Benefits whilst at University

krysus

My understanding is that to claim Working Tax Credit (and any childcare element), both you and your partner must be working over 16 hours a week.

I work full-time and my partner is in full-time study to be a nurse. She has to keep working part-time for 16 hours per week, otherwise we don't get any WTC.


So i don't see how you can be legally be claiming WTC when your partner isn't employed.


Or am i wrong??

dmg24

krysus wrote: »

My understanding is that to claim Working Tax Credit (and any childcare element), both you and your partner must be working over 16 hours a week.

I work full-time and my partner is in full-time study to be a nurse. She has to keep working part-time for 16 hours per week, otherwise we don't get any WTC.


So i don't see how you can be legally be claiming WTC when your partner isn't employed.


Or am i wrong??

I don't know the law on this, but thinking about it my friend is in the same position as you, and did lose all WTC when she started at uni.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

dmg24 wrote: »

A full time student cannot claim for Housing Benefit, irrespective of income. However, a part time student, with a full time student partner, can. Another anomaly of our fantastic benefits system! x

Ok. So what if a full time student has a partner working part time, or doing a masters part time, would they still be able to claim HB??

It's really weird these benefit rules and the benefits agency don't disclose this information either. If they did, many folk wouldn't struggle.

How come they don't take the any of the income into consideration tho'?

the_devil_made_me_do_it

dmg24 wrote: »

A full time student cannot claim for Housing Benefit, irrespective of income. However, a part time student, with a full time student partner, can. Another anomaly of our fantastic benefits system! x

Is there a website or anything where I can check out this info?? I've tried entitledto.com and it's no help.

bestpud

krysus wrote: »

My understanding is that to claim Working Tax Credit (and any childcare element), both you and your partner must be working over 16 hours a week.

I work full-time and my partner is in full-time study to be a nurse. She has to keep working part-time for 16 hours per week, otherwise we don't get any WTC.


So i don't see how you can be legally be claiming WTC when your partner isn't employed.


Or am i wrong??

Only one of you has to be working at least 16 hours a week to get wtc. You both have to be working at least 16 hours a week to get the childcare element (or it may be that one has to be fulltime and the other at least 16 hours for the childcare element).

If your income is low enough, you would continue to receive wtc if your wife stopped working and just did her uni course, or indeed if she stayed at home. Your wife could also apply for help with childcare fees from student finance depending on your income.

real1314

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Ok. So what if a full time student has a partner working part time, or doing a masters part time, would they still be able to claim HB??

It's really weird these benefit rules and the benefits agency don't disclose this information either. If they did, many folk wouldn't struggle.

How come they don't take the any of the income into consideration tho'?

This is one of the areas where it DOES matter which one of a couple makes the claim. Part time student = can claim Full time student = Cannot claim

The benefits agency doesn't deal with HB or CTB, but councils do advise people regarding this rule. They don't actively publicise it or disclose it any more than they publicise or disclose any of the thousands of regs and rules that apply to HB & CTB. They publicise the issues that affect the most people and those that have changed recently.
The rules aren't hidden away and there are independant advisors, organisations and guidance books published on all benefits.

However, they do take income into account. It's just the matter of who makes the claim.

student_advisor

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Ok. So what if a full time student has a partner working part time, or doing a masters part time, would they still be able to claim HB??

It's really weird these benefit rules and the benefits agency don't disclose this information either. If they did, many folk wouldn't struggle.

How come they don't take the any of the income into consideration tho'?

In my experience councils themselves are unaware of the rules and regs of hb & ctb, especially when it comes to students. (apols to any council workers reading this, maybe my area is the odd-one-out). I often furnish students with the relevant pages of the CPAG handbook (welfare advisor's bible) to take to the council, to explain where they've gone wrong this time.

If you are a student/going to be a student and are currently claiming benefits, you should try and see an advisor who specialises in students & benefits.

As for income, most will be taken in to account, but there will be disregards applied to any student income, which are different to those applied to earnings.

direct.gov.uk is a good website for just about anything, you can view their factsheet on students and benefits here

the_devil_made_me_do_it

So, it's advisable to speak with student finance advisor??

I had brief email contact with the student advisor at Uni, they didn't really have a clue about students and benefits.

student_advisor

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

So, it's advisable to speak with student finance advisor??

I had brief email contact with the student advisor at Uni, they didn't really have a clue about students and benefits.

Complain to the uni about lack of help and ask them to refer you to someone who does know (or ask me!).

Most institutions will have real experts, but some will only have a sign-posting service, which is disappointing. (It frustrates me when the service offered is not good enough.)

The advisors can come under different titles & sometimes it can be a case of finding the right person - welfare/finance/funding etc.

redmel1621

Great response thank you....
In answer to a few questions, husband has difficulty working at moment due to some health problems, although the doctor has not signed him off on the sick and he is improving so will return to work eventually. But it does serve a purpose as he looks after kids while I am at work as we have no help at all from family.
I regards to WTC yes only one of the couple has to work 16hrs to be entitled to this but if you want to claim the childcare element both have to be working 16hrs or more.
Studying with the Open University is classed as part time whether doing one course per year(part time) or two a year(which is effectively full time) so all entitlements to benefits apply on those terms. This is one of the areas I was a bit fuzzy on, ie. if I start full time uni will we still get HB & CTB so is good to know that as long as DH is main claimant we should do.....

It is all such a minefield and really does depend on who you speak to as everyone tells me conflicting info Aaargh!!!

Student advisor - you mentioned some disregards to student income which wouldn't apply to earned income is this in relation to University materials etc, because if they count the whole bursary as my income how am i meant to get to uni each day and buy all the books , stationary etc i will need?? they would effectively be forcing me to take money out of my kids mouths to buy my books - which of course i wouldn't do....

This is what I am finding so hard I want to try to disrupt my kids lives and quality of food etc as little as possible, they come first even if that means me not completing my studies, which is a catch 22 because by me (and dh) becoming qualified they will, in the long term have a better standard of living.

Sorry to have rambled on I am just finding this so difficult to work out and have nobody to talk to about it......Mel