Help coming off Bereavement Benefit

FBaby

And....I've been applying for three years! All the while I'm improving my education, adding to my CV...

Your issue and what you need to focus on is why you haven't managed to get a full-time job in 3 years of applying as clearly this is not right. People with less work experience than you manage it, so why not you?

You need support to make sure that your CV is attractive, that you fill in cover letters properly and with interviewing skills.

I'm surprised that you decided to apply for a full-time foundation degree if your intention was to start full-time work asap. Maybe that might be a reason for not getting interviews if you indicated that you were studying full-time on your CV.

nannytone_2

neilvw wrote: »

My understanding is that the under-occupancy charge was applied to private-renters years before it was extended to social housing.

thats a different thing to the bedroom tax/spare room subsidy though.

in pivate rentals, there is a maximum amount you claim claim sepensant on household circumstances.
if you can find a 3 bed house within the 2 bed LHA rate, then you are free to take it and have no reduction of benefit because you have a spare room.

in social housing, the benefit paid has no financial limit, and will cover the cost of the rent regardless of how much or how little.
this is reduced by a percentage for spare bedrooms

Tuesdayschild

FBaby wrote: »

Your issue and what you need to focus on is why you haven't managed to get a full-time job in 3 years of applying as clearly this is not right. People with less work experience than you manage it, so why not you?

You need support to make sure that your CV is attractive, that you fill in cover letters properly and with interviewing skills.

I'm surprised that you decided to apply for a full-time foundation degree if your intention was to start full-time work asap. Maybe that might be a reason for not getting interviews if you indicated that you were studying full-time on your CV.

My foundation degree is part time. I'm working and studying at the same time. I'd drop it if I get employment, but since I'm nearly a quarter of the way through the course I'd hope that an employer would support me in finishing it off.

The jobs market in this area is not that dynamic, there's a lack of jobs as there was traditionally a reliance of local government jobs, and they're not recruiting in fact they are shedding staff. I recently applied for Planning Officer with the local council but I got a dear John the other day. I'm a Mapper by trade, the Ordnance Survey would be a natural place for me to go but they aren't recruiting either.

Tuesdayschild

nannytone wrote: »

thats a different thing to the bedroom tax/spare room subsidy though.

in pivate rentals, there is a maximum amount you claim claim sepensant on household circumstances.
if you can find a 3 bed house within the 2 bed LHA rate, then you are free to take it and have no reduction of benefit because you have a spare room.

in social housing, the benefit paid has no financial limit, and will cover the cost of the rent regardless of how much or how little.
this is reduced by a percentage for spare bedrooms

Thank you this is useful!

Tuesdayschild

Just an update to the above.

I am working 20 hours a week in one job, and soon to be starting 10 hours a week on another. I will be losing the Widows Pension and the CTC and hope to keep on getting WTC. When I fill in online calculators I appear to be getting £1.14 a week for WTC. That'll be a drop from £108 a week and I do not see how that could be right, however the online calculators are not easy to fill in and I may have done it wrong.

I am finding it difficult to find out how much my income will be all in, wages (which I can quantify) and WTC which I can't (because the online calculator has to be wrong, what's the point even applying for it if it's only a pound a week) so I am very stressed about how much of a drop I will have in my income even though I'll be working more hours - I''m still studying part time as well.

My mental health is really struggling and I am slipping in to depression. Those extra 10 hours a week will not make up for the loss of the Widows Pension and the CTC.

Granted the eldest in University is now self supporting on a part time job, and student debt and the only thing I pay is his transport home in the holidays but I've had him home since May and it's cost a fortune in groceries alone. Realistically his course is only for half of the year and the other half he is at home eating me out of house and home.

My updated question is, does the CTC stop automatically or do I inform them.

If so, does the CTC stop with immediate effect or does it carry on until renewal next summer.

Same question about the extra 10 hours work. Do I declare it as part of my renewal next summer or do I phone them straight away.

Lastly, the summer before last the TC renewal, the person told me that the figure I submitted should have £300 deducted from it before I submitted to it. She did it there and then and said I should have been doing it that way all along.

This summer when I deducted the £300, the operator informed me that wasn't the way it was done, and the full figure was submitted again. It is so confusing dealing with them!

On this most recent renewal it was almost impossible to actually get talking to a real person as well, it took many failed attempts at navigating through menu systems and when I did get through I was told that the person I was speaking to was only a temporary worker.

xylophone

Your younger child is going to University in September? Will both children then be living away from home in term time?

Have you seen this? https://www.gov.uk/child-tax-credit/overview

Have you tried this calculator? https://www.gov.uk/tax-credits-calculator

missbiggles1

When your children are at university, they should keep some of their student funding back to support themselves during the long holiday and/or get a holiday job. They should not only pay their own expenses but pay money into the household for their keep.

They're old enough to understand your financial situation and that they need to play their part, not spend their year's funding in 6 months and then come home and expect you to keep them.

Darksparkle

You need to inform TC of any change of circs within 30 days of the change occurring. It should tell you this on your award letters.

https://www.gov.uk/changes-affect-tax-credits

I take it you did inform them when the eldest went to advanced education and stopped receiving CTC for them at that time?

The £300 you mention is deducted from "other income".

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tax-credits-working-out-income#other-income

Do you have any of those incomes mentioned?

The income limit for a WTC only claim is approx £13,000. How much you'll receive depends on your taxable income for last tax year and this tax year.

At the moment you get a lone parent element of WTC which is approx £38 per week plus CTC for one child is £63 per week so it is entirely possible that the calculation you have done is accurate.

Icequeen99

Yes, you should deduct the first £300 from your widowed parents allowance because it is classed as pension income for tax credit purposes.

IQ

xylophone

OP, it is quite obvious that you wish to support your children as much as you possibly can, particularly as they lost their father in such sad circumstances when they were very young.

If your spouse were still alive and working, or were you in a well paid job and/or had a substantial widow's pension, it would not be unreasonable for you to subsidise ( even heavily subsidise), their living costs.

However under the circumstances, you need to be having a discussion about ways and means with your sons so that they contribute to the household expenses while they are at home.

With regard to your own job prospects, as you are an experienced cartographer, would there be any help or information through SoC?

https://soc.org.uk/careers-advice/