The benefits of your parents being divorced/seperated.

tugothy

This is a bit of a poor me story at the start but this situation does make me quite angry.
As everyone knows your bursary/loan is assessed on your parents earnings. I am estranged from my parents so i claim full independent status meaning i get a loan only (no bursary) of £4500. When i first went to college (before my 3 years had passed proving i was self supporting) as i didn't speak to my parents they refused to give me money, the college advisors advice was take them to court (obviously not a proper solution) so i worked a FT job along with my course.

I accept this but what really annoys me is i have shared flats with people whose parents are divorced so they only get assessed from one parent even though they still speak and receive money from both parents. If your money is supposed to be assessed on your parents income and they have the strict rules whether they will give you money or not, why if they are divorced or living apart do they get this escape loophole. If they can make you chase both parents as a couple for money why can't they make you chase each parent seperately for money.

So i have seen someone with married parents earning about £30,000 between them and they get less than other people i've known whose parents pull in £40,000+ but as they are divorced only 1 of them is assessed, but the students are in contact with both parents equally.

Has anyone else came across this? It's very annoying.

pboae

When I was assessed (and this is about 15 years ago, so things could be very different now) both my parents' incomes were taken into account, even though they were divorced and I was estranged from my father. I was also advised to take him to court to get the money I was supposedly due off him. My Mum earned very little, and was supporting 3 kids, so I got through my A Levels and Degree by working and begging handouts from charities.

Edinburghlass_2

I have recently had to fill in forms for my daughter and there were three columns for income father, mother and a partner column for presumably stepfather/mother so I'm not convinced that what your friends are telling you is correct.

kr15snw

Im pretty certain (almost 100%) its not your parents income, but your household income.

As in if you live with your mum it will be her income. If you live with your dad and his girlfriend it will be BOTH incomes. And if you live with your boyfriend it goes on his income (as one of my friends has recently discovered).

So if your parents are divorced it tends to go on the income of the parent (and sometimes step parent / partner) of who you actually live with.

kr15snw

It must be different for everyone then...

My friend moved in with her boyfriend last September and was listed as living with her mum with student finance. This year she let them know she was living with her boyfriend and now it goes off his wages.

Shes only 20....

chezza262

I'm in the same situation as freebiejunkie - I had been living away from my parents for 2 years (not the required 3) when I applied and because I'm under 25 too they assessed my mum and step dad. I pay for all my bills not my parents.

I think it depends on your location as each area seems to have a different policy.

MoneySavingStudent_2

I applied for student finance this year.
My parents seperated in February(ish) and i started applying for student finance in march(ish). My dad moved out and the student finance was assessed on our household income so its went on who i was living with (my mum).
In my experience its all done on your household income. But my friend jodie unfortunatly lost her parents a couple of yrs ago and is going to uni and has applied for student finance too. She is assessed on her earning and not that of who she is living with (this is proberbly because she has lived in a student household for about a year now) She also gets the same things i do.
I think the finance should be decided on situation as without the help of student finance i would not be able to live in the house that i have grown up in due to divorce settlements and agreements and what not!

But i think if you live alone it should go on your income from the last yr or so. (which i thought it did if you were alone) But i thought i would share my situation.

:-P