Post office card account?

lifeofbrian2015

Anyone know if I can have ESA and housing benefit paid into the same Post Office card account? On the Post Office website it says that I need to contact the government department that pays my benefit, but also says I can only have one card.

paragon909

lifeofbrian2015 wrote: »

Anyone know if I can have ESA and housing benefit paid into the same Post Office card account? On the Post Office website it says that I need to contact the government department that pays my benefit, but also says I can only have one card.

Yeah the DWP will pay benefits into a post office card account, You need to sign up for an account with post office, You can get application at a post office... Then you get a sort code and account number and you just give it to DWP who will pay into... You cannot pay money in yourself and only DWP can pay money in.

EarthBoy

lifeofbrian2015 wrote: »

Anyone know if I can have ESA and housing benefit paid into the same Post Office card account? .

paragon909 wrote: »

. You cannot pay money in yourself and only DWP can pay money in.

Housing benefit doesn't come from the DWP, it's paid by the local authority. The terms and conditions of the Post Office card account state that payments can only be made into the account from a government department. Local authorities are not government departments, so on the face of it you can't have housing benefit paid into a Post Office card account.

paragon909

EarthBoy wrote: »

Housing benefit doesn't come from the DWP, it's paid by the local authority. The terms and conditions of the Post Office card account state that payments can only be made into the account from a government department. Local authorities are not government departments, so on the face of it you can't have housing benefit paid into a Post Office card account.

Well I guess that's up to the OP how they get their housing benefit. But as for ESA what I said is true.

EarthBoy

paragon909 wrote: »

Well I guess that's up to the OP how they get their housing benefit.

For council tenants the housing benefit comes straight off their rent, so the OP wouldn't have a problem, but for tenants in private rented accommodation it's usually paid into their bank account.

Anthorn

lifeofbrian2015 wrote: »

Anyone know if I can have ESA and housing benefit paid into the same Post Office card account? On the Post Office website it says that I need to contact the government department that pays my benefit, but also says I can only have one card.

Apply at the Jobcentre which itself is kinda like a local branch of DWP. Another alternative is a local Credit Union if you have one locally. Basic bank account could also be an alternative.

http://www.abcul.org

lifeofbrian2015

I can't get a basic account until after I go bankrupt, I applied but my credit is too good right not to get a basic account.

Anthorn wrote: »

Apply at the Jobcentre which itself is kinda like a local branch of DWP. Another alternative is a local Credit Union if you have one locally. Basic bank account could also be an alternative.

http://www.abcul.org

lifeofbrian2015

Hi and thanks for the reply, I just found this on the Citizens Advice website:

Post Office card account

A Post Office card account may be suitable for you if your income is made up of the following only:

• benefit payments
• state pensions
• tax credit payments.

You can't use this account to receive any other payments, including:

• housing benefit
• payments from a workplace pension
• wages or salary.

Damn it.

EarthBoy wrote: »

Housing benefit doesn't come from the DWP, it's paid by the local authority. The terms and conditions of the Post Office card account state that payments can only be made into the account from a government department. Local authorities are not government departments, so on the face of it you can't have housing benefit paid into a Post Office card account.

System

Basic accounts are normally only an issue if you've got fraud markers or have a bad past with a specific bank.

Barclays and Nationwide seem to offer decent basic facilities - have you tried either of those?

TSB offer a savings account (Easy Saver) with ATM card.

Yorkshire Building Society offer a Cash Transactor account that might be another option.

lifeofbrian2015

I have just tried to open a basic account with Barclays as they are the only major high street banks basic account to allow undischarged bankrupts, but they could only give me a current account because they said I only get put in the basic account if I already have bad credit which I don't, yet.

Heng_Leng wrote: »

Basic accounts are normally only an issue if you've got fraud markers or have a bad past with a specific bank.

Barclays and Nationwide seem to offer decent basic facilities - have you tried either of those?

TSB offer a savings account (Easy Saver) with ATM card.

Yorkshire Building Society offer a Cash Transactor account that might be another option.

colsten

lifeofbrian2015 wrote: »

I have just tried to open a basic account with Barclays as they are the only major high street banks basic account to allow undischarged bankrupts, but they could only give me a current account because they said I only get put in the basic account if I already have bad credit which I don't, yet.

Brilliant news that you got a proper current account with Barclays! I hope you can manage to keep it in good standing, and not fall into bad credit.