Son beoming non-dependent/soon to be at Uni

Zeldazog

Hi All

Not sure if this is the right place for this question but wasn't sure where else to post it.

I am a single parent, currently in receipt of WTC, CTC & CB, as well as CTB & HB (not quite full amounts). My son is 19 but was accepted onto a year of full time education before his 19th birthday so was still classed as a dependent - therefore above benefits continued. CTC & CB stop at the end of August. WTC will revert back to single person rate. I know I've had a letter regarding the reassessment of HB & CTB, but I can't recall what it will be at the moment - probably irrelevant to my question.


So, my son is waiting on his A Level results, and is probably going to Uni this Autumn (has a conditional offer, so pending results, and his anxiety issues) - he will be living at home.


My question is:

At the end of August, he no longer is classed as a dependent, however assuming he does go to Uni, he won't get his student loans through until after he's registered, etc - so guessing towards end of September.

Meanwhile, he doesn't currently have a job, and my income from benefits is going to drop by around £90 per week, and my applicable amount for HB/CTB will also reduce. (I work part time and am also self employed, but haven't been able to take an income from the business before now, this obviously *HAS* to change with the upcoming circumstances.

Where do we stand? He has no income, and I will lose my tax credits/benefits for him. Once his student finance comes through, he will have to start paying board, but this means around a one month gap where my income reduces dramatically but I have nothing to support him at all.

Is there anything we can do? Are there any benefit run-ons to cover the period from end of August to starting Uni. Does anybody know the housing benefit situation? I currently get single persons discount on my council tax, and then some is paid as CTB. Will we be liable for the full amount if he's no longer a dependent?


Thanks.

BrassicWoman

temp job?
JSA?

poppy12345

Zeldazog wrote: »

Hi All

Not sure if this is the right place for this question but wasn't sure where else to post it.

I am a single parent, currently in receipt of WTC, CTC & CB, as well as CTB & HB (not quite full amounts). My son is 19 but was accepted onto a year of full time education before his 19th birthday so was still classed as a dependent - therefore above benefits continued. CTC & CB stop at the end of August. WTC will revert back to single person rate. I know I've had a letter regarding the reassessment of HB & CTB, but I can't recall what it will be at the moment - probably irrelevant to my question.


So, my son is waiting on his A Level results, and is probably going to Uni this Autumn (has a conditional offer, so pending results, and his anxiety issues) - he will be living at home.


My question is:

At the end of August, he no longer is classed as a dependent, however assuming he does go to Uni, he won't get his student loans through until after he's registered, etc - so guessing towards end of September.

Meanwhile, he doesn't currently have a job, and my income from benefits is going to drop by around £90 per week, and my applicable amount for HB/CTB will also reduce. (I work part time and am also self employed, but haven't been able to take an income from the business before now, this obviously *HAS* to change with the upcoming circumstances.

Where do we stand? He has no income, and I will lose my tax credits/benefits for him. Once his student finance comes through, he will have to start paying board, but this means around a one month gap where my income reduces dramatically but I have nothing to support him at all.

Is there anything we can do? Are there any benefit run-ons to cover the period from end of August to starting Uni. Does anybody know the housing benefit situation? I currently get single persons discount on my council tax, and then some is paid as CTB. Will we be liable for the full amount if he's no longer a dependent?


Thanks.

No there isn't. Most uni students find a part time job.

jackieblack

You should apply for the student exemption on your council tax once your son starts Uni (your son will need to obtain a letter from his Uni once he has started). The discount is 25% so equal to single person discount.
https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/who-has-to-pay

As above, most students work part time and during the holidays.

Zeldazog

Thanks, Jackieblack, that's a helpful reply.

He plans on getting a job (if he can) but he's spent the last four years in camhs/adult mental health services and struggles with anxiety issues, so that's not easy.

Just wondering how low income families are supposed to cope with zero help for a month with the gap between support ending and student finance beginning. Education for all, eh?

poppy12345

Zeldazog wrote: »

Thanks, Jackieblack, that's a helpful reply.

He plans on getting a job (if he can) but he's spent the last four years in camhs/adult mental health services and struggles with anxiety issues, so that's not easy.

Just wondering how low income families are supposed to cope with zero help for a month with the gap between support ending and student finance beginning. Education for all, eh?

Well the child you've been claiming for looks for work. It happens to all low income families at some point. Can't expect to get the benefits for them when they become an adult :eek:

w06

A job would be a good way of him getting used to being an adult and the value of money too (I know that might sound harsh it's not supposed to!). I started work the weekend before finishing my a level exams and worked all the way through a very intense undergrad uni course. with no support from family i didn't have much choice, but it gave me not only financial independence but a different perspective to my fellow students who had never worked and never needed to support themselves into their 20s.

At this point in the year there might be casual shifts that he could pick up, bar work, shop work, outside catering, that type of thing (I worked as a care assistant and one summer for Little chef, care assistant was preferable).

His anxiety will make it harder but in the medium term it could be a real boost to him that he's managed to do it and to support himself. I well remember being able to buy my first car, as an undergrad solely from what I'd saved in the months between A levels and uni, and a week's food will forever I think be thought of in terms of hours worked (one shift equated to one weeks food, a weekend worked to rent and bills)

Spendless

In the event that he is unable to find a job to cover the month, what costs are going to occur between tax credits etc stopping and student finance kicking in? Unfortunately you haven't got much time left in which to prepare for this, but things you could do is build up a stock cupboard so you're not spending much on groceries for a month. If you give us some idea of what areas you're struggling to pay for we might be able to suggest some things you haven't thought of.

toomuchinfo

Hi there, I know that this is a real worry for you. If your son can't find a job he could get JSA, you might need to support him in applying because of his anxiety issues,and he will still need to look for work.

I am in a similar position with my son but I am able to apply for ESA for him as he is disabled, but it still means that there have already been two weeks with no money for him. I knew this was going to happen though and have stocked up the cupboard and tried to get ahead a bit with my gas/electricity etc., and he has PIP payments, so is not completely without money.
I hope you find a way of managing.

Aced2016

He could apply for JSA in the meantime. And not in any way meaning to sound harsh but surely you knew this was coming ? Could you not speak with work about increasing your hours temporarily to offset being £90 down a week.

See this is the problem society is now in they are fully reliant on benefits for their kids to live. And I'm not blaming you in any way. I keep seeing on this board arguments over keep money etc the minute benefits end. I think as society we need to make a huge effort to be able to financially sort ourselves our even if we're on a low wage. That way perhaps things will be a lot easier for people. As I think it's becoming clear, the money paid for the kids isn't 100% being spent on them sadly.

Zeldazog

Thanks for those of you who have made helpful and useful comments - I am sure we will manage somehow - it was partly about making sure there wasn't anything that I'd missed as sometimes it's not easy to find entitlements (for example, I was told that we would have to start paying for prescriptions on his 19th birthday, and could find nothing online to say otherwise - but when it came to applying for low income form for him, the application tells me that if he's still a dependent, we use my exemption certificate). I am lucky that I have family near by that can help if it gets unmanageable, but I already have debt issues, and am loathe to borrow any more (and thanks to this forum, this in the process of being tackled).

But wow there are some judgemental people around! I thought this forum was supposed to be about giving practical answers to questions not making people feel rubbish for not being able to save up for an unplanned blip or for having to rely on benefits.

I only got the letter this week saying when child benefit actually stops, and I could not actually find a definitive answer as to when things end as I know some things can run on.

19 years to prepare? Yes, of course I knew when he was born I already knew he was going to go to uni. Of course I knew I was going to be a single parent. Of course I knew he was going to have anxiety issues and try, more than once, to end his own life. Of course I knew he was going to have to do an extra year at school. Of course I knew all these things, yup, I should have planned for it all.