Housing Benefit and Council tax Allowance

CIS

tinkitrace wrote: »

I have already provided evidence of this, still no back date?

Have you asked them to specifically state why they won't apply it ?

tinkitrace

marliepanda wrote: »

Why not? They must have given you some reason. Its a standard discount.

They say I didn't inform them my son had moved out (I did) I even sorted his claim out and asked for the evidence I was providing to go onto my claim. Seems each time I go in with evidence they add it to either my housing benefit claim, council tax or just my sons, the advisor confirms that they have this or they don't require this, then all this has happened.

I even checked that his disregard for his severe disability was in place for his claim (as evidence was provided) she confirmed it was and I asked if I needed to do one for the 2 days he was still living with me after his 18th birthday. She checked my claim and told me no as he wasn't on my council tax bill anymore so it was unnecessary. Turns out when she checked he was the computer system just hadn't updated it to show he was at the time. I really don't know what more I could have done.

CIS

tinkitrace wrote: »

They say I didn't inform them my son had moved out (I did) I even sorted his claim out and asked for the evidence I was providing to go onto my claim. Seems each time I go in with evidence they add it to either my housing benefit claim, council tax or just my sons, the advisor confirms that they have this or they don't require this, then all this has happened.

I even checked that his disregard for his severe disability was in place for his claim (as evidence was provided) she confirmed it was and I asked if I needed to do one for the 2 days he was still living with me after his 18th birthday. She checked my claim and told me no as he wasn't on my council tax bill anymore so it was unnecessary. Turns out when she checked he was the computer system just hadn't updated it to show he was at the time. I really don't know what more I could have done.

Which local authority is it ?

marliepanda

The benefits office (which handle your CTR and HB) are usually different to the offices which handle your general council tax and your single person's discount. At least they are at my Local Authority, and the two departments don't necessarily tell each other things...

Regardless, if you were the only adult living at that property from August, you are entitled to that from August unless they have some evidence to contradict this (although it seems there would be a SMI exemption anyway) This is nothing to do with any council tax benefit. Its just your single person discount that anyone, from someone without a penny to a millionaire could have.

tinkitrace

They had my single person discount was on there till they reissued the bill on the 5th January

(previously it had been re- issued on the 7th / 9th/ 11th of September - with my single person discount on there) and this was after they had been told my son had moved out (I notified them on the 28th August) so I assumed they absolutely had this information on file and therefore were re-issuing the council tax bill with the updated information.

Then I went into the office for a different reason on the 10th December, handing in evidence of my child care costs and wage slips for housing benefit and me and the advisor got chatting, and when I mentioned my sons disability she said I should claim for a disregard on council tax, I said he doesn't live with me he claims in his own right and has the disregard, She advised me that he was on my council tax bill and put a message though saying he wasn't and asking for my single person discount to go on. This is the first time I knew that the changes hadn't been made and that I was going to receive a big bill. It was this request that made them send a new bill. I didn't even know I owed anything until they sent this one in January. As I paid off the amounts they had said I owed in the September one (just paid it all off in one lump sum).

Frustrated....

tinkitrace

CIS wrote: »

Which local authority is it ?

Stockport Metropolitan Council

CIS

There should be no obvious reason why the discount should not apply if you are the only adult from the August but it may be a case of arguing further with them (legislation and valuation tribunal decisions rest in your favour however).

Ultimately it may need an appeal to a valuation tribunal in E & W or a valuation committee in Scotland but there's a specific process that must be followed.

tinkitrace

tinkitrace wrote: »

So today I have received another council tax bill and support letter, both of these are yet again incorrect and I have noticed the liability amount is different to the maximum support amount

£19.51 is you liability and your maximum support is £16.72 no further explanation.

They have also again reduced my support from From £11.15 per week to £12.43 per week
from 11/12/2017 to 25/03/2018 to £6.86 each week so my liability is going to be much higher again.

My son should have been a disregard and never added to my council tax bill anyway and they had the evidence of this before he was even liable (not that he was because he moved out and were told).

I've now had 8 council tax bills for this year. (and counting)
I went in and made all my changes in one go at the beginning of September (no longer a student and student certificate came to an end, my son turned 18 and moved out of my property, change in income, and reported my son was getting esa and confirmed he was classed as severely disabled). Lots of changes but all reported in one go, had to go back multiple times as each time only one change was applied and amounts were incorrect, out of frustration I asked them to suspend my claims until they had made all the correct changes (they did for 3 week and then reinstated them) but they were still wrong. Sorry just very frustrated.

The maximum support is because my property changed bands from Band A to Band B and they only pay support based on a BAND A so any over I have to cover, I never knew this. I am in housing association property as well and I thought these would be a Band A.

tinkitrace

calleyw wrote: »

From what I can see you are single. So is there no maintenance payments from the father of the youngest?

Benefits are not there to pay debts. So if you are struggling with any debts do get on to the debt charities to help you out.

And try the debtfree board

Yours

Calley x

no maintenance payments, still trying to get him to pay, he was out of work until a few months ago. He disappears on my son when it is brought up and threatens to leave his job etc etc.

tinkitrace

Okay,

I have written an appeal letter to council tax and another to housing benefit as they're calculations of over payment are incorrect.

I have also applied for a Discretionary Payment for both housing and council tax.

I hate claiming benefits, they always put me in debt (claimed once for 6 months when I was seriously ill a few years ago).

Can not wait until my little one goes to school and I am feeling better etc and never have to claim ever again.