Housing benefits UNDER CAUTION LETTER

softmind82

I received a letter from dwp to attend a interview regarding housing benefit capital/ savings.

Can someone please advice what kind of question they might may ask. I have capital around 7k into my account and pay around £700 into my credit cards each month other than bills etc and earns £480 a month.

Also few days ago made council aware I started receiving carer allowance for my child and asked them to recalculate my benefit.

Is someone gone through this situation please comment, I’m really worried.

Please advice.

poppy12345

softmind82 wrote: »

I received a letter from dwp to attend a interview regarding housing benefit capital/ savings.

Can someone please advice what kind of question they might may ask. I have capital around 7k into my account and pay around £700 into my credit cards each month other than bills etc and earns £480 a month.

Also few days ago made council aware I started receiving carer allowance for my child and asked them to recalculate my benefit.

Is someone gone through this situation please comment, I’m really worried.

Please advice.

Do they know you have that much of savings? Savings/capital of £6000 or more will affect the amount of means tested benefit you can claim. Anything over £16000 will stop them completely. Do they know you work?

Questions they will ask will be based on all of this and they'll most likely want to see bank statements. Be honest during the interview and everything shoudl be fine. Any overpayment will need to be paid back of course.

huckster

So you pay £700 per month towards credit card debts and other bills per month ?

So your take home pay per month is actually £1180 ?

If this is correct, have you advised DWP and your local council ?

BorisThomson

softmind82 wrote: »

I received a letter from dwp to attend a interview regarding housing benefit capital/ savings.

Can someone please advice what kind of question they might may ask. I have capital around 7k into my account and pay around £700 into my credit cards each month other than bills etc and earns £480 a month.

Also few days ago made council aware I started receiving carer allowance for my child and asked them to recalculate my benefit.

Is someone gone through this situation please comment, I’m really worried.

Please advice.

Should that say wife/ husband etc?

softmind82

huckster wrote: »

So you pay £700 per month towards credit card debts and other bills per month ?

So your take home pay per month is actually £1180 ?

If this is correct, have you advised DWP and your local council ?

No, I take home from my work is £480 per month working part time and around £700 i pay towards my debts on credit cards etc.

As mentioned i have total capital around 7K.

softmind82

poppy12345 wrote: »

Do they know you have that much of savings? Savings/capital of £6000 or more will affect the amount of means tested benefit you can claim. Anything over £16000 will stop them completely. Do they know you work?

Questions they will ask will be based on all of this and they'll most likely want to see bank statements. Be honest during the interview and everything shoudl be fine. Any overpayment will need to be paid back of course.

The last time bank statement was sent to the council in August 2017 and that time i have £4000 in the account, I have three kids and receive their tax credit etc in the account and it pile up.

I assume they referred to DWP once i asked them to recalculate my benefit when i started receiving carer allowance last month, but i did mention it to them in the email.

softmind82

BorisThomson wrote: »

Should that say wife/ husband etc?

The letter only addressed on my name.

poppy12345

softmind82 wrote: »

The last time bank statement was sent to the council in August 2017 and that time i have £4000 in the account, I have three kids and receive their tax credit etc in the account and it pile up.

I assume they referred to DWP once i asked them to recalculate my benefit when i started receiving carer allowance last month, but i did mention it to them in the email.

What you had in your bank at that time was under the limit so it would have been fine. What you should have done when your savings reached £6000 was ring and tell all the means tested benefit departments.

You say you work and earn £480 per month? Are you single or do you have a partner that works? Doesn't matter if the letter was only addressed to you. Do you claim any other benefits...Income Support?

BorisThomson

softmind82 wrote: »

The letter only addressed on my name.

Is your partner on the claim?

Has your capital previously been higher and was this declared?

At a guess, the local authority may be querying how you are managing to pay credit card bills that are substantially more than your income. Or is there further income you've not told us about?

And what happened to the £30K savings you had a few years ago?

Nannytone

Sell your outgoings are over £200 a month more than your incoming wage and apart from that all you have is tax credits ?
Yet you have saved another £3,000 in the last 6 months ?
Something isn't adding up here/B]

softmind82

Nannytone wrote: »

Sell your outgoings are over £200 a month more than your incoming wage and apart from that all you have is tax credits ?
Yet you have saved another £3,000 in the last 6 months ?
Something isn't adding up here/B]

I am married with 3 kids and receive housing benefit /child tax credit / child benefit / working tax credit and also receiving carer allowance and DLA for one of my child.