Nea + hb

BellaMayJune

Hi, any advice much appreciated. I'm on Jobseekers & have been put into some kind of moving-on / get on with it type of scheme. I am being advised to change to New Enterprise Allowance, and the impression I have is that this wouldn't effect my housing benefit. However, this makes me very nervous, as when I changed over from sick pay to Jobseekers the money was exactly the same, £73.10, there was no reason at all for my hb to be stopped, I also kept in close touch with them, updated them on the first day of the changeover etc, but stop it they did, for nearly two months, putting me at risk of homelessness and making my bills bounce etc. The staff including the manager seemed unsure of their jobs and seemed to make me re-apply just to cover themselves, even 'though everyone knew it was totally unnecessary as not only was there not one penny difference in the changeover, but I had also completed a review only about three months before that complete with the in-depth form and all the proofs, bank statements etc.

Does anyone know please if I changed to NEA if my housing benefit would be stopped and I would be made to re-appy again? It would be totally illogical but so was it when they did this last time,

Many thanks!!

calcotti

You say that you have been advised to change to New Enterprise Allowance, is that advice from DWP? NEA I’d for people who want to start their own business and be self employed. Isthat actually what you want to do?
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/new-enterprise-allowance-campaign.
https://www.gov.uk/moving-from-benefits-to-work/starting-your-own-business

Your Housing Benefit will be able to continue but every time you have a change your local authority has to update their information and recalculate your entitlement. In most cases they suspend payments while they do this to avoid an overpayment. Although you said you were asked to reapply previously it is likely that you were just asked to update all of your information rather than make a new application.