can i cut my outgoings??

trueblue27

my partner is a student and has just been turned down for a hardship grant as they say our outgoings are too high...is there anyway i can cut them??
money coming in..
193 ctc and 42 child benefit..weekly
my partner also gets a student loan/grant which totals 7500..out of this he has to pay course fees 3000 (he has to pay his own course fees due to him studying previously),
accomodation in halls of 62 week (his uni is 130 miles from home)..and also travel costs as he doesnt drive and has been put on a placement in a school in kent (his uni is in brighton) so this costs 262 month

out of the child tax credits and child benefit i have to pay
20 water
25 rent (including arrears)
13 council tax (including arrears)
20 electric
20 gas
thats the priority payments
i also have to pay tv licence monthly, car tax and insurance, phone, and credit card arrears
then theres food for myself and 3 children...and occasionally my kids need clothes!
theres no money for luxuries etc so i dont understand how they said our outgoings are too high...im only spending 40 a week on food
help me cut my outgoings pleeeasee!!

floss2

I guess they think that 2 homes is too much - do they realise that the uni & your home are miles apart? Sorry to ask, but are the children his?

Why not ask them where the high points are, so you can explain why they are that figure?

Also, can he claim any travel expenses for his placement - and why have the Uni placed him so far from home / uni? Did he tell them that he doesn't drive?

trueblue27

floss2 wrote: »

I guess they think that 2 homes is too much - do they realise that the uni & your home are miles apart? Sorry to ask, but are the children his?

Why not ask them where the high points are, so you can explain why they are that figure?

Also, can he claim any travel expenses for his placement - and why have the Uni placed him so far from home / uni? Did he tell them that he doesn't drive?

yes they realise that his home is miles away he told them that when he applied..im not entirely sure why they put his placement so far from college...they knew he wasnt driving..hes studying to be a secondary teacher and he had to take a school that was part of the unis placement...
my children arent his...they are from a previous violent relationship hence no contact or support from their father.

he was going to try for a hardship fund again this year but has been 'put off' by their lack of support last year
short of starving my kids, i cant see anyway of cutting our outgoings!!

RAS

Are you working?

trueblue27

no im not working at the moment...i am looking for work though..

floss2

I think you should call them - maybe that they aren't counting the children....am not sure that starving them is such a good idea

RAS

here is the bumpf on money for teaching students.

http://www.tda.gov.uk/Recruit/thetrainingprocess/fundinginengland.aspx

I am not exactly sure on the tuition fee loan; normally you can get 4 years with no problems so that suggests that he took more then 3 years to do his first degree?

I think that for funding purposes, you are effectively two households and if you are not claiming any benefits in your own right, that could be a problem.

You ned to get down to CAB or the local benefits people. You should not be paying CT for him as he is a student. Have you advised the council?

trueblue27

RAS wrote: »

here is the bumpf on money for teaching students.

http://www.tda.gov.uk/Recruit/thetrainingprocess/fundinginengland.aspx

I am not exactly sure on the tuition fee loan; normally you can get 4 years with no problems so that suggests that he took more then 3 years to do his first degree?

I think that for funding purposes, you are effectively two households and if you are not claiming any benefits in your own right, that could be a problem.

You ned to get down to CAB or the local benefits people. You should not be paying for him as he is a student. Have you advised the council?

he studied previously before he met me..and i think he did take more than 3 years to get his first degree....
im claiming child tax credits...the council know our situation as we are recieving housing benefit...but it is a shortfall as we have arrears and thats why im paying 20 a week to cover the benefit shortfall....

floss2

If a student restarts a degree after more than 1 year, there is a formula for their fees - usually equal to:

original length of course + 1 year - years studied = number of years of support for new course.
For example, if OH studied for 2 years of a 3 year degree, then changed to a new 4 year degree, he would only be able to take out tuition fee loans for the last 2 years - he would have to self-finance for the first 2 years, as he has already had support for yrs 1 & 2.

I agree with RAS - it looks as though he has 2 homes and he needs to make this clear to the fund administrators.....Also take a look at the direct.gov student finance webpages.

RAS

And does his student union have a welfare officer?

They could help.

trueblue27

RAS wrote: »

And does his student union have a welfare officer?

They could help.

hey thats an idea...i will tell him to find out and contact them