Housing/Council Tax - please help.

lil_me

It will also depend on the amount payable in your area towards rent aswell as the 'entitled to' figures. For example someone if I was on IS it would say I was entitled to full rent being paid, but under the new LHA rules I would only be entitled to £92 per week towards my £160 a week rent.

Unfortunately it is a shame that people are better off not working in many cases, which is a shame. I remember a suggestion that benefits should be reduced to make it worthwhile people working to reduce unemployment.

jayneuk

So you would have to pay £68 a week towards your rent out of your Income Support? How could that work?

I'm so confused.

Basically by working I am substantially worse off per week, so will have to go back to not working.

real1314

Can you post your WTC, CTC, Wage, CHB and any other income figures in full.
How many hours do you work a week?

Then your family details (I'm assuming 2 kids + you).

and then you say your rent has been allowed at £190 a week?

Is there anything else that might affect your claim (anyone else live in the house?) - income, people etc?

Once you've given this, people can work the figures out for you and may be able to spot any error.

lil_me

jayneuk wrote: »

So you would have to pay £68 a week towards your rent out of your Income Support? How could that work?

I'm so confused.

Basically by working I am substantially worse off per week, so will have to go back to not working.

Yes, basically we'd have to pull £68 a week out of IS if we were on it, because they won't pay any more than that towards it. The new Local Housing Allowance max for a house the size we're 'entitled to' is £92 and something pence, the old HB rates we would have been given £112.50 a week. Shows how much of a huge change it's been in many areas :eek:


Another shocking one is my family would be better off on income support even with the low rent award, just something we choose not to do.

real1314

jayneuk wrote: »

So you would have to pay £68 a week towards your rent out of your Income Support? How could that work?

I'm so confused.

Basically by working I am substantially worse off per week, so will have to go back to not working.

It would work in the same way that if a single bloke took on a 5 bed property at £2000 a week, they wouldn't pay that level of rent. It's all about drawing a line somewhere to protect the public purse.

jayneuk

Real 1314, these are the figures they have put on my award notice for the period 5 May 08 to 1 April 09 -

WTC - 110.20
CTC - 81.35
Wage - 96.75
CHB - 31.35
DLA - 17.10 (lower rate mobility)

I am self employed working an average of 20 hours per week.

Yes, that's right - 2 kids and me. One is 12, the other is 7.

Rent allowed at £190 a week, yes. They say I'm over-occupied because this is the house I shared with my ex partner and his daughter, so I agree with that - they've taken £20 a week off.

There is nothing else that might affect my claim - income, people etc. I get no maintenance for the children from my ex, and no-one else lives here.

My income is now approx £96 a week more than it was (my earnings) - but they say I have to pay £83 towards my rent, full council tax (£25 a week plus arrears), £25 a week school meals, plus losing the other free bits I used to get from being on Income Support. So that's at least £133 extra going out, so it makes me £37 a week worse off minimum. When I saw the Lone Parent Advisor she assured me I would be better off (she said by an average of £60 per week!) So there is at least £97 a week missing somewhere.

I hope all that makes sense.

real1314

Ok, first thing that leaps out is that they haven't given you a Disability Premium in the calculation, which is due as you get DLA Mob.

It's £25.85 (assuming the DLA Mob is for you) from April 08

That changes the calculation to: (using April 08 rates)

£60.50 for me
£105.18 because I have a dependant.
£16.75 because I have at least one child.
£25.85 for Disability Premium

Total £208.28

Income

WTC - 110.20
CTC - 81.35
Wage - 96.75
CHB - £31.35

Total £318.50

Disregarded from Income £41.05

Overall excess Income £69.17, tapered by 65% = £44.96

£190 rent - £44.96 = £145.04 HB due.


If the DLA Mob is for one of the kids, the HB should go up by £15 extra too (I suspect this may be the case as it's something that's rare and easily missed?)

jayneuk

Thank you very much for that - really helpful. I did go in yesterday with my DLA award notice because the woman on the phone said it might make a difference, but then when I went in I spoke to someone else who said it wouldn't affect it because it's the lower rate, not the higher rate of DLA.

It is for me, by the way, not one of the children.

Also, can you please tell me what effect (if any) that would have on the Council Tax Benefit?

Thanks so much.

real1314

Go back, tell them you are entitled to a Disability Premium in the assesment, and that it should be included for ANY rate of DLA with either component.
Don't be fobbed off on this. This advice is accurate. Tell them to look it up in the Zebedee, Ward and Lister Guide to HB and CTB.

It should also increase your CTB so you have to pay less.

jayneuk

Thank you very much.

I am going to see them tomorrow morning. Spoke to Lone Parent Advisor today - gave her all the figures and she worked it out to be £166 a week housing benefit and £12 a week council tax benefit. Bit of a difference from their £127 and 55p! That's without the DLA too.