Housing Benifits and Full time A level Daughter

oshb5 · 27 November 2012 at 1:15AM

Hello

I am after a little help. My daughter has stopped on at school to do her A levels as she got 10 a-b grades in her GCSEs. I am disabled and get ESA So get full housing benefit as we live a council house. However like many of her class mates who have got part time Saturday jobs. She has decided she would like to do one. As at the moment she dont get out much do to all the studying she does and a little part time job would get her out a little. She has applied for one that is 4 hours at £4.95 a hour. Iv rung the tax people who pay the child tax credits and child benefit. They have said thank you for letting us know but it is ok and nothing will change, Today Iv rang the council and told them the same and spoke to two girls the first one said that we would have to pay £12 in rent and before she told me how much poll tax we would have to pay the phone went dead, I rang back and the next woman said we would have nothing to pay. I was again about to ask about the poll tax and the phone went dead again. Apparently the councils phones where acting up.. I rang back and talked to yet another woman and she took all the details and said that a benefits advisor will be in touch but would have thought that we would have to pay towards the rent and poll tax.. If this is the case and we have to pay £12 plus whatever poll tax will be more than she earns . which will be just under £20 less £3.80 bus fares Then emergency tax Which would mean she was working for around £10 which dont seam right does it especially if we are going to have to pay £12 plus whatever poll tax amount they seam fit?..So if is the case then what incentive do you get for going to work but its costing you more than you or your daughter actually makes?

thanks Os

agrinnall · 27 November 2012 at 9:27AM

I can't speak about the rent and COUNCIL tax that you might have to pay, but there is absolutely no need for your daughter to pay any income tax on earnings of £20 a week. All she has to do is fill in a P46 when she starts (assuming this is her first job and she doesn't have a P45 from previous employment) and the employer should put her on a tax code that means no tax is due.

oshb5 · 27 November 2012 at 9:50AM

Hello

Thank you for that little bit of info The reason I said emergancy tax is because her friend who has just started at Super drug earned £71 pound last month (Only 3 weeks as she had just started So a short month) And they took £29 from her for emergency tax? leaving her only £42 and hence why Id included this in my estimate as to how much she would take home.. So Now I will try and get her a P46 like you suggested . Many thanks for the information.

Regards Os

Dunroamin · 27 November 2012 at 10:21AM

As your daughter is in non advanced , full time education and is, presumably, below the age of 19, her earnings will make no difference to any of your benefits.

As already advised, completing a P46 will avoid the need to pay any emergency income tax.

jobbingmusician · 27 November 2012 at 10:54AM

I wonder if you understand what emergency tax is. It's tax which is probably at a higher rate than you need to pay, because the tax office or the employer haven't sorted out what the proper rate of tax is, yet. When they sort out the right amount of tax, your daughter's friend will get her overpaid tax back - either by being taxed less than she would normally be for a few months, or by a one-off payment at the end of the tax year (or an adjustment of her tax code from April 2013 to Mar 2014).

I don't know whether your daughter's earnings will affect your CTB or rent, either, but I would hope not. (Good God, what is this country coming to, if it does!) Hope the CAB person will be along soon to clarify.

oshb5 · 27 November 2012 at 3:20PM

Thank you all for your replies

I hope this is true, Because yesterday when Id rung the council I got really upset about having to explain to my daughter that she might not be able to keep a job she had not even started because im to ill to work and because of this it might end up us having to pay more out than she would actually be earning..And she was trying to do the right thing and get a little job to be able to get bits for herself and have a few hours away from all the work.. She had applied for it been for the interview and then been told she had been successfully in getting the job. Later that night after she had spent about 3 1/2 hours doing her homework we got talking and my wife said you had better tell her. She is the sane one and voice of reason But not of compassion im afraid. We both tried to explain what had been said and had gone off over the phone Which ended up with her getting upset and crying which in turn upset me again which is no wonder..
I rang the HM revinues this morning to find out just where she stands with regards the tax. So now I suppose now we know about the tax and that she will not get anything stopped at all that way as long as the council dont stop (if they do stop anything at all Fingers crossed) over the £20 she earns then we would try and find it so she could still do the little job.
But like you have just said whats it coming to if you end up having every last thing you earn taken off you in reduced benefits.. There would be no incentive to do anything what so ever now would there?

Many thanks Os

Red_dog_Sam · 27 November 2012 at 3:51PM

This link may offer you some assurance and supports Dunroamin's post:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/rr2-a-guide-to-housing-benefit/what-you-can-claim-for/non-dependants/

It details the circumstances under which no deductions will be made. It shows that if your daughter is in further education there won't be any deductions from your housing benefit or council tax benefit. As an under 20 yr old in Further Education you will still be entitled to child benefit for her and this wouldn't change unless she worked 24 hours or more a week.

Annisele · 28 November 2012 at 12:15AM

Possibly the person you spoke to at the council misunderstood, and didn't realise the person you were talking about was a full time student.

Different councils may have different figures - but in East Northamptonshire, if you were living with somebody who was over 18, in work, and not in full time education, you'd have a £9.40 deduction from housing benefit. As Red_dog_Sam's link shows, people in full time education don't cause any reduction to HB.

oshb5 · 28 November 2012 at 1:05AM

Can I just add though The link is for Non Dependent? But she is my daughter So is classed as a dependant? yes?? So does that make a difference , Even though we still get Child tax credits and Child benefit for her? and she is 16 and in her first year of A levels..

Andy

Red_dog_Sam · 28 November 2012 at 10:30AM

It's even simpler then. Deductions from housing benefit and council tax benefit for under 18 year olds = NIL.

CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative · 28 November 2012 at 10:45AM

Hello oshb5

This link explains that your daughter would not be liable for council tax as she is classed as a full time student

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/tax_e/tax_council_tax_ew/council_tax.htm#Whohastopaycounciltax

With regard to her income, any one who lives with you and is not dependent on you ie you do not receive child benefit for them is called a non dependent. When you get help with rent and council tax anyone who lives in your home as a non dependent with you should be contributing towards your rent and council tax. This means that the council deduct money on a sliding scale dependent on their earnings.

This link will explain this http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/benefits_e/benefits_help_if_on_a_low_income_ew/help_with_your_rent_-_housing_benefit.htm

You are unlikely to need to pay any rent based on your daughters earnings but it may be helpful to look at https://www.turn2us.org.uk where there is a benefits calculator which may be useful if she finishes college or does a lot of hours over the holidays.

You say that you are disabled , if you get the care component of DLA then you will not have a non dependent deduction under the current rules anyway. For your peace of mind you could write to the council explaining all your daughter's earnings and then when yo have their written reply there is no doubt.

Housing Benifits and Full time A level Daughter

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