Working Tax Credit Run On Payments and Income Support

Yasha · 3 July 2009 at 5:45PM

Hi all
I'm hoping someone can help me understand this situation a little better than I can.
I was on Income Support and started full time employment but it didnt work out and i left after three weeks. I was told I would have a rapid reclaim and the money would come through within 10 days. So at the moment I have no money until it comes through. I thought Id give Income support a call and see how the claim was going and she said it had been processed but because of my working tax credit run on i wouldnt have any income support until another month! The run on payment isnt coming until the 13th july so i have nothing until then and dont want to get a loan to bridge the gap, getting in debt is the last thing i want.
I'm sure in the past i have had my income support come through straight after finishing work and the run on payment was just an added bonus. Could it be that this was a mistake on their part and it doesnt usually work like this?
I dont understand why the jobcentre have to contradict WTC and I.S by saying the rapid reclaim was for a faster payment of income support and that i would be able to go straight back on to income support if it didnt work out. It's certainly not the case!

Scarlett1 · 3 July 2009 at 5:52PM

Be careful with the rapid reclaim if you are a lone parent, some lone parent advisors make it sound like all you do is ring up for a rapid reclaim and you will be fasttracked, its not the case and you still have to go to the JCP and start your claim again. With your WTC is that being paid until the 13th July ?

DreamerV · 3 July 2009 at 6:03PM

The wtc run on is not just a bonus...your IS usually takes into account that you get that run on for the equivalent of 4weeks after your work ends

Yasha · 3 July 2009 at 8:36PM

scarlett, you're right, they made it sound as though you just get your IS back instantly but you don't. I can't see why they're not just upfront about how it works. I asked them exactly what was 'rapid' about the rapid reclaim, which he found amusing..
My working tax credit stopped when I phoned them to say i'd left work, that was the 24th june..the run on payment wont start until the 13th july. So there is no money from either side in the meantime!
thanks DreamerV, i thought that might be the case - but im sure it didnt happen to me last time a couple of years ago

DreamerV · 3 July 2009 at 8:40PM

Yasha the wtc run on didn't exist back then, so you would have got IS straight away. To be honest, I think it probably does make it complicated getting the wtc run on, if you're claiming benefits straight after. It's tricky, because it's also good to have these run ons due to some people leaving work and not being entitled to any benefits (so as not to leave them high and dry).

Although you might not get your cheque till July, it will officially be for from the date after your work ended, for 4 weeks exactly.

I hope you get the situation sorted, I understand it must be frustrating in the mean time.

Working Tax Credit Run On Payments and Income Support

Comments

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Categories

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free