Right, here goes.....
I have just started my BA in social work. My wife is in full-time education at college and we have 3 children under 11 and we live in private rented accommodation.
I have just received my Housing Benefit entitlement and my local council have included all of my social work bursary as income. Now, the problem I have with this is.....
I am allowed an income (including Child Tax Credit) of £310.34 a week before I lose any benefits. My student finance package minus Parent's Learning allowance takes me just over this threshold.
Any income over this threshold is classed as excess income.
For every pound of excess income, I lose 65p off my eligible rent.
So, by declaring £4575 of my bursary as excess income I automatically lose 65% of it due to Housing Benefit legislation! £2973.75 to be precise. Which leaves me with £1601.25 or £37.89 a week over 43 weeks (period of study).
So I get £37.89 a week extra than if I was to take an English Lit degree as an example : /
Am I the only one who thinks that something is fundamentally wrong here?
The current Housing Benefit legislation states that all a student's grant is to be counted as income apart from a few exceptions. One of those exceptions is:
(2) There shall be excluded from a student’s grant income any payment–
(a)intended to meet tuition fees or examination fees;
Now, I have been on the phone to the NHSBSA, GSCC and the Department of Health and not one of them can tell me what my social work bursary is for. I know it was introduced by the Department of Health as an incentive to train in social work but I want to know exactly what the bursary is for. How do you get to a figure of £4575? I know it states that £575 is a contribution toward placement but what about the £4000 basic grant? What factors are taken into account to reach that amount? Why not a basic grant of £9000? Or £1000?
I want to know this because I have come across various texts that suggest part of the grant is 'intended' to meet tuition fees (regardless of if I choose to use it for that purpose). If this is true, which I hope to find out in writing from the Department of Health, then surely the council must disregard it due to the above legislation.
1.) How can I be offered a £4575 incentive by the Department of Health to train in Social work to have 65% of it automatically removed because of Housing Benefit legislation?2.) If the £4575 bursary has an intended purpose, tuition fees for example, and it is not disregarded, how am I afforded the opportunity to use it for that purpose? An opportunity which would be available to other groups. Is this not a form of discrimination?3.) Even if such things as tuition fees and the £575 towards placement are disregarded, which would leave around £625 of excess income, is it still not wrong to take 65% of this amount? I say this because that £625 is given as an incentive to train in social work. I am assuming people who do not need to claim housing benefit are free to use this incentive as they wish. It is not the amount that bothers me it is the principle. If I am denied an opportunity which would be available to other groups, would it not be a form of discrimination?Do single students that live on campus and study social work get to use their bursary as they see fit?
Now, the social work bursary is different to the NHS bursary. The social work bursary is administered by the NHS on behalf of the GSCC (I was told this by the Department of Health).
The council have also taken the bursary over 52 weeks when I think they should take it over 43 weeks (This means I lose more than they have currently quoted me). The NHS bursary is paid in 12 monthly installments to cover the full year whereas the social work bursary is paid in 3 installments the same as student finance. A tribunal ruled in favor of the 43 week spread in 2009.
This is important because I can claim full benefits at the end of my study period during the summer holiday.
Can anyone shed any light on the points I have raised?
Am I talking complete garbage or do I have a case?
If you have a mortgage or are a single student that claims any benefit for instance, do you get a raw deal too?
Please help!
I don't know any specific information to your case, but the simple matter is that housing benefit rules are not compatible with students. An obvious example is that single students remain ineligible to claim housing benefit on the grounds that they already receive money for housing costs. This dates back to when all HE students were entitled to a grant that paid their housing costs. The rules haven't been updated since the funding system changed - no other sector of society is ineligble for help with rent on the grounds that they could take out a loan to pay rent instead!
The welfare system is far from perfect (for students and non students alike). I don't think feeling affronted is going to get you anywhere, ultimately its still a bargain price for a decent qualification and one that is unlikely to be available for many future students. Its 2-3 yrs of being skint, followed by far improved work prospects. Use it as a learning experience and consider how it compares to the multitude of people you'll work with who are in a benefits trap.
I would also add that the bursary is usually broken down into two parts - a part available to the individual which is for living costs, placement expenses and travel, and a separate figure that is paid directly to the institution for tuition fees. How are your fees paid? If they are being paid by the NHS then you cannot assume that any part of your living grant is intended for fees.
(I'm assuming that you're referring to the bursary as it stands in England btw).
see below
My fees are paid with a tuition fee loan and I have a student finance package the same as any other student based on my circumstances. You say the bursary is usually broken down into two parts, but I am talking about the social work bursary not the NHS bursary, they are not the same thing. The social work bursary is administered by the NHS on behalf of the Department of Health. £4575 for an undergraduate regardless of income.
This was introduced by the Department of Health as an 'incentive' to train in social work.
Now, my problem is not what I stand to lose or gain, it is regarding what my LA 'presume' they can take as income. It is important to know the facts here as my student finance income takes me over the allowed income threshold and I therefore lose 65p from every pound of my £4575 incentive, £2973.75 per year.
For this amount of money I will not stand for presumptions, I want evidence.
I agree that the welfare system is far from perfect (for students and non students alike) but your comment that ultimately its still a bargain price for a decent qualification and one that is unlikely to be available for many future students is irrelevant. I am not concerned with what may or may not be available to students in the future, I am concerned with my LA helping themselves without reason.
This is not just for me and what I stand to gain if I can over turn it, it is for every other student who stands to unlawfully lose money given to them as incentive to come into such a demanding profession.
By 'feeling affronted', I today got the £575 disregarded from income. If I had taken your advice Velma and used it as a learning experience, I would be £373.75 out of pocket. There is still the case of the £4000 they still say is counted as income. They refer to a general rule that housing benefit regulations say all grants are counted as income. This is true, but is it subject to paragraph (2)as stated above.
The basic question I want answered in writing from the Department of Health is: What is the intended purpose of my bursary? I have spoke to the DoH today and I still cannot get an answer, which I find quite remarkable when you consider they fund and set policy for the bursary!
It states on the application pack guidelines 2011/12:
Unlike Student Finance England, which is intended to assist with the cost of living, the bursary can be used towards study-related expenses and/or for any legal purpose I deem appropriate.
This suggests the bursary is not intended to assist with the cost of living and suggests they should be treated differently.
So, if I deem it appropiate to put £3375 aside to cover my tuition fees can I legally do so? If not, why?
If I deem it appropriate to spend the remaining £625 on a notebook can I legally do so? If not, why?
If I had £4000 in wages from employment I would not expect my rent paid! I have been employed for many years and I have never been in receipt of benefits barring Child Benefit.
This is my non repayable 'INCENTIVE' given to train in social work.
Going back to the regulations, there are 3 parts of interest:
(2) There shall be excluded from a student’s grant income any payment—
(a) intended to meet tuition fees or examination fees;
(c) intended to meet additional expenditure connected with term time residential study away from the student’s educational establishment;
(f) intended to meet the cost of books and equipment;
So, (c) is the £575 additional expenditure away from my educational establishment and has now been disregarded. I want clarification regarding (a) and (f)
(I know a certain amount for books and travel have been disregarded from my student loan but I am not talking about my student loan. I am only concerned with what can be disregarded from my bursary.)
If my LA show me evidence that my bursary is 'income' in the same sense as student finance or general wages then I will accept their decision, but until they do this I won't.
I will take this as far as I can or need to.
Now some may think I am just greedy and should be 'skint' for 2-3 years as Velma suggests.
My advice to anyone who thinks that a certain situation is not right is to not take things at face value. Ask for evidence and if they do not give it, find it.
As we well know, some people with limited finances and limited resources may find any appeal process very stressful and frustrating, the people at the top know this and use it to their advantage.
My mistake re the breakdown, I thought you meant the MA. I also wasn't intending to suggest that the welfare system should not be challenged, merely that the implied assumption that the system should be fair and that it should provide enough money to live on is naive. It does neither.
If you receive a loan for tuition fees I would be very suprised if you are able to argue that the bursary is intended for tuition fees. It is not up to the local authority to determine what your bursary is paid for. Any excess income is excess income, an 'incentive'/gift/present would be included as income for excess income purposes. Revenues and benefits do not care if its meant to be an incentive. I'm pretty sure the GSCC didn't consult them when they announced that is what its for.The MA bursary notifications state that the money is for living costs, placement expenses, with a (non ringfenced) amount for travel expenses. Its possible that the GSCC could use this to defend the same for the undergrad bursary (dont know if they'd succeed).
Currently, all student finance is assessed per year - this is why students cannot claim benefits over the summer break. Regardless of the payment structure if the GSCC have assessed your bursary as a 52 week amount, that is what the LA would accept. Its up to students to budget their money to fit the 52 weeks, it is not up to the NHS to pay it in a schedule for the convenience of the student.
HCTB have a very rigid taper with few specified exceptions. As far as I can see from your posts you would only be able to challenge this if you could get a statement from the GSCC that the bursary is intended for tuition fees. As you are entitled to a tuition fee loan this is extremely unlikely.
I'm not making any judgement about the fairness of this, merely stating what I know as an ex HCTB benefits officer. If the bursary is paid as an incentive to train, HCTB are legally entited to include it in their income calculation.
Parent's learning allowance and child benefit are disregarded automatically. My student loan and grant are taken over 42 weeks (period of study), my adult dependents grant and bursary are taken over 52 weeks which I now understand is fair. Only my adult dependents grant and bursary are taken as income over the summer period along with my child tax credits, which means I now drop below the income threshold for a couple with three children and I can therefore claim full housing benefit over that 10 week period.
Even though I receive a loan for tuition fees, I mention part of the bursary is intended for tuition fees because I get conflicting texts which suggest it actually is intended for this purpose and the 'incentive' to take the social work degree. My tutor at university mentioned this and on my university social work FAQs it asks:
Q. Will I get a bursary?
A. Yes. You will automatically be entitled to a GSCC Bursary which will pay for tuition fees and go someway towards paying for traveling expenses to and from your practice placement.
Now, there are other statements from other universities which roughly say the same thing. Of course, this is not worth the paper its written on unless it comes from the Department of Health but where is their source? Did they just make it up?
If part of the £4000 is not intended to meet tuition fees, what is it for?
Is it for a giant jelly bean tower? Is it to research why I often know more than the people in place to advise me?
I have spoke to the people at the NHSBSA social work helpline at least 3 times. When i ask if part of the bursary is intended for tuition fees or if £575 is a contribution for placements they just keep saying " If you choose to use it for that" . I try to explain that what I choose to spend it on is irrelevant, what it is 'intended' for?....."If you choose to use it for that".....Unreal
My Housing Benefit is intended to pay my rent, but I can choose to make £20 note sandwiches and eat them.
I have spoke to the GSCC and they dont know either!....I get a line "its not in our remit"...??
I got the same line from the DoH today..."its not in our remit, are you sure the NHSBSA cannot advise?"
I have requested a full breakdown from the DoH (Luckily my LA appeal may take 13 weeks!)
I have to disagree and think that it IS up to the local authority to determine what my bursary is paid for when they stand to retain 65% of it. A £575 part of it that until today had been retained unlawfully.
Also, regardless of current regulations, the statements ' The bursary can be used towards study related expenses and/or for any legal purpose you deem appropriate' and ' You are free to use the basic grant in a manner that best suits your individual circumstances' (This is taken from the PLO tab on the NHSBSA website and may apply to that) are either true or false.
How can I use it for any legal purpose I deem appropriate? How am I free to use the basic grant in a manner that best suits my individual needs?
How am I afforded the opportunity to do either if I am forced to include it as income and lose 65% of it?
Is this opportunity available to other groups?
I am going to investigate whether this breaches any clause or rule of the Equality Act 2010 or any other Act/regulation.
I think your starting perspective is the reason you aren't following the HCTB decision. The LA who award you housing benefit are not the same people who are paying the bursary. That is why the burden of proof is not for the LA to decide what your bursary is for, the burden of proof is for yourself to prove what your money is for. Their responsibility is simply to make a calculation based on the information you give them. The information you give them is your responsibility. If you are unable to prove what your money is for (regardless of whether this is your fault or not) HCTB retain the right to assume that it is income. This is exactly the same as if, say you had another adult living in the house and you couldn't prove their earnings - HCTB would make an estimation and assume it was extra household income. A situation where the burden of proof was on the LA would be completely untenable.
The reason the LA can do this is because they are not retaining 65% of your bursary. They are giving you an award of housing benefit. It is a positve action, so you cannot legally claim, as you appear to be doing, that they are taking some form of negative action against you. However unfair that decision may feel, that is how things are. They are not interested if the money has originated from another government department or whether it has fallen from the sky; to the , the people awarding you housing benefit are entirely separate from the people paying your bursary.
If the GSCC are telling you that the bursary is intended for you to use a you choose to and that is as far as they specify, then surely that means that it has no specific purpose and is an incentive or gift? Both an incentive or gift would be classed as income for HCTB purposes.
By your logic if a friend of mine gave me a gift of twenty grand and a letter stating that I could use it for whatever I wanted, the LA should accept that and still award me full housing benefit. For this reason, the LA cannot and will not care about what the ideology or generosity of it being an 'incentive'. Quite simply, if it is not on their list of excluded income then they will count it.
by all means take it to appeal, you might have a chance purely on the grounds of inconsistency in the benefits system (if this is an area where discretion has applied in any other decision). However your argument about HCTB treating you unequally because of the 'incentive' intention of the bursary award does not hold any weight, since HCTB are not accountable for the decision of the people who award you the money.
Thanks Velma.
You are right
I know in the back of my mind that the LA are just giving me a basic award of Housing Benefit and are not directly retaining 65% of my bursary and they are not taking a form of negative action against me. It is because I feel it is unfair. I needed a reality check a bit, or a bit of time to reflect should I say!
Although, I do not think a letter from the GSCC or DoH stating my bursary is free to use as I wish, automatically disregards my bursary as income and the LA should accept that. I think they should accept a letter that states that parts of my bursary are 'intended' for specific purposes, as this would tie in with relevant HB regulations that exclude them as income.
I still can't get my head around the £4000 not having intended purposes. Surely someone somewhere has took in certain factors to get to that figure. The bursary is public money, are there no factors at all that make up that £4000? Maybe a board room of bankers shouted out a random figure!
Oh I don't know! Maybe I should just concentrate on my studies, I don't want to fall behind before I've even started.
At least I have my placement contribution back! :)
Thanks for your input Velma, gave me a different perspective.
hope you know I was only trying to explain it from the assessors point of view so it would make sense, am not trying to defend the system! Welfare as a whole does provide a safety net to many people but it still falls short in so many places... If you can cope with the stress of the appeal process then by all means go for it, but definitely approach it from the angle of pushing the bursary providers to explain/justify rather than the HCTB department. The latter would be an endless head and brick wall situation, really not worth it! I left benefits because I realised what a mess the system was. Its built on a principle of absolute fairness (in terms of exact taper calculations etc) but the application is completely inadequate.
Out of interest, have you been keeping tax credits fully informed of the funding decisions? Only reason I ask is that for my colleagues with kids, any panic in terms of reduction in monies was usually balanced by tax credits informing them that they'd make up the difference. Hope that applies to you also :)
I read this thread with interest as I am currently awaiting a letter from my LA explaining how they have calculated my income for HB purposes. I am in a somewhat different situation in that my husband isn't a student or in paid employment, and that last year I was studying the first year of a foundation degree (which I left after completing the year to start the BA Social Work).
I had a HB calculation in September where it appeared the SW bursary had been entirely disregarded, but I asked for it to be looked at again as I didn't think that was right and I didn't want to be landed with a massive overpayment of HB to pay back.
I have been unable to find any clear information on how the SW bursary should be treated in HB calculations. Normal University bursaries are treated as income if they are meant to cover normal living costs but are meant to be disregarded if they are for education-related costs such as books, equipment, travel etc. I had an underpayment of HB last year because my uni bursary was counted as income even though it clearly stated on the letter it was intended to cover the costs of higher education.
I will come back to this thread as I'm interested in the outcome. I will also anxiously await my HB letter to see what they've come up with this time.
Hi Divastrop,
My issue with the social work bursary is still ongoing!
My wife is currently in full time education at college so we got no extra financial support for that other than the adult dependents grant which we would get if she were unemployed. So it really depends how many children you have as I think it only really affects someone with 2 or more children.
After 2 months, several emails and phone calls I am STILL awaiting a proper reply with evidence that states the 'intended purpose' of the £4000. The £575 will be disregarded as it ties in with the Housing Benefit regulation 59(2c) which can be found here in part VI:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/213/pdfs/uksi_20060213_en.pdf
My MP, as useless as he may be, wrote to the Minister for Reform, Lord Freud, at the DWP on my behalf. In the reply the minister states:
'The bursary is made up of several components' (He fails to say what these components are, so how he knows this I don't know!)
'Therefore, the separate components of the social work bursary need to be identified clearly so that (my) LA can ascertain whether it can be disregarded or not under HB regulation 59(2)'
Now c'mon for Christ's sake, of course the components need to be identified clearly! I didn't need Lord Freud to tell me that! I replied to my MP to let him know his forwarded email was of no use whatsoever and a better course of action would be to email the Department of Health (as they fund and set policy for the bursary) and just ask for a breakdown of the bursary! I have already done this but given his position I thought he might get a quicker response!!!
The best is yet to come....
I had a reply from the Department of Health customer services which goes like this:
'Thank you for your email of 16 September about your social work bursary. I have been asked to reply.
There are no limitations on how you may use the £4,575 bursary. An amount for 'travel to practice' placements is separately identified with the bursary but it is your decision how to spend it - it is not ringfenced'.
Now, I have replied as politely as possible but as yet have no further reply.
My point over and over again is the £575 as already been disregarded by my LA because (1) 'it is identified' and (2) it states an 'intended purpose'
What I want identified is the £4000, is this so hard to understand?
There are no limitations on how I use the bursary because I have direct access to the cash!! I can use the £575 to buy a decent TV but it still has an intended purpose!
The £4000 is NOT made up, the amount was not picked out of a hat!
My tutor at Uni tells me that around 4 years ago the bursary was paid directly to the university. Tuition fees would be taken from it and travel costs were given individually by the uni whilst on placement.
Now, if this is the case, the bursary back then had an 'intended purpose'..you just had no choice to use it for any other purpose.
The same things taken into account to reach the bursary amount then (tuition fees ect), must be factored into the amount now and therefore have an intended purpose.
There is no way the £4000 was calculated on a living costs basis.
I think this is just a loop hole in HB regulations that they fully exploit. I do not blame the LA anymore, its is the Department of Health who need to make the bursary components clear.
I'll post replies as I get them .....
Hello there
I am in an identical situation.
The LA have told me I need to produce legislation to prove that either the bursary or parents learning allowence or any such parts should be disregarded. Does anybody know if this is definitely written anywhere?
Also i do pay my tuition fes from my bursary as I don't get a loan (previous degree) does that mean i can use the DOH legislation you put in your first post?
Right now for me this very well may mean I can' t continue on my course
Any help would be much apprecaited
I'm seeing a uni finace advisor on thurs, i really hope they can help!
Hi,
I have more children than you so certainly entitled to some HB, although currently we are getting nothing as the LA have decided I'm no longer a student now for reasons best known to themselves. I wish I'd just left it when they sent the original calculation which seemed too high, at least I would have been getting something!
I hope you get a clear response from somebody regarding the intended use of the bursary soon, good luck!
When I was in dispute with my LA last year over what should be disregarded from Student Finance, they referred to the Shelter handbook at one point. I also printed out a list from Direct.gov that set out which elements of Student Finance are classed as income for housing benefit purposes and took it in.
I have now been told my HB has been re-calculated, but they have not disregarded the £575 from the SW bursary. I told the person on the phone to have it looked at again, even though they seemed to think it was right.
Divastrop,
Has your HB now been re-calculated? Have the LA disregarded the £4000 and not the £575?
Going back to your post on Tuesday, your student finance breakdown with dates of payments will be evidence your a student, and you should also obtain a letter from the uni with start/end dates for the year. Take this letter to the LA because as a full time student you are also exempt from council tax.
Appeal any decision your not happy with, your LA have to send you a form if you request one, make sure the request is within 30 days of the decision. Any Housing Benefit award will continue to be paid whilst the appeal is ongoing and this would be back dated if the appeal went in your favour.
Knowing how they work out your entitlement is a bit confusing so I will use my current award as an example and try and explain step by step how they did it. This may help others gain a better understanding of theirs.
Child Benefit and Parent's Learning Allowance are or should be automatically disregarded. Appeal this straight away if not.
Income counted will be (Using mine as an example):
Child Tax Credit
Maintenance Loan
Maintenance Grant
Adult Dependents Grant (You should get this if you have a partner who is unemployed)
SW Bursary (Which is being disputed-reasons to follow)
so.......
My full Housing Benefit entitlement is £126.58 a week for a 3 bed property (This figure may differ with each LA)
I am allowed an income of £310.34 a week before I lose any of the £126.58 a week award.
The £310.34 is worked out like so:
Family Premium-£17.40
3 children @ £62.33-£186.99
Couple with at least one person aged above 18 -£105.95
Total = £17.40+£186.99+£105.95 (£310.34)
So, as said above, I can have an income of £310.34 a week before I lose any Housing Benefit (you will already be exempt for Council Tax)
Now, This is how my weekly income is worked out :
Child Tax Credit-£158.15 a week
Maintenance Loan - £56.76 a week (This amount is £3497 minus £693 for books and travel...£2804 divided by 42 weeks which is the period of study. So, £2804 divided by 42 = £66.76 a week minus a £10 a week disregard which I am unsure what for! The amount is therefore £56.76)
The amount here disregarded for travel is to and from uni, not placement! that is what the £575 from your bursary is for! So do not let your LA tell you otherwise.
Maintenance Grant £69.19 a week ( This is £2906 divided by 42 weeks)
Adult Dependents Grant £50.81 a week (This is £2642 divided by 52 weeks. It is 52 weeks because it sort of replaces JSA)
SW Bursary £76.92 a week (£4000 divided by 52 weeks...Minus the £575 I can prove has an intended purpose. It states this on your bursary letter)
So, my income is:
£158.15+£56.76+£69.19+£50.81+£76.92= £411.83 as total income to be counted
So..
My weekly threshold is £310.34
My weekly income is £411.83
I am over the weekly threshold by £101.49
The important bit here is: For every one pound over the £310.34 threshold, you lose 65p (65%) of you weekly Housing Benefit!
So, because I am £101.49 over the limit I lose:
£101.49 x 65% = £65.97 (this £65.97 i now lose from my weekly housing benefit award)
My maximum Housing Benefit award for my 3 bed property is:
£126.58
£126.58-£65.97 = £60.61 a week
My award is now £60.61 a week which is around £260 a month (My rent is £580) so I have to pay around £320 a month from my income.
So...if your brain is still intact, that is how your entitlement is worked out.
The importance of the bursary being counted as income is without it counted, my weekly income would be:
£411.83 - £76.92 = £334.91
Now I am only £24.57 over the threshold
65% of £24.57 is £15.97
£126.58 - £15.97 is £110.61
So, without the bursary counted as income, I would get £110.61 a week HB not £60.61
Because my student finance and child tax credit already take me over the weekly threshold, when the bursary is counted as income I automatically lose 65% of it..which is £2600!
So as I have said many times..I am finding it impossible to establish what the £4000 of the bursary is intended for!..I need its intended purpose because the Housing Benefit regulation only refers to any part of a grant being disregarded if it has an 'intended purpose', hence the £575 placement travel contribution.
Hopes this gives people a little more insight...
This LA website shows an Applicable amount table if its of any use:
http://www.eden.gov.uk/benefits-and-tax/benefits/applicable-amount-table/
Get back to you all soon.....
P.S Very important
The maintenance loan £56.76 and maintenance grant £69.19 are taken over 42 weeks (The period of study)
This is a weekly amount of £56.76+£69.19 = £125.95
So, when your study year ends, which should be around the end of June, £125.95 will come off your weekly income!!!!
This (for me it does) should take you back under the weekly threshold and from the time you finish the year you will be entitled to full housing benefit (£126.58 for me) over the 6-10 week period before you commence uni again in sept/oct.
The Adult Dependents Grant and SW bursary (for now!) are taken over 52 weeks, this will affect you if you plan to claim JSA or income support within the 6-10 week period as the grant and bursary will still be taken as income.
Ethan :)
Hi again and thank you for that very useful post. I have been unable to find anywhere which sets out how the HB is calculated as clearly as you have explained it before.
Last year I questioned where they got their figures from and when they wrote to explain it seems they had calculated all my student finance over 43 weeks, rather than just the maintenance loan and grant. I will check (when they write to me) if they have done the same this year with the ADG and query it if so. They also said that although the income was calculated over 43 weeks, it was applied at that amount for 52 weeks. I didn't bother to question that at the time as I was getting almost full HB (once they'd disregarded the uni bursary which they were meant to) so it didn't really matter.
I asked about the council tax exemption last year and was told that in order to apply that I would have to be removed from the claim and it be put in my partner's name. However, I spoke to somebody from my student union earlier this year about another financial matter and was told that the HB claim should have been in my partner's name from the start as he isn't a student. I was also told by Student Finance that if I am getting HB as a student then I should be getting the Special Support Grant rather than the maintenance grant.
Hopefully it will be sorted at some point soon :)
Thanks again.
Hey,
Yes its 42/43 weeks depending on your start/finish dates.
Make sure that even though they calculate it over 42/43 weeks they don't spread it over 52 because this may affect claiming any JSA/Income support over the holiday period.
I think the special support grant replaces the adult dependents grant if your both in full time education. This may apply to me tbh but my wife is at college not uni so i didn't think it applied to us. To much hassle to change now although I think the special support grant is definitely disregarded as income.
Regarding the council tax, you will be exempt full stop, even if your partner was employed. The charge would be for him/her. If he/she is unemployed then they wont have to pay council tax anyway so it doesn't matter who claims. Just take in your letter from uni with start finish dates.
Good Luck
Keep me posted.
It's been a long time since posting! I was wondering if you managed to come to any conclusions regarding the intended purpose of the social work bursary?
I got my council tax exemption in the end. I am currently trying to sort out what is going to happen at the end of June when the loan and grant income which they calculate over 42 weeks should technically be removed from my income calculation. Apparently there is nothing on the system saying that will happen at the moment, so I am trying to get them to look at it now before I go on placement, otherwise I won't know how much rent I need to pay when I get my last installments of student finance and bursary.
*Ethan*: Hey, Yes its 42/43 weeks depending on your start/finish dates. Make sure that even though they calculate it over 42/43 weeks they don't spread it over 52 because this may affect claiming any JSA/Income support over the holiday period. I think the special support grant replaces the adult dependents grant if your both in full time education. This may apply to me tbh but my wife is at college not uni so i didn't think it applied to us. To much hassle to change now although I think the special support grant is definitely disregarded as income. Regarding the council tax, you will be exempt full stop, even if your partner was employed. The charge would be for him/her. If he/she is unemployed then they wont have to pay council tax anyway so it doesn't matter who claims. Just take in your letter from uni with start finish dates. Good Luck Keep me posted.
always understood students cant claim jsa during holidays - i dont know of anyone who got it but i do know of epople who lied and got it (told them they were abroad working when trhey were at uni )