benefits we are entitled to

[poochie]

my husband and I seperated due to debt problems last year.
we have been struggling to pay our trust deeds and also mortgage on this property and a flat that he had.

as single parent with 2 kids, I was gettin £167 from tax credits and £30 child beneftit each week as well as my wage of £120 per week.

my husband paid most of bills durin this time so I coudl use my wage for kids clothes, out of school care whilst I worked and alos food bills and school meals and travel etc.

We have decided we are gettin back together and we have been tryin to see what benefits we would get because we still would be strugglin together.

I have just done a benefits check on a link someone put on another post and it says we would get £211 tax credit and child tax credit per week.

surely this is wrong because we cant get more as a couple as I did as single parent.

My husband earns £35,000 per year and I earn around £6000 per year and we get £30 child benefit. We pay around £20 per week childcare durin school term and £30 durin school holidays.
We are in scotland so I dont know if this makes difference from english benefit checker...Im not sure if its all the same no matter where ye live.

does anyone know if the calculation I got was correct or if I need to check another site.

thanx

[Sapphire]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

Hiya I'm sorry I've no idea on benefits in either England or Scotland, so I have bumped this up in hope that someone else will pop along with more knowledge.

[poochie]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

thanx saphire.... I filled in a tax credit form today anyways and will post it tomorrow....

[enaid]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

Hi Poochie, I think the on line calculator is only an estimate and I think you need to get on to Welfare Rights to see what you are properly entited to, although I do believve you will be worse off, benefit and actual income wise as a couple. Very sad imo but just the way things are for now.
Enaid x

[Amethyst]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

The most comprehensive benefits estimater is the DirectGov one https://www.dwpe-services.direct.gov...8.__ora_navig=

On there it looks like £98 week child tax, £106 working tax and £33.70 child benefit which scans with what you got. It includes the childcare element, and it comes out better as a couple because you both work. Don;'t forget your council tax will go back up to normal rate (if you were on single persons discount that is). But I agree with you it does seem on the high side...so I wouldnt count on those figures when planning ahead just yet.

By way of comparison, I don't work, OH does and gets pretty much the same as your husband, and I get £40 week CTC and £47 CB for 3 children. When I was single I got £139 CTC and £47 CB....and income support £60.50 (I would have got CTB and HB as well if it wasn't for the equity in my ex's property) so it went down a lot by becoming a couple, which makes yours seem high, but you do get the additional elements for working and for child care.

Moving from a single to a joint claim can be a pain in the bum as they, for some reason unbeknown to man, can;t just update your single claim to a joint claim, they have to stop you single claim, and start afresh with the joint claim....be careful with your timings as when I did the same it took them 8 weeks to sort it out and during those 8 weeks I didn't receive anything other than my child benefits. If I ever have to do it again I will save before hand to cover the changeover period.

Good news that you are giving it another shot as a couple

[poochie]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

thanx guys..... yeah we took long time in deciding to get back together because debt drove us apart ( his ex wife running up debt on a card he gave her to buy clothes for kids etc without my knowledge and we were already paying her £300 per month for 2 kids so she was well off having credit card as well...... but he learnt valuable lesson now hopefully... he can be good dad without being flashy with cash we didnt have considering we have 2 of our own kids)
we had to enter into trust deed to sort our debt out but we getting sorted now but I was told to apply for tax credits in joint names now and they have already stopped my tax credit payments till they sort new claim out..... they stopped it as soon as I phoned them to discuss making joint claim.
I have posted the forms away so its just a waiting game now.....

all help and advice much appreciated

[poochie]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

I got letter today from tax credit syin I have been overpaid £918.02
how could I have been overpaid that amount since I contacted them on 2nd february to change my claim and they said my payments would be suspended right away, (but they were not because on sunday they put payment into my account as normal but I have not touched it), so from date I contacted them till today, they say Im due them £918 ?????
I also got letter saying my payments where calculated up till 5th April 2011 so my husband and a friend have said they may continue to pay me till that date but Im not happy with that because they want the £918 repaid by 5th march 2011.
Surely this is all wrong and they should have stopped paying me and I would owe them nothing now apart form last sundays payment which is till in my account.
Someone also mentioned that because they are still paying me, they cannot claim it back because its their error!
Im really confused with it all and just want everything sorted so we are above board in our benefits claims.

can anyone advise please....thanx

[poochie]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

can anyone help with this...thanx

[Amethyst]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

When did you put down as the date OH moved back in ?

I had an OP when I changed mine too. They don't tally up (because they are stupid) that the single claim is ending but the joint claim is starting and therefore they don't account for your joint claim entitlement - thus they just see it as an overpayment.

So you won't have to pay it, other than possibly the diffeence between joint and single awards for the period between OH moving in and single claim stopping...if that makes sense.

I got letter today from tax credit syin I have been overpaid £918.02
how could I have been overpaid that amount since I contacted them on 2nd february to change my claim and they said my payments would be suspended right away, (but they were not because on sunday they put payment into my account as normal but I have not touched it), so from date I contacted them till today, they say Im due them £918 ?????
I also got letter saying my payments where calculated up till 5th April 2011 so my husband and a friend have said they may continue to pay me till that date but Im not happy with that because they want the £918 repaid by 5th march 2011.
Surely this is all wrong and they should have stopped paying me and I would owe them nothing now apart form last sundays payment which is till in my account.
Someone also mentioned that because they are still paying me, they cannot claim it back because its their error!
Im really confused with it all and just want everything sorted so we are above board in our benefits claims.

can anyone advise please....thanx

[Amethyst]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

Okay that doesn't make much sense.


Single claim you got £100 a month (yes I know its wrong but for ease to show what I mean)

Say hubby moved in on 1st Jan

You tell them on 1st Feb

They stop your single claim as from 1st Jan, and 1st Jan to 1st Feb are, in their eyes overpayments so £100 is overpaid.

But your joint claim starts on 1st Jan. Joint claim is £50 per month.

So the overpayment for 1st Jan to 1st Feb is actually £50.

That makes a bit more sense.

Honestly they will sort it out and you won't get any hassle over the overpayment after the joint claim is awarded. It SHOULD be adjusted to pay back any overpayment on the single (as it will be back paid to when OH moved in).

[poochie]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

2nd February was date my hubby moved back in which is what they took note of.
7 days later they say Im overpaid £918 which is dfinately wrong.
I have had 2 reminders about overpayment now, and a bank giro slip to pay full amount by 16th March 2011.
I have noticed on the top of letter that it says " we have sent you this notice showing an overpayment of tax credits for the period ending 05/04/2010", which means they have stated the worng date on the letter because it should say 2011.
they are obviously wrong and i intend phoning them again tomorrow.....spent every free moment tryin to get thru today with no luck...it always said they were busy and to call back later

[di30]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

Hi there

I understand that they added that date, because that was the date they have stated they overpaid - at that time.
So it looks like they are pointing out that was when there were overpayments.
However, yes do contact them and ask them to confirm this to you, but I would otherwise request they send you the full details in writing as well.


It was like one of mine back some years ago, it was about a year on they confirmed they have lowered the weekly tax credits payments because of the overpayments the year before, something along those lines.

Good luck on this hun.

[cappo]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

The most comprehensive benefits estimater is the DirectGov one https://www.dwpe-services.direct.gov...8.__ora_navig=

On there it looks like £98 week child tax, £106 working tax and £33.70 child benefit which scans with what you got. It includes the childcare element, and it comes out better as a couple because you both work. Don;'t forget your council tax will go back up to normal rate (if you were on single persons discount that is). But I agree with you it does seem on the high side...so I wouldnt count on those figures when planning ahead just yet.

By way of comparison, I don't work, OH does and gets pretty much the same as your husband, and I get £40 week CTC and £47 CB for 3 children. When I was single I got £139 CTC and £47 CB....and income support £60.50 (I would have got CTB and HB as well if it wasn't for the equity in my ex's property) so it went down a lot by becoming a couple, which makes yours seem high, but you do get the additional elements for working and for child care.

Moving from a single to a joint claim can be a pain in the bum as they, for some reason unbeknown to man, can;t just update your single claim to a joint claim, they have to stop you single claim, and start afresh with the joint claim....be careful with your timings as when I did the same it took them 8 weeks to sort it out and during those 8 weeks I didn't receive anything other than my child benefits. If I ever have to do it again I will save before hand to cover the changeover period.

Good news that you are giving it another shot as a couple

i agree with ame it,s very good news that your back together,your stronger together than apart.

[di30]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

Hi

Also forgot to add as well, glad to hear your back together and I'm sure your both even stronger now and will get through this, all the best. x

[poochie]

Re: benefits we are entitled to

I have spoken to tax credit office today.
they said the overpayment I owe them is actually £1970 which dates back to 2009 when I was overpaid for my older child from april till november.
they said they were taking £5 per week of my award since last year but now that I am gettin joint award with husband, they cannot touch it because the overpayment was in my name so they cant touch a joint claim.
they want full payment or £50 per month.
I argued that they cannot expect me to believe that unless they send me detailed statement so I can check their figures and the lass said they dont do that but it should show on my award notices.... I argued that if I have to pay anythin, I want a statement of how that figures was made up etc but she said they aint sendin a statement because they dont do that, she was very intimidatin on phone and told me I need to set direct debit up now or legal proceedins would be lodged so I had to give my bank details and agree to the monthly amount they wanted but Im not happy they wont send statement to me.
I am also not happy that they overpaid me wen I remember on 2 occasions I had to write to them and phone them to say my daughter and son had left school and they were workin so its their fault not mine eyt they makin me out to be a criminal.
its also strange that I get letter sayin I owe £918 but my overpayment for last year is £242 and then after that all is paid back, then I have another overpayment of £300 to finish paying as well. If this is the case, then why wont they send me a statement?. Its not right and Im not happy about 3 seperate overpayments in space of a week since I notified them my husband was now living with us and we want to make joint claim.
It just sounds too fishy to me and it seems I have no way of knowing they telling truth or arguing or appealing this decision.
can anyone advise me please?....thanx