Student finance/housing benefit help

[daisyduke2001]

I was wondering if anybody can help me, I'm going out of my mind with stress. I started uni last september as a full time (2 days a week) student, i have also been a full time carer of my grandfather who is mentally ill for 4 and a half years and a lone parent. Over the years that I have cared for my Grandfather and been receiving carers allowance, the job centre has still always sent for me to attend these back to work interviews (stupid i know). The last interview i had i informed them that i was going to uni, which they made notes of and all of a sudden i didn't have to attend them every 3-6 months...I applied for all the student finance which i have received but I then had a letter a few months ago saying they needed to speak to me regarding payments that I had been receiving for my housing benefit and income support, i attended an interview and they suspended my claim saying they need to get me on the correct payments, 3 months down the line they still haven't sorted it, i have had to porn all my jewellery and use my grandfathers money that normally pays for his rest bite care to pay the rent, i have lost count at the amount of times i have contacted the housing benefit and i just keep getting fobbed off and told that they will sort is asap, i have explained that i can't afford to put my grandfather in rest bite and that i really need a break as looking after him is mentally and physically tiring and my daughter is starting to feel neglected but they just don't seem to care.
My rent is £670 per month and I was receiving £124 a week towards my rent but haven't had anything since the end of may, i receive carers allowance at £57 a week, child tax credit at £59 a week and Income support £70 a fortnight. I have now been told that i might not be entitled to Housing Benefit because of the student finance! I would really appreciate any information anybody has on this because I am just reading so many conflicting stories.

Thanks

I'm not really sure what you're asking.

I don't think 2 days a week counts as full time.

However, when I was at university as a lone parent full time student finance covered all my costs during term time when I wasn't entitled to any benefits, including Housing Benefit.

I was able to claim HB and IS during university holidays because student finances didn't cover that.

Except for September when I wasn't entitled to any benefits, but didn't receive any student finance either.

I did have a lot of difficulty getting the two systems reconciled in the early days. The benefits system isn't really geared up for students in this position. I spent a lot of time on the phone, writing letters and visiting my local councillors.

Sorry maybe i wasn't clear enough, What i wanted to know was if i am entitled to any housing benefit or not and if i am do they cut it by a certain percentage?

Thanks

As far as I know you are not entitled to HB as a higher education student unless you are a single parent or have a disability yourself. Your student loan is meant to pay your rent, etc. See the following

www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_10034876

Are you a lone parent? If so, you are entitled to housing benefit, providing it's a full time course. 'Full time' for the purpose of the housing benefit, doesn't mean 9-5 Monday to Friday, but the number of modules you take. If you're only in for 2 full days a week, it can very well be a full time course as you're expected to study for the rest of the time. They will take your student finances into account when they assess your entitlement though, so you may not get as much as you used to.

The University student support will be able to help with some advice, and possibly some money until the council sort themselves out. I'd pop and see your MP, councils can be useless and a phone call from your MP will give them a rocket up their arse.

I'm a full time student. When I was a lone parent student I received HB, reduced to take into account student finance. When I moved in with DH we still got some HB as he was a student too. You won't get IS as you have a maintenance loan.

Go and see the welfare office of your University. They will have money available to help students in financial hardship (Access to Learning Fund). Parents are a priority for this payment.

All you can do with HB is keep pestering. I know how difficult it is, our money was messed up the year before last. I hope it's sorted soon for you.

Your uni course cannot be full time if you are still getting carers allowance for your grandad

You can't get Carer's Allowance if you're in full-time education with 21 hours or more a week of supervised study - or doing a course described as full-time by the college or establishment providing it.

I am a full time student, currently attend 2 1/2 days of lectures, so yes that is full time.

You are not entitled to Income support and that is the problem. Income support automatically entitles you to full HB. so you have been drasticly over payed on both benifits for the whole year. That will mean you owe a fair bit. Make sure you put in writting that you are a full time university student and have been since (date of first lecture or induction day last year) september 2011.

As a ft university student I recieve some HB to help towards a % of my rent and tax credits and student finance. That is all.

The problem you will face now is that you will have to pay all over payments back. It is your responsibility to inform the relevent agencies of any changes no matter how significant or insignificant. Housing benifit use your income from student finance to work out your entitlement therefor you should have informed them when you went to uni. If you did onform them and have your paperwork copied then yopu need to appeal when they send out what you have been over paid. You must speak to superviser responsible for yiour case at the housing office ASAP.

Also go to your uni finance centre and ask for help and advice, if you are a loan parent or have adult dependants then you may be able to claim access to learning fund, but this runs out so go and get it sorted asap.

cantspell i thing op has been claiming for benifits she is not entitled to sadly this is probably down to being misinformed in the first place.

I have been told I am entitled to my carers allowance though????? jesus christ this is getting so frustrating, what gets me is that My grandfather needs 24/7 care he is incontinent, needs feeding most of the time and can't be left on his own, and the government says you can't get carers allowance unless you look after them 35 hours or more which is full time job hours and then pay you £57 a week for it but set the minimum wage at £6.09 per hour don't let me claim working tax credit even though its a full time job and say they make up for it with Income support at £70 a fortnight, I try and get a degree under my belt and if it is true that i won't be entitled to any housing benefit I will not be able to continue with the course because the costings for me getting to uni and having my grandfather looked after whilst am there are far to high. :(
hadenough.com .... thank you all for your answers

have you claimed student finance as having an adult dependant and a child dependant?

You may be entitled to HB, the only way to find out is to claim it.

I strongle recomend that you talk to someone at your university student finance centre and they can tell you what you may be able to claim.

Oh I missed it being last September not this year. I'm sorry OP but I think any entitlement you get for this year with HB may end up swallowed up with repaying the repayments from last year :(.

The welfare office at your university should still be able to give you some help though.

cab or , most local authorities have a benefits advisor who will check your circumstances to ensure you are claiming all your entitled too ,worth calling them

in my experience as a student all benifits advisors say you are not entitled to or may not be entitled to (and so they discourage you from applying), that is because of the vast difference in student finance payments to individuals based on circumstances. The uni student finance centre are definatly the best people to advice you based on your own circumstances.