To just withdraw all my savings and keep cash under my mattress as they keep messing up my benefits claim

[feellikeahugefailure]

I don't have much, a few thousand for emergency. But it really complicates claiming benefits.

I've sent them screen shots of the accounts, but they wanted "documentary evidence". I've sent the statements but as they are online there isn't much paperwork and the statements are only generated once a year. So i've sent the out of date statements generated months ago and they say there are discrepancys with the amounts.

Of course there are they are months old! When I claimed on the form I put in the exact amounts at the time of claiming and screen shotted all of these accounts and sent them in.

Every time I reply they ask for something different or ask me something that I've already confirmed on my initial form when I claimed. They reply by second class post rather than an efficient online system so I've had 5 sets of ping pong letters over a month.

It's wasting alot of my time for simple stuff that I provided in the first place.

Just print off the last 3 month statements or ring the bank to send them to you? It's not that hard?

I just did mine they wanted 5 bank accounts (even tho 3 had no activity )

And evidence of a £10 premium bond I've had from birth.

Walk into your branch and ask for counter statements and get them stamped.

Your problem is they will want the last 3 months not historical ones or screen shots

The eaiest way is to ask your bank to start sending you monthly statements. You won't beat the benefits system. They have their little rules and won't budge. and if you've already declared you have the money there isn't any point in now denying you do have it. The benefits system in the UK is totally crazy.

You are better off switching to regular paper statements, it's a waste of trees but better for dealing with bureaucracy. And the money would be better off in a current account (one of the ones with higher rates) than savings at the moment, so that should generate monthly statements.

Although, I am in a similar position and always keep my savings out of the banks. I don't have to report them anyway as it's under £5.5k (you can have £6k but my council says you have to show statements if over £5.5k) but it makes the form filling so much easier!

Well it is that hard when the bank only give yearly statements.

Agree with the PP and what happened to her 80 y/o mum. This isn't endearing me to the system, its just making me think whats the point in bothering to save if the people that just spunk all their money are entitled to more. Luckily I should get it, 5th time lucky hopefully just replied to them today.

Well done for managing to save!

I'd take your money out and put it some where safer than fort knocks.

Been there many a time, OP. What I had to do was go into the bank, get them to print off a statement for the last three months, rubberstamp each page with their official stamp, then send in the originals as proof.

Anything you print off or photocopy yourself isn't acceptable to them as we are all thieving cheating scroungers who will doctor the paperwork to make ourselves look poorer.

Even if you took out the money and said you'd spent it on something, they would ask for the receipts.

I even had to provide receipts for money I had spent from my savings two months before claiming. and write a letter justifying the expenditure.

I feel your pain. I declared a number of years ago a small savings account that was a Government scheme. You got a fixed interest rate, but no statements, only the opening paperwork. I regretted declaring it as it took me ages to sort out with benefits people, and wasn't relevant anyway.

Seems to have taken hours to get all the paperwork ready, will post it off and hope for the best.

Next time I'll just keep it in cash tbh.

I thought they could just do a search on my name to show all my money if they didn't want to believe me. Its only council tax support im asking for

Go to the bank ask them to write a letter. I had the same with my ISA. The interest went in once a year but several months prior to my claim. I got a letter from the bank saying that on x date my balance was y.

My bank is charging me for statements I've requested, I thought I was saving them money by being paper free?!

As far as I am aware they ask for receipts and proof of purchase though. I don't know if that has changed.

They don't like claimants paying off student loans, because if their income is low enough to be on benefits it's below the threshold for repaying the loan, so they don't have repayments that are leaving them without enough to live on.

But clearing credit card debt, loans etc is fine, as it reduces outgoings.

My online savings account only issues an online statement once a year but if I put in dates, say from 6 months ago to present day, that will come up with a page that will show today’s date.

@Greyponcho benefits are for emergencies. Not a way of living. So many working people can’t save for a ‘house deposit’. Why should they pay for you to sit on money for that?
In the OP’s case a few thousand is hardly riches and IMO keeping it in cash is the best idea ; can you also get traveller’s checks or similar?

Why should the tax payer fund your house deposit exactly?

benefits are for people IN NEED not to fund large savings accounts.

FFS

Overpay your gas bill instead. The rate is more like 5% and the DWP don't bother you.

Argh, zombie!

If you mail me your address Ill pop over and help you with your mattress !

Love how these threads always descend into slagging the DWP off.

They're not jobsworths, it's called doing your job properly.

Online statements are an absolute nightmare from an assessors point of view as can pretty easily be manipulated e.g. missing off page numbers. Even proper hard copy tatements can be used to hide income (non consecutive page numbers but the pre and post missing page showing the same date)

Assessors really don't care. They have no agenda. You qualify you get whatever it is as long as you evidence that you do qualify.

I don't miss it as it's soul destroying. Being treated like utter scum by far too many people does that.

Buy gold jewellery.

This thread is from 2016. Everybody hush now.
The ZOMBIES ARE COMING!!!

Not zombies - dwp staff after work party.

They are a way of living for people unable to work.
Should people unable to work, forever have to justify any big spending for the rest of their lives? Are they not allowed any savings?

@XenoBitch the poster I was replying to clearly stated she was jobless ‘after uni’. No
And yes, if people are ‘unable to work’ but manage to amass big savings then they shouldn’t be on benefits.
this is a zombie thread anyway…