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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DSs student finance, AIBU to just leave it be even though it's probably wrong?

37 replies

ProverbialOuthouse · 28/09/2017 07:52

DS (18) has just started University. I got a letter asking to support his student finance application and on it it asked me for my end of year income between 2014 and 2015. At the time I was working part time and a full time student myself so according to my P60 my EOY income was only £12k. I copied this to the penny onto the form.

The form also said "do not include your partners income as they will be asked separately". At the time DH (not DSs father) was earning around £32k but as it told me not to include this, I didn't.

We heard nothing more and DS has just been awarded the full loan of £7k. He's obviously over the moon as without it, he was really going to struggle as we have a lot of outgoings and 3 other kids and couldn't have supported him other than allowing him to live here cost free.

Thing is I know that if DHs income was included, he wouldn't have got the full loan and I'm pretty sure it SHOULD be included.

AIBU to just leave it as I did everything they asked me to? Also as it's a loan it's not like DS is actually getting free money from anywhere (like a benefit), he will have to pay it all back. Plus, if I say something and they take it off him, he'll struggle like hell.

So, AIBU to just leave it be unless they contact us again and ask for more info?

OP posts:
BarbarianMum · 28/09/2017 07:54

What was the plan if they'd calculated it correctly? Were you not planning to help him out? If so, wouldn't it be kinder to do that than to let him run up an even bigger debt?

Original poster
ProverbialOuthouse · 28/09/2017 07:58

I couldn't have helped him out other than allowing him to live here cost free. We have 3 other kids, one of which is autistic and my youngest has just left school and his Dickhead father has cut all financial support suddenly as "he's 16 now". Different issue entirely and not one I really want to go into but we couldn't have given DS1 an income of any kind and he would have been scraping through on bare bones.

OP posts:
NotTheCoolMum · 28/09/2017 08:03

DS can get a part time job, evenings and weekends.

Student loan isn't debt anyway it's just a graduate tax by another name. No need to worry @barbarianmum.

OP you can easily check the student finance website for the rules to see if his step dad's income should have been included or not. If they demand an overpayment back after DS has spent it then surely that would be worse than him never having had it in the first place.

CandyMelts · 28/09/2017 08:03

I'd take it, you provided the info they asked for and it's money he will repay - possibly many times over. If he's living at home that's a very good amount to live on so I'd encourage him to save what he can, maybe by getting a job as well. Especially if the loan goes down next year if they then calculate correctly.

I bet you trying to resolve this would cause a massive headache, the entire system is hopeless.

Ilovecoleslaw · 28/09/2017 08:05

I don't see how it would be wrong if you followed their instructions tbh

Original poster
ProverbialOuthouse · 28/09/2017 08:06

He does have a part time job but is struggling to get more hours - currently he's only contracted to 8 hours a week.

Next year the calculation will go down as my income doubled after that year. He is also planning to save as much as he can.

OP posts:
pinkdelight · 28/09/2017 08:10

Might be ignorant here, but unless your DH adopted your DS, wouldn't it be his father's income that is taken into account, assuming he's got PR? Despite the line about your DP being contacted separately, wouldn't have thought he's obliged to support your DS in the eyes of the uni? If DS's dad is not on the scene then it's only your income that's relevant anyway. Unless things have changed recently.

pinkdelight · 28/09/2017 08:11

x-posted with your dickhead father update. He does indeed sound a dickhead and if you went through the court he's supposed to keep supporting DS. But my point still stands that it shouldn't be calculated with your DP's income anyway as far as I'm aware.

donajimena · 28/09/2017 08:12

I'm also interested to know what happens in step families!

emma6776 · 28/09/2017 08:16

When I was at uni (100 million years ago) it was definitely the birth fathers income you needed to put down. Two of my flat mates had (wealthy) step dads and their income wasn't considered. I assume this is because they could have had family responsibility/maintenance to pay elsewhere. I wouldn't rock ththat boat - as you say it all get paid back eventually - it's not like a grant where it could potentially have gone to someone more deserving x

Columbine1 · 28/09/2017 08:17

Yr son should aim to do max 14-16 hrs during semester/term or it begins to impinge on his studies. Speaking as a lecturer/tutor who has seen this happen.
He can work fulltime in holidays. DPs son does this (has actually stopped term time work now) & manages on minimum loan with little money from family.

lalaloopyhead · 28/09/2017 08:18

Step-Dads income should definitely be included pinkdelight, as I found out this year. The loan in based on household income now, not parental income - and tbh I can't work out if that is fair or not. My DDs Dad doesn't work and doesn't contribute a penny (and hasn't for years) so would have been far better off in the old system, whereas it is assumed that her step dad will financially contribute.

OP did your OH get the email requesting his information and did he submit it? Did you DS include him on his original loan application? If you have filled in everything there shouldn't be a problem, and if your DH didn't submit his information I would have thought he would be chased up on this.

Other children are taken into account in the loan calculation, our combined income was a bit more that yours for the period and we have 2 other dc, I think DD got about 5.5k so it is not impossible that your DS would get 7K with all the correct info?

bigbluebus · 28/09/2017 08:19

Student loans are calculated on the household income. There have been many threads on MN about the unfairness of step parents having income taken into account whilst the biological parent gets off scot free because the young person doesn't live with them.
I think the error here has arisen in the info your DS has supplied in his original application. If your DH has been supporting him as part of the household then his details should also have been given and he would then have got the same email requesting his income for that period too.

What you do about it is up to you and your DS but be prepared for it all to come out in the wash in future as he has to re apply every year and you will be supplying financial info each time. No doubt the agreement he signs has a declaration that he has supplied all the true and correct information!

pinkdelight · 28/09/2017 08:22

Ah thanks for the info lala. That doesn't seem fair to me, assuming the step-parent will contribute but not the birth parent. Seems to run contrary to other maintenance situations. Maybe they just went for the system that was more economical for them, unfairly.

MrTrebus · 28/09/2017 08:23

When I got a student loan they were giving them away like nobody's business! My parents earned around £100k between them and I still got the full loan. This was about 12 years ago not sure how much it has changed though! So I wouldn't worry anyway,if it's ever raised as an issue as tosee a copy of the form you signed where it says not to include partners income.

MrTrebus · 28/09/2017 08:23

*other parent's income I mean!

crimsonlake · 28/09/2017 08:27

I am not sure about this but I am a single parent with 2 sons at uni. When filling out the forms to support their application it has always been based on my income alone as they live with me. I dont recall ever seeing any wording relating to a partners income as I just think it is worded as household income. I do remember when they first applied for student finance I had to supply a copy of my Decree Absolute. In order for your son to avoid having to repay the amount early I should ring student finance and clarify the situation personally.

Original poster
ProverbialOuthouse · 28/09/2017 08:27

I don't think the system is fair at all. He has a (Dickhead) father who basically gets away Scott free yet another bloke who he's only known 5 years is expected to financially support him? It's just wrong.

I suspect that DS didn't put DH on the initial application form. He denies this and says he filled it all in correctly so I'm thinking if it all goes tits up, he only has himself to blame? (Sounds harsh but I have asked him numerous times if he filled it in properly and he insists that he did).

OP posts:
SWtobe · 28/09/2017 08:29

Sounds like he might have put you down as a single parent

PoorYorick · 28/09/2017 08:30

I'd say you completed the form correctly and honestly as requested and your son will repay it anyway, so don't sweat.

Original poster
ProverbialOuthouse · 28/09/2017 08:32

But surely as it's a government thing they will know that someone else lives with me?

OP posts:
gingermary · 28/09/2017 08:33

When I did my degree about 14 years ago it was based on the income of parent I resided with. So for me it was my mum and my dad for my brother.

Coffeeandcherrypie · 28/09/2017 08:34

Is that £7k per year? Why does he need so much money if he's living rent free at home?

Margomyhero · 28/09/2017 08:38

My DS started University last September - and I discussed this over the phone with student finance.

It's the household income that is counted - so as my DS lives with me and my DH (stepdad to my son) that is the figure we had to use. If DS resided with his own father he would have been able to borrow muich more as his father is on a much lower income.

As we earn at the top limit I didn't even have to fill out the form, just had to state that we weren't supporting his application. So he can borrow the lowest amount of maintenance (covers his rent)

Notenoughtime123 · 28/09/2017 08:40

Your husband should have filled in details. My husband and our eldests step dad filled in his details income as its household income that counts. I don't work as Look after our other children. Other dependent children in household has a bearing on loans. £7 is a lot of income if your son is living at home. I'd encourage him to not get used to thatthe as next year he should get less. The minimum student loan is £3.something k so with that and an 8 hr a week job he should be fine and he may get more really

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