The student finance people are demanding MY customer reference number to support my daughters application - I took out one loan on paper in 1992

[CottonOn]

I of course have no idea what it is. It says it doesn’t matter how long ago it was and to use the customer number I was given even if it was completed ‘on paper’ (it was) The website says NO when I give it my ID details and tells me to call a 0300 number at 16p per minute and tells me the wait is at least 45 minutes. I’m not even in the UK this month so it will be astronomical. HELP! This can’t be normal - what am I missing? Other than ancient documents? I can’t see any other way. My husband is going to have the same problem.

I guess - I kind of want to check I’m not going to blow up her education with something that MUST have a commonplace answer though? I’m 49 - I took 500 quid in a student loan in 1992 - I have no idea why they need to link this crap
up?

Will she actually get more than the minimum loan? If your combined household income (you and dh) is over about £70000, could be lower then she will only be able to have the minimum loan anyway and you don't need to fill in any forms, just give her loads of money each year instead.

@Unexpecteddrivinginstructor 😂

It is as the OP says it is- if you have ever had student finance, it asks for your number when filling in to support your dependants form. Not theirs.
If I remember right they can't give you it over the phone either, they have to take some details and post it out to you.

The form someone mentioned is the way to go about it.

Yes, get that form. This happened to me last year and I can't believe they're still giving people the same old runaround. The system is hopeless and it took weeks to sort it all out on paper.

Oh jeez - will she get her money on time?

I had to do this.

It's a pain. Yes they do keep all the information.

Yes, we did get it all sorted in time. I think at one point I resorted to querying them on their facebook page, which got a quick response - that might be worth doing if all else fails.

This is exactly what DH and I had to do when dc applied in their first year. Applying online was completely impossible. So we downloaded the forms, completed them, made photocopies of everything and sent them in the post. It turned out fine.

can you screenshot the message Op?

For the TLDR crowd that might find this in coming days (years maybe) it would seem I need something named PFF2… several lovely people pointed me in the right direction. This
is a totally silly system.

I have exactly the same, online give your e-mail you used to apply, hmm didn't have an e-mail then well phone us. Phone 30 min wait with annoying messages. Then guy answers and explain and he says I will just ask someone else then I get name? I said whose name? Then he asked supervisor who said my name then its my d.o.b. Then he asks for my address. I say but it won't be on your system and he repeats current address. Give it him. Then no that's a fail. Ask if can try another address no its one try only. Then he says phone number, your phone number maybe when you applied in the 1990s. Gave only phone number I remember from then and no its failed you on address. Fill in paper form. Its 10 pages he says, its actually 14. You get it on gov.uk and its the PFF2 form. Said can e-mail it back. Ask to speak to a manager but he can't solve it either.

Bloody hell - what a daft mess

Good grief - can I ask roughly what date this started at and if they got the funding in time for start of the course??

Its for this year, just phoned today.

Plug your approximate taxable household income into here https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/university-living-costs-calculator/ and see if she will get any more than the minimum loan anyway. Our joint income is over the threshold so she doesn't get any more than the minimum loan.

I can’t without giving out her name, but it’s abundantly clear it knows she is the applicant and I am the parent and then says

Have you ever applied for student finance before?
Let us know if you've ever applied for student finance from the UK Government. It doesn't matter how long ago you applied, if it was online or using a paper form, or if you applied to us or your local authority.
Have you ever applied for student finance before?
Yes, I have applied for student finance before
No, I haven't applied for student finance before

This is a thing. I had to write a letter with all the information about course and loan I could remember and they sent me reset details.

I’m 50 this year so my loan was 25 years prior at least! Ridiculous system!

It says if you wrongly put you haven't had finance yourself you will cause delays.

They mean you, the parent.

If it’s any help, student finance were able to find my student loan reference number and set up my online account by phone on the 0300 SFE number when my eldest applied (the call should be free if you have inclusive minutes). It was an old paper application (the first year of student loans) and it was paid off in the mid 90s. TBF, it was 7 years go though… Might be worth a go.

It is a crazy system and it must take so much staff time to match up paper forms with no apparent benefit. Money the dc are paying for in the interest on their loans.

Then if SHE is the applicant, the questions are aimed at her, surely. They are asking HER if she has ever applied for student finance before. So she'd just tick No, I haven't applied for student finance before, surely?

I have never been asked to give details of my own student loan history when my children have applied for student finance.

No, it’s abundantly clear it knows I’m the parent. It states it at the top of the page.