bursaries... maintenance... advice please

[lunavix]

I have posted this under student parents too as not sure what is more appropriate

I have tried bringing this up with the people at the bursary place but no help.

I've been awarded my bursary etc already. I know I'll get the child tax credits as not working, housing benefit (of some undetermined as of yet amount as I'm a single parent) no council tax etc etc.

H has offered £300 a month in maintenance and I have some concerns. My bursary is seperated into a few different sections, three of which are income assessed, and I believe one of those areas (childcare) is calculated seperately. I'm really worried it will have a negative impact on the money I have coming in.

If the childcare bursary people see it as an income of £300 a month and make their deductions, then the income assessed part of the bursary people see it as income and make their deductions. Then tax credits see it as income and make theirs, then housing benefit see it as income and make thier deductions...

I'm really worried the result could bring it down more than £300 a month. If it was exactly that amount eg ex gave me 300 and housing benefit took away 300, fine. But with all these different areas assessing it differently, I'm worried I won't know until too late.

Student bursaries have told me they can't make guesses or assumptions or what have you, they will only tell me by me reapplying and declaring it (although incidentally they also told me not to declare it till next academic year which I know will screw me over and they'll claim it all back in the end!)

Council has said the same about housing benefit...

Any clues?

oh incidentally apparently ex spoke to CSA, who have said they can arrange it so I'm paid 10 a week, and the rest is taken directly off benefit. Sounds odd, and when I asked if I'd still have to claim it as 300 maintenance he got narky and said he had no idea and didnt care

My original idea was he paid it into the kids trust accounts (which we can't touch) while it was all sorted out as he is putting pressure on but he sees this as me committing benefit fraud.

are you doing a degree or diploma? (which country are you in??

england, my course is just the one eg you do diploma then stay on for advanced or degree if you wish. Noone chooses now. If that makes sense!

I thought that the diploma was just a bog standard payment and not income assessed??

(im doing degree so dont know much about the diploma payments)

You could go to www.studentnurse. org
their forum is down at the moment, but if you go into 'chat' someone there should be able to answer your question.

let me see if i can find you a link- hang on.

here - see if you can get on here and ask the same

try here

yeah i asked briefly on the facebook group (use the forum quite a bit when its not down) but no luck.

The main part of the bursary is bog standard. Then theres a dependents bit and a single parents bit that add up to about half again.

Plus the childcare bit which is wholly income assessed and what i am panicking about!

Haven't you had any of the diploma bit?

They do it that way here so everyone gets it funded for first two years, then it's your choice to stay on and do degree. Minimise debt lol

Ok. The NHS bursary unit for some reason known to man, see maintenance as your child's income and therefore, your income. The housing benefit office at your local council also see this as income as they basically class any penny you can get hold of as income.

The NHS bursary now looks at your income, however, I get £2,400 off ds's dad, this only slightly reduced the amount of child bursary credit thingy (dependants allowance)I got, it didn't reduce it pound for pound. As for the childcare element, you only need to get 1p in dependants allowance to get this so I really wouldn't worry.

None of these benefits will be reduced pound for pound from any income you get. I know this system as I've spent the last 13 years working around it and inbetween.

What are you going to study?

child nursing

so dyou mean just tell them? as in accept the 300 and declare it?

I have no probs accepting it off h, in fact i am very grateful, and i have no probs getting less benefits. I will just be only very just breaking even (if I even manage it!) and for it to stuff up a little will make a big impact...

i will be getting 300 a month so thats half again.. shall i ask him for just 200 lol

I did child nursing. The have changed the busary system since I started though hold on, I'll have a look for you. It's not pound for pound though, they reduced mine by a hundred or so over the academic year because of the maintenance. I'd just tell them.

You can get extra money of your Uni or college, check out student services and their access to learning fund. It will give you (you don't have to repay) up to 3.5K, depending on your circumstances.

Thank you avena. I've decided just to accept it and hope it messes nothing much up! Could end up a fraction better off my allegiances don't lie with him being better off for obvious reasons lol