Hello.

I am a single mother with a just turned 18 son.

I have been notified that my Housing Benefit will be stopped as my child is now 18.

He is still at sixth form college until the summer, then hopefully will go to University near home.

I received a form from the Council now saying because he is 18 we are not entitled to housing benefit and he has been assessed as earning £9999 a week.

Yes you read that right.

In fact he earns nothing and is still studying his A level equivalents.

I have produced evidence to show this but they say it doesn't matter as he is not a dependent now.

Has anybody else encountered such a problem and what do I do?

I work part time on minimum wage and will still get child benefit and tax credits to make up,

but without the housing benefit and council tax rebate will be difficult to survive.

Hopefully someone can help here as Croydon Council have been extremely unhelpful.

Thank you in advance.

Hi and Welcome to CAG

I didnt think there was any connection to housing benefit and children...you claim the benefit not your dependants.....is it not in connection to Universal Credit ?

https://www.gov.uk/child-tax-credit-when-child-reaches-16

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/help-if-on-a-low-income/housing-benefit/help-with-your-rent-housing-benefit/

Regards

Andy

Hi and Welcome to CAG

 

I didnt think there was any connection to housing benefit and children...you claim the benefit not your dependants.....is it not in connection to Universal Credit ?

 

https://www.gov.uk/child-tax-credit-when-child-reaches-16

 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/help-if-on-a-low-income/housing-benefit/help-with-your-rent-housing-benefit/

 

Regards

 

Andy

From my search, it does seem Croydon is now a Universal Credit area and as such any claim for housing will have to be part of a Universal Credit claim.

Suggest a benefit calculator is used such as 'Entitled to' or 'Turn2us' , which will confirm what can be claimed.

I think councils in the absence of any notification of continued education, will assume a change of circumstances for an 18 year old e.g now in employment and the parents will have to submit a Universal Credit claim.

From my search, it does seem Croydon is now a Universal Credit area and as such any claim for housing will have to be part of a Universal Credit claim.

 

Suggest a benefit calculator is used such as 'Entitled to' or 'Turn2us' , which will confirm what can be claimed.

 

I think councils in the absence of any notification of continued education, will assume a change of circumstances for an 18 year old e.g now in employment and the parents will have to submit a Universal Credit claim.

Ok thank you. I have used the calculator you mentioned 'Entitled to' .

If I make a new Universal Credit Claim it says I should get £231 per week according to that. Which includes £65.96 Housing Benefit and £20.71 child allowance.

Up until my housing benefit was cancelled I get £660 per month and £190 per fortnight housing benefit. Croydon say the housing benefit is now cancelled, and the Benefits office says my benefit remains at £660 a month.

So I am over £200 worse off and they don't appear to have taken the loss of housing benefit into account?

So it seems they are abdicating their responsibility for housing benefit without updating universal credit is that it? Or do I have to make a new claim as it were? So confused. I thought it was due to my son being 18 now even though still at school not earning but maybe not?

Ok thank you. I have used the calculator you mentioned 'Entitled to' .

 

If I make a new Universal Credit Claim it says I should get £231 per week according to that. Which includes £65.96 Housing Benefit and £20.71 child allowance.

 

Up until my housing benefit was cancelled I get £660 per month and £190 per fortnight housing benefit. Croydon say the housing benefit is now cancelled, and the Benefits office says my benefit remains at £660 a month.

 

So I am over £200 worse off and they don't appear to have taken the loss of housing benefit into account?

 

So it seems they are abdicating their responsibility for housing benefit without updating universal credit is that it? Or do I have to make a new claim as it were? So confused. I thought it was due to my son being 18 now even though still at school not earning but maybe not?

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/housing_benefit/housing_benefit_deductions_when_living_with_non-dependants

Speak to Croydon Council Housing Benefits. See what evidence they want from you that your child has remained in full time education and there has not been any change in circumstances. With the evidence, they should just reinstate your housing benefit.

I think Croydon may have written asking about your child reaching 18 and if they did not get confirmation back re full time education, then they have presumed he is working contributing to families finances.

I explained this in my opening comments. I DID supply them all the information. However, thanks to the calculator given me here I was confident the decision was wrong. For that I thank those who suggested it.

Today, I spoke to a different person at Croydon office. A completely different attitude and she acknowledged they had the required documentation and did not understand how it could have been worked out otherwise and have re-instated the benefit. What is clear to me, is that many people who have jobs in the UK do not do them properly, especially in bureaucracies.

So thank you and it shows it is good to be persistent.

they are doing their job but the law allows them to make almost perverse decisions they know are utter cobblers because there is a rider in the law that absolves them from any responsibility for the calculations. They are entitled to assume anything they liek and get you to prove otherwise. So, your son earns £9999 a week because that is the highest amount they can enter into their calculator. Will they get a mark against them for being deliberately awkward? No, the council wants to save money so encourages such idiocy. The govt picks up the tab for appeals so they still dont lose out when they are told to do it properly. In the meanwhile you get kicked out of your house for being behind with the rent.

they are doing their job but the law allows them to make almost perverse decisions they know are utter cobblers because there is a rider in the law that absolves them from any responsibility for the calculations. They are entitled to assume anything they liek and get you to prove otherwise. So, your son earns £9999 a week because that is the highest amount they can enter into their calculator. Will they get a mark against them for being deliberately awkward? No, the council wants to save money so encourages such idiocy. The govt picks up the tab for appeals so they still dont lose out when they are told to do it properly. In the meanwhile you get kicked out of your house for being behind with the rent.

That does indeed seem to be the case. I can think of no other rational explanation.