I am having trouble with a particular question on the application form (SF500) for a budgeting loan It is the question on Part 4 of the form 'Tell us the date you have been getting any of these benefits or entitlements in the last 26 weeks' . I have been getting part income support part incapacity benefit for more than 26 weeks. do I put the date in when I STARTED getting income support over a year ago or from the date 26 weeks ago to current date (date of last Income support payment) I am puzzled about this Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

My brother has been ill for a couple of years now and has not worked since 2005. A debt was passed on to Capquest from the Halifax building society originally £300 but rose to £425. He had been paying £1 a month to Capquest (this was sorted out with the CAB) as he is on Invalidity Benefit.. A letter arrived this morning to say that investigations by them have indicated that he is in employment, and that proceedings have been instigated and the Court awards judgement, he will be required to pay the monies owed forthwith. HE HAS NOT BEEN IN A JOB FOR OVER 2 YEARS. This letter even says that the judge may decide to commit him to prison if he does not attend to be questioned, or attend but refuse to take an oath or answer questions. I am so worried about him as he is a very ill man (on 11 tablets a day) he has extreme breathing problems. He has to attend a specialist on a regular basis. Please advise as i am fearful for his health because of this threatening letter. He has never denied owing this money and thought that the arrrangement through the CAB was alright. This company never seem to let up and they had been ringing him but as he is in sheltered accommodation now they don't have his new number. Thank goodness. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in anticipation.

Many thanks for your swift reply to me. Your advice is very good and most reassuring and has taken a lot of pressure off me just having someone to run this by. Thanks for your supportive hugs and I will pass on your best wishes on to Jon when he wakes up. He went to bed at 10.00 last night which is early for him, but the events of the day really took their toll on him. It's comforting to know that there are people like you out there Love and best wishes to you and your family and many, many thanks again. X Tina

thanks so much for your reply to me. I was up until 3.30 this morning putting together a letter to the bank on my son's behalf. I am going to run it past him when he gets up later this morning as he doesn't know I have done this yet. He is convalecsing from a very serious illness and I fear this has really set him back again. Do you think I should enclose a letter from myself to the bank and to the woman from the fraud team expressing my disgust at the situation he finds himself in due to the bank error? He is upset but he is worried that I am making a fuss. We have had so much to cope with over the past few months because of Jon' s illness and I feel so strongly about this. What is your take on this as I am feeling so vulnerable myself and just want to do the right thing for my son. I have the name and number of the woman in the fraud team that my son spoke to yesterday - I am in two minds whether to ring her. I have to find out her address to send the letter to anyway so I may have to speak to her anyway. Thanks so much for your help and advice I really appreciate it Best wishes Tina

My son went to his Lloyds bank hole-in-the-wall to withdraw some money today 29th November 2007. I was with him as he had been to the doctors after being discharged from a lengthy stay in hospital. He could not get any money out so went into the bank to find out why. When the bank teller looked at his account she stated that all the money he had in his account (£250) had been taken out and paid online to a company called UNIBET INTERNATIONAL whom he had never heard of on 27th November 07. On closer inspection the card number on the statement was different from the card number on his card. The card number was the card number of the stolen Lloyds card which he had lost in November 2006 and which he had reported to Lloyds when he found it lost in November 06. When the cashier in Lloyds turned the computer screen towards us it showed onscreen the word STOLEN Card on his account next to a November 06 date. We spent quite a long time getting through to The Debit Card Fraud Team from a room in the bank. My son started to explain what had happened and that he couldn't understand why the money had been released based on his stolen card details. The official at the Debit Card Fraud Team said the transaction wasn't authorised by them and that the money which was stolen would probably be put back into his account. As he is convalescing from a serious illness all this has just set him back again. How could this happen when he had reported the loss/theft of his card directly to his bank last year. He is very very apprehensive to allow any payments of his Invalidity Benefit to be paid into his account now and expressed this to the local Lloyds branch bank official who had been made aware of the situation. He asked if a new account could be issued but she was reluctant to do this. He then opened a Post Office account in order that payments could be made into a new account in the future as he has lost confidence in the bank. Your advice would be much appreciated.

thank you JonCris I am downloading Adobe Reader now. I had uninstalled it due to PC problems last week.

thanks for the advice Van and JonCris. I have looked for the form but I don't know which one it is on the list.

Is there a letter template I could use when when the bank has already taken JSA payments out of my son's account. Does anyone know the procedure for taking over my sons affairs while he is ill. I am so worried for him. He had taken a mental breakdown and just cannot cope with things and I am trying to sort everything out for him. He has completely shut down mentally (I am attending the doctor with him this afternoon) I just don't know where to turn or what to do. I suffer from arthritis and also on Incapacity Benefit, so cannot afford to handle these things financially through a solicitor.

Is there a letter template I could use when when the bank has already taken JSA payments out of my son's account. Does anyone know the procedure for taking over my sons affairs whild he is ill. I am so worried for him. He had taken a mental breakdown and just cannot cope with things and I am trying to sort everything out for him. He has completely shut down mentally (I am attending the doctor with him this afternoon) I just don't know where to turn or what to do.

Is there anything I can do about a mail order company adding on £20.00 late payment charge for a debt of £14.61. They have sent the £14.61 debt to a solicitors and it has gone up to £150.00 including court fees. It is so unfair. I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks. Tinacee1

Thanks for your welcome to the site. I jumped the gun and posted 2 mailings before I introduced myself on the welcome board. Sorry. It is great that there are groups like this online. Many people have nowhere to go when they encounter problems regarding their finances. Cheers. Tinacee1