Any Housing benefit workers?

[jadeybags]

Hi

Are there any housing benefit staff that come on here?

I am getting so frustrated at the moment, apart from still waiting for my first months accounts back (last april) I don't feel I can improve in my self employed work.

I know I can make more profit but am too scared to. I am down for £100 per week profit self employed, that's what my housing benefit is based on & am now scared to go over that. But I want to build the business up!

I don't understand how it all works with housing benefit. I only have to pay £26 per week towards my rent at the moment.

I don't mind paying more, but I can't guarantee that EVERY month I will make more than £100 a week profit. So if I get my income re set to say £150 per week, I am then tied into earning that every week?

Can anyone give me advice on this as common sense isn't my strongest point, & maybe I am missing something?

I have a self employed friend in a different part of the country doing the same business & she says her housing benefit is set at a certain amount & doesn't change for the year no matter what she earns. But I have no idea if it's the same everywhere?

I did ask the housing benefit woman at my self employed interview at the council about it when I first claimed last april, but I didn't really get a clear answer..

[honeybee13]

Hi jadeybags.

 

We have one or two people who deal with this, I believe. I'll keep an eye on your thread and if they don't turn up in the next day or two, I'll send out a couple of SOSs.

 

My best, HB

[jadeybags]

Ah thanks Honeybee. Just getting frustrated because I am paranoid about being over paid benefit, been there & done that & can't face it again. But I also don't want to have to not progress in my self employment..

[RaeUK]

There is at least one poster here who has said they work in HB. For the life of me I can't think of the full username but it is panda something. They have posted very recently on this forum somewhere ...

[Lillibelle]

pandaspot.

[RaeUK]

Well spotted Lillibelle!

[Lillibelle]

You're very welcome Rae,,,it was pure luck that I was reading a post from her/him just moments before I'd like to claim super powers but alas,my penchant for telling the truth overtook me xx

[jadeybags]

Ah nice one Cag detectives Pandaspot where are theeeeee

[honeybee13]

Hi jadey. As you haven't had any technical help with this, I'll try to get you some.

 

HB x

[pandaspot]

Hi!

 

Sorry haven't been on for a couple of days. You would not be set to a fixed amount every week.

 

The way we assess it is, we have your annual accounts, deducted all allowable expenses and calculate it then to a weekly figure . This figure won't change and your hb will remain the same until the next time it's reviewed. Normally once a year. However should tax credits change, or any other change in circs then your benefit will change

 

Hope that helps

[honeybee13]

Thank you for looking in, pandaspot.

 

HB

[id6052]

Where a HB/CTB claimant is self employed, their self employed income is normally assessed by using the previous financial year's accounts as an estimate of income for next 12 months.

 

A simple example

If your business year runs from 1 January to 31 December, then your self employed income for 2012 would be used to calculate your HB/CTB for 2013.

If your business income increases half way through 2013, then this would be taken into account when they calculate your HB/CTB for 2014.

 

The best advice to avoid overpayments is to provide your self employed accounts at the end of each financial year to allow your HB/CTB to be reassessed.

 

If you are currently expected to pay £26 per week towards your rent on £100 S/E income per week, then assuming you have no other changes, you would be expected to £58.50 per week towards your rent on £150 S/E income per week.

[jadeybags]

Ok, that makes sense then.

As I only went self employed in april 2012, they had to get me to do an 'estimate of earnings form'? I had to pretty much guess what I would earn. I said £100 per week. Then I had to take my first months accounts in when I had them. My april to May accounts showed I only made about £60 per week, but they still left my housing benefit based on the £100? So that's ok isn't it?

They are so not on the ball at my LA, is it likely i'll need to get onto them for a review this april or should they contact me?

[pandaspot]

If i were you, I would send the info in yourself.

[id6052]

I would also advise being pro-active in sending in the info yourself, this has two advantages

 

1. if your self employed income has increased, telling them promptly will reduce risk of overpayments
   
2. if your self employed income has decreased, telling them promptly will reduce risk of loss of any extra benefit you may be entitled to
   

[jadeybags]

Ok thanks folks x

[Stan Lee]

Oh, and Jadeybags, I know you've been through the ringer, and so you will photocopy everything you send and send via recorded delivery!

[jadeybags]

Oh, and Jadeybags, I know you've been through the ringer, and so you will photocopy everything you send and send via recorded delivery!

 

Ooooh yes, I take everything down there personally. I still have the receipt for my April accounts they have kept hold of.

I need to ring HMRC monday as some people have done their self assesments, & I haven't heard a thing from them! I am assuming at the moment that I haven't been self employed long enough, but I didn't think they waited a full year :\