Have we been told a porkie-re council tax?

Comments

• ontheoutside Posts: 1,865

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭

  08/05/08 - 20:07 #2

  jackee-spyker wrote: »

  Hi,
  
  I didn't put this in advice as i thought others here may have had the same thing happen?
  
  Recently my husband and I have taken a dip in earnings, and we went on the Council Tax Benefit Website, put in what we get, and it came up that we could get around £16 per month council tax benefit.
  
  We telephoned the council today to request a form and the advisor told us that if we brought in more than £95 per week (joint earnings), we would receive no benefit at all.
  
  I cannot believe this and wonder is it really true?
  
  Have we been given the right informarion? Either way hubby insisted we were sent the relevant forms anyway, just wondered if anybody else had heard this?
  
  By my reckoning, with council tax being £100 per month, if a couple received say, £110 per week (£440 per month), this would mean that they wouldn't get any help at all with their Council Tax?
  
  Thanks

  
  
  I would just fill the form in and send it off.

  0
• [Deleted User] Posts: 3,759

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭

  08/05/08 - 20:12 #3

  Yes we are, i just wondered how they expect people on a very low income to afford to pay?
  
  Anything over £95 per week and no concessions sounds unfair, if council tax averages £100 per month this means that one whole weeks money goes to the council?

  0
• ontheoutside Posts: 1,865

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭

  08/05/08 - 20:15 #4

  jackee-spyker wrote: »

  Yes we are, i just wondered how they expect people on a very low income to afford to pay?
  
  Anything over £95 per week and no concessions sounds unfair, if council tax averages £100 per month this means that one whole weeks money goes to the council?

  
  
  
  But it must cost them that much to buy all the different kinds of bins.

  0
• g-bhxu Posts: 2,594

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭

  08/05/08 - 20:24 #5

  You've definitely been told a load of BS there.
  
  I live in Lincolnshire.
  
  My household consists of 2 pensioners (my parents) and myself (on Incapacity Benefit) and the total Concil Tax for the year was less than £100
  
  Take a look here for info as to how much you should be getting off
  
  http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/council_tax_benefit.asp#caniget

  0
• [Deleted User] Posts: 3,759

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭

  08/05/08 - 20:30 #6

  g-bhxu wrote: »

  You've definitely been told a load of BS there.
  
  I live in Lincolnshire.
  
  My household consists of 2 pensioners (my parents) and myself (on Incapacity Benefit) and the total Concil Tax for the year was less than £100
  
  Take a look here for info as to how much you should be getting off
  
  http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/council_tax_benefit.asp#caniget

  
  Thank you!
  
  I bloody knew it was wrong, me and hubby looked at each other after he hung up and straight away went onto the site and re-entered our details and it came up the same as before (£16 per month rebate).
  
  So either she has no idea what she is talking about, or she lied to put us off claiming, it sounded ridiculous when she said it.
  
  Worrying if anybody else got the same person and took her word for it.

  0
• System Posts: 2,096,970

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭✭✭

  09/05/08 - 10:25 #7

  It's very serious if the council is lying to discourage claims.
  
  I can't believe an employee would lie without prompting from more senior staff within the council, if you are bothered you could write a letter to someone seperate from the council tax department expressing concern that you were given such wrong information and was it a deliberate policy?

  0
• [Deleted User] Posts: 4,098

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭

  09/05/08 - 10:42 #8

  I bring in £143 a week, and my partner roughly the same (both part-time) and we get help with our rent and our council tax, ours should be £887 (Band A) a year, we got our revised bill through at beginning of April and ours is cut in half due to low earning...........so yes you have been told a very big porkie !

  0
• [Deleted User] Posts: 3,759

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭

  09/05/08 - 15:15 #9

  KaptainKitten wrote: »

  It's very serious if the council is lying to discourage claims.
  
  I can't believe an employee would lie without prompting from more senior staff within the council, if you are bothered you could write a letter to someone seperate from the council tax department expressing concern that you were given such wrong information and was it a deliberate policy?

  
  
  Have actually typed a letter out this morning to complain, just wondering who to send it to now, i am thinking our MP, i know his address .
  
  Extremely annoyed, I was 99% sure it was BS to be honest, but what if i were somebody who didn't question it? How many people has she told this to? Very bad practice, i am pursuing it .

  0
• madmam Posts: 317

  Forum Member

  ✭

  09/05/08 - 15:33 #10

  £95 a week sounds as though it should be around the amount you need to earn before you have to pay some council tax, any less than that and you would be entitled to full council tax benefit. Your 'advisor' sounds a little muddled.

  0
• donlothario Posts: 5,289

  Forum Member

  ✭

  09/05/08 - 15:49 #11

  jackee-spyker wrote: »

  Hi,
  
  I didn't put this in advice as i thought others here may have had the same thing happen?
  
  Recently my husband and I have taken a dip in earnings, and we went on the Council Tax Benefit Website, put in what we get, and it came up that we could get around £16 per month council tax benefit.
  
  We telephoned the council today to request a form and the advisor told us that if we brought in more than £95 per week (joint earnings), we would receive no benefit at all.
  
  I cannot believe this and wonder is it really true?
  
  Have we been given the right information? Either way hubby insisted we were sent the relevant forms anyway, just wondered if anybody else had heard this?
  
  By my reckoning, with council tax being £100 per month, if a couple received say, £110 per week (£440 per month), this would mean that they wouldn't get any help at all with their Council Tax?
  
  Thanks

  
  I think that you may have misunderstood the council employee. She seems as though she was telling you that if you earn less than £94.95 then you won't have any council tax to pay as that is the basic Income Support rate for a couple aged over 18. With only £95 per week you qualify for full benefit and you should claim immediately. You will pay 25% of any income over £94.95 towards your counci tax.

  0
• donlothario Posts: 5,289

  Forum Member

  ✭

  09/05/08 - 15:51 #12

  jackee-spyker wrote: »

  Have actually typed a letter out this morning to complain, just wondering who to send it to now, i am thinking our MP, i know his address .
  
  Extremely annoyed, I was 99% sure it was BS to be honest, but what if i were somebody who didn't question it? How many people has she told this to? Very bad practice, i am pursuing it .

  
  I think you need to hold your horses and phone again and ask again as I think that your husband has gotten hold of the wrong end of the stick.

  0
• [Deleted User] Posts: 3,759

  Forum Member

  ✭✭✭

  09/05/08 - 17:00 #13

  Hi
  
  Well i just asked hubby again and he said he told her we were on more than £95 per week and she did say we wouldn't be entitled to any benefit, so whether she misunderstood what he was asking or not i don't know, but he did make it clear we were on more than that and she did say we are not entitled, (she didn't ask how much we do get) and hubby said well send the form anyway it is worth a try, which she agreed to. Perhaps she was muddled with what my husband asked, wish i had done it myself now, i will leave off sending the letter and ring again myself tomorrow and see what i am told .

  0