Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Circular. For information. Childcare charges. Student support uprating 2007/2008

Transcription

1 Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Circular Department for Work and Pensions The Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT HB/CTB A7/2007 ADJUDICATION AND OPERATIONS CIRCULAR WHO SHOULD READ All Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax Benefit (CTB) staff ACTION SUBJECT For information Childcare charges Student support uprating 2007/2008 Guidance Manual The information in this circular does affect the content of the HB/CTB Guidance Manual. Please annotate Childcare charges against paragraph BW2.164 and BP2.164 Student support uprating 2007/2008 against C2, Annex B Queries If you want extra copies of this circular/copies of previous circulars, they can be found on the website at have any queries about the distribution of this circular, contact Corporate Document Services Ltd Orderline Tel: Fax: orderline@cds.co.uk Crown Copyright 2007 Recipients may freely reproduce this circular.

2 Contents Childcare charges para Introduction... 1 Queries... 6 Student support uprating 2007/2008 Introduction... 7 Revised disregards for students books, travel and equipment... 9 Queries Maximum loan rates Students who started their course on or after 1 September 1998 England and Wales... Annex A Maximum loan rates Students who started their course on or after 1998/1999 Scotland... Annex B Maximum loans and grants Students who started, or are treated as having started, their course before 1 September 1998 England and Wales... Annex C Grants for additional living expenses All students... Annex D

3 Childcare charges Introduction 1 The Work and Families Act 2006 introduced a number of changes to improve entitlements for employees with caring responsibilities. One of the changes was to extend the maximum periods for which Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), Maternity Allowance (MA) and Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) can be paid, from 26 to 39 weeks. 2 The changes take effect for women whose babies were expected on or after 1 April For adoptions, when it is expected the child will be placed on or after 1 April 2007, SAP will be payable for 39 weeks. 3 Changes to the rules relating to paternity leave/pay are still under discussion. 4 A person who is on maternity or adoption leave and entitled to SMP, MA or SAP is deemed to still be in remunerative work for childcare deductions from earnings purposes. The rules align with the Working Tax Credit (WTC) rules which have been amended to extend entitlement to WTC to 39 weeks in the above circumstances. 5 Amendments to the HB/CTB regulations (HB reg 28 (14); CTB reg 18 (14)) were not deemed necessary as the current wording allows you to extend the periods from 26 to 39 weeks provided all other qualifying conditions are satisfied. Queries 6 If you have any queries about the technical content of this circular, contact Elsian Linsell Tel: elsian.linsell@dwp.gsi.gov.uk Student support uprating 2007/2008 Introduction 7 This bulletin provides guidance on changes made by the Social Security (Students and Income-related Benefits) Amendment Regulations It includes details of the uprated amounts of Student Loans and Grants for the 2007/8 academic year, see Annex A, B, C and D changes to the standard disregards for books, equipment and travel costs

4 8 The regulations take effect from the day of the period of study begins for a person whose period of study begins on or after 1st August 2007 but before 1st September 2007 on 1st September 2007 in any other case Revised disregards for students books, travel and equipment 9 For the 2007/2008 academic year, the standard disregards per annum from personal maintenance grant or loan income increase to 370 for books and equipment 290 for travel costs 10 These disregards can only be applied once in an academic year. Queries 11 If you have any queries about the technical content of this circular, contact Jahnara Begum Tel: jahnara.begum@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

5 Annex A Annex A Maximum loan rates Students who started their course on or after 1 September 1998 England Full year rate Main Loans Reduced Loans - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Final year rate - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Extra weeks attendance - Paid weekly - living away from home - in London elsewhere 79 - living in parental home 52 Students who started their course on or after 1 September Wales Full year rate Main Loans Reduced Loans - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Final year rate - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Extra weeks attendance - Paid weekly - living away from home - in London elsewhere 79 - living in parental home 52

6 Annex A Eligible students attending full time, sandwich or part-time courses of Initial Teacher Training that involve six weeks or more full time attendance in the academic year are eligible for the appropriate main loan rate, 25% of which is income assessed. The following groups of students are eligible for the reduced, non-income assessed loan eligible students attending courses of Initial Teacher Training that requires less than six weeks full time attendance in the academic year eligible students on full year sandwich course paid placements, where the periods of fulltime study are less than ten weeks in aggregate students who are holders of means-tested NHS bursaries or means-tested Scottish Health Care Allowances

7 Annex B Annex B Maximum loan rates Students who started their course on or after 1998/1999 Scotland Full year rate Attending Scottish institutions Loans 4400 Living in parental home 3485 Attending institutions outside Scotland - in London elsewhere 4400 Living in parental home 3485 Final year rate Attending Scottish Institutions 3820 Living in parental home 3045 Attending Institutions outside Scotland - in London elsewhere 3820 Living in parental home 3045 Loans for extra weeks attendance Paid weekly - in London 100 weekly - elsewhere 79 weekly Living in parental home 52 weekly

8 Annex C Annex C Maximum loans and grants Students who started, or are treated as having started, their course before 1 September 1998 England and Wales Full year rate Grant Loan TOTAL - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Final year rate - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Loans for extra weeks attendance - Paid weekly - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Students who started their course before 1 September 1998 (Scotland) Full year rate Grant Loan TOTAL - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Final year rate - in London elsewhere Living in parental home Loans for extra weeks attendance -Paid weekly - in London elsewhere Living in parental home 43-43

9 Annex D Annex D Grants for additional living expenses All students Travel grant Reasonable costs - see award notice for amount England & Scotland Disabled students allowances - non-medical helper - full-time student Reasonable costs - see award notice for amount Wales Up to non-medical helper - part-time 9315 Up to 9325 student 1 - major items of specialist equipment Up to 4905 for the duration of the course - travel costs Reasonable costs - see award notice for amount Up to 4910 for the duration of the course Reasonable costs - see award notice for amount - other items (full-time student) Up to 1640 Up to other items (part time student) Up to 1230 Up to 1230 Grants for students with dependants Adult dependant or first dependent child where there is not an adult dependant England only Adult dependant Scotland only 2510 Parents Learning Allowance England & Wales Child care grant England - Full time students only One child Two or more children Lone Parents Childcare Grant Scotland only Vacation grant for Care leavers long vacation and Scotland only Up to 1435 per annum (Min 50 pa) Up to per week Up to 1435 per annum (Min 20 pa) Up to 153 per week Up to 255 per week Up to per week Up to 1155 per week 100 per week

10 Annex D Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) postgraduate 2 Part-time students Course Grant Part-time students fee support 1150 Up to Not relevant in Scotland where DSA is pro-rated for part-time students 2 Not relevant in Scotland only Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) funded PG students can claim DSA and then at the same rate as undergraduate student