Student Loan and ESA

FactionParadox

Hello to all who read this, I'm Faction. Or Paradox. Or Romana, whichever you would prefer. I'll take he/him or she/her as pronouns, again it's multi-choice.

I got another letter from the DWP today. Instantly I can feel my pulse pounding and my anxiety skyrocket, they want to do a Compliance Telephone Interview and immediately I think this is another persecution campaign. Someone malicious is going to bully me into tears, determined to prove that I'm some criminal mastermind scammer and will prove it by treating me like subhuman filth. Guilty before proven innocent is their strategy, I know this game all too well.

I call this woman called Alison and pray to whoever's there that she's one of the kind ones, that she'll have an ounce of compassion for her fellow man. It's about my Student Loan, apparently they didn't know about it and want documentation. I wrote them a letter informing them, clearly it went to Narnia or something.

Now they'll take it to a "Decision Maker". I'll have to live with anxiety of possibly repayments as they consider how much of my money they gave me they'll rip out. They might even send me into poverty.

It was only £3096, to start my university course. I just wanted to better myself, to achieve something. But they have to punish me for that, because how dare I try and get above my station. How dare I hope for something better. The people who are in this system are not at fault, they're just ordinary people working their job, trying to survive. It's the sadists who designed it to be cruel. The men and women who designed it to be so abusive. There's a damn good reason the European Court of Human Rights is investigating the DWP for human rights violations.

I don't feel like a human when they contact me. I'm a number in a system, a number they want to get rid of. I'm under scrutiny, and if I put a toe out of line they'll punish me with the glee of an authoritarian father with a sadism complex.

poppy123456

Student maintenance loans affect all means tested benefits. So if your ESA is all Income Related then this would affect it. Were you claiming either PIP or DLA because you must also be claiming either of those to be entitled to ESA as a student.

If any part of your ESA was/is contributions based this isn't affected by maintenance loans. If you're claiming help with any rent through housing benefit then this could also be affected.

FactionParadox

Hello Poppy, thank you for your answer.

I am also claiming PIP.

Thank you for the warning about the housing benefit, I'm on that too. I fear what will happen next...

poppy123456

Did you report the changes to your local Authority? If not then i'd advise you to do that before they find out.

FactionParadox

Thanks Poppy, I just did and the council were very understanding, thank goodness.

poppy123456

That's good. I'm glad they were understanding.

FactionParadox

Update: Since the money went straight to the university, apparently I don't have to repay anything.

Alex_Alumni

Thanks for the update @FactionParadox that's good to hear  

Are you still worried about anything?

FactionParadox

Thank you so much for the concern, @Alex_Scope It means a lot. It was kind of stressful and I just feel drained.

I did make another post but I can repeat it here, I was considering paying off some of my student loan, if not all of it. My friend brought up a point that it might just get the DWP on my case again. I just want them to leave me alone and I don't like this loan hanging over me like the Sword of Damocles, I'm worried they'll use it to attack me again and bother me but that repayment might trigger them into further investigation.

Alex_Alumni

Ah, I'll reply on your other post now @FactionParadox

calcotti

FactionParadox said:

.. I was considering paying off some of my student loan, if not all of it. ..

Unless you expect to earn enough to have to start making payments and to eventually pay it off it is likely a waste of money to pay off the loan.
See https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-loans-repay/