housing benefit/council tax claim suspended + say to tell dwp bank total + send proof

brushcolours

Hello

Just received letter saying HB/CT reduction suspended from 15 September due to savings over 16k. Say must tell dwp bank balance, so can be reassessed, then upload proof have done that. Says must pay full HB/CT in meantime, and further information needed by 12 October or claim withdrawn. Can't see how could make that deadline, if HB/CT expecting esa/pip both re-assessed by that date. Just had ESA home assessment 14 June, which was successful. 58, long-term ESA support group and PIP.

Am understanding there are changes, but tbh confused and nonplussed. When I posted a little while ago, understood having both esa/pip due to severe disabilities excludes from savings threshold, but it was also said that unspent PIP is counted as savings at end of month, and esa could be removed if income-related?

Had tried contacting local advice place when posted before, but no response, so am grateful for any advice, and thank you for your time.

OverlyAnxious

Hi,

There is a difference between income and savings but they can get easily confused.

Income is only counted during the payment period. That is a 4 week period for PIP, and a 2 week period for ESA.

If there is any of the payment left after the end of that period, it is no longer income, but becomes savings instead. Those savings are all added up, there is no disregard for PIP or ESA.

As you have over £16k now, your ESA will stop. However PIP should continue, as that is not means tested.

There should not be any need for another PIP assessment. If you still have over £16k in your accounts, you will not be entitled to ESA now, so there will not be another ESA work capability assessment. (If your savings drop below £16k, you can reclaim again).

You will need to send the bank statements that ESA have asked for. October 12th is over 3 weeks away so there should be enough time to do that before the deadline.

Just to recap - add up all of the money in all of your accounts. Then remove just the latest PIP payment from within the last 4 weeks. And just the latest ESA payment, from within the past 2 weeks. Everything left after that is classed as savings.

If you got any of the cost of living payments over the past few years, there is a disregard for those. It would be worth reminding ESA that those payments should be disregarded as the staff may not all know that.

Needhelpandadvice

@brushcolours If you are over 16k you do not qualify for any benefits, apart from PIP as currently that is not means tested.

You can have a maximum of £6,000 without it affecting your benefits, for anything that is over a certain amount, I think that it is £250 over then you are reduced.

Hope this helps and hopefully someone can advise more.

brushcolours

@OverlyAnxious
Thank you for your message. Sorry, I should have made it clearer that it's revenues and benefits that have written to me, telling me to tell the dwp my bank total, and then confirm to revenues and benefits that I've made that contact with dwp, who must then re-assess me ... this is the part I'm concerned won't get done before October 12th (letter says HB/CT "suspended until DWP have reassessed your claim with them".

Am stunned that ESA can just vanish like that, along with HB/CT benefits. At least £1477 per month gone (esa + full rent and CT). Only silver lining is that surely HB/CT would be reinstated due to losing two thirds of monthly funds/being left with PIP of £737.20 per month for all bills, groceries (£300 a month), medical needs including money kept by for bed/chair need + fridge needs replacing.

Not even sure which dwp number to call right now, but will look up a general switchboard as soon as am able, if only to try to get this over with.

brushcolours

Thanks for reponding @Needhelpandadvice. Still stunned tbh, including that these changes affect people who live in sheltered housing (such as myself), but I imagine a lot of action is being taken by pro-disabled organisations, so will look up about that and see if am able to do something.

Needhelpandadvice

@brushcolours While you are over £16,000 you will not be able to claim any benefits, not even housing benefits.

You are lucky that they are not doing you for fraud. However, worse case scenario you might get a £50 fine for not telling them.

Well an even worse case scenario, is that you will have to pay back all what you have claimed while being over the £16,000.

Sorry for giving you bad news, but sadly it is the truth.

brushcolours

I'm very honest, no deception involved at all. Severe dissociation, and stay away from anything can. Had ESA review in June (successful), and fully expected bank had been looked into then. Just had HB review a month ago and openly sent bank statements in as requested.

Post is inaccurate, as PIP continues. Won't bother posting here again, as, in two out of two threads, have been accused of being dishonest. If I wanted dwp abuse, I'd just go straight to the dwp.

brushcolours

@vikki66 Reported also.

Needhelpandadvice

@vikki66 Sadly the person that posted the question, does not seem to like the truth.

@brushcolours, we have already told you that PIP is different it is not means tested so you will get that, even if you had ten million in your bank account.

However, ESA and HB while you have had over 16k in your savings, you have been paid money that you were not entitled to.

So as an example, £1,000 ESA, £1,000 HB £500 council tax support so that is an over payment of £2,5000 which potentially you might have to pay back.

It will potentially be classed as fraud or simply overpayment of benefits. However, that is pretty much the same, also failure to notify the DWP of a change of circumstance is another wording for fraud.

What has happened in your case, is that they have done a test artificial intelligence bank check, which they were trailing a few months ago. In the vast majority of cases, people were found to have over 16k or spending far too much time over seas.

So you might have been part of that testing where they looked into people's bank accounts.

However, you would get the same answers no matter where you decide to post, as the same information would be given, the information given, would not change in different websites, simply because there is only one information that is available.

Albus_Scope

The DWP have scrapped plans to use machine learning to watch peoples accounts now, that was done back in March I believe?

And let's not casually throw around 'fraud' please. As said, you wont lose your PIP @brushcolours though I'd suggest speaking to the DWP asap, as they may ask for some money to be paid back. But this isn't a definite.