Need an opinion on interpretation of disregarded income from my council

worried33

My 2025 bill is a huge increase, and I am looking at their very limited documentation.
This line is the one I find confusing.

Disability income will be disregarded to the extent that it is received by more
than one household member

Does that mean it is disregarded, or only disregarded if there 2 or more people with disability income?
There is basically no hotline now, no email address either for queries, they have made it really difficult to contact them.

brokenlady

I read it as saying, disability income will be disregarded. However, if more than one person in the household has disability income then that income wont be disregarded.

I think…

worried33

Ok thanks, I finally found a break down letter online after I registered, they disregarded TP, nsESA isnt listed, and they dont have correct information for my PIP, but the value they do have for PIP isnt disregarded. At the bottom it says nothing is disregarded, although there is a minus for TP in the main summary.

I need to correct them anyway by law, but its not clear if they have put me in their vulnerable group (it isnt mentioned), their new policy if you get LCWRA or enhanced daily living they add 20% to the support. I might end up coming out of it worse considering nsESA isnt there and only my old lower PIP. I will update later if I get an answer on the disregard, 4 hour queue on housing benefit hotline.

Their new policy for disregards is

Child benefit
UC housing costs and HB
Disability income the bit I quoted.

Nothing else, it says they have removed some disregards for 2025.

worried33

Looking at it again, nsESA is there as unearned income, they havent disregarded housing costs, and the PIP is too low but is disregarded I think as its after the total and to the right of the column. So I think you are right.

Near front of queue now, so hopefully I know more soon. But I am on the HB help line as there isnt one for council tax

worried33

Ok I may have to appeal, but I do have answers.

PIP is disregarded, they said they have an update from UC and from PIP, which is yet to be put on my account so there will be a new letter, she claims housing costs were disregarded. but they not the net UC includes housing costs. So if the new letter is wrong I will do an appeal, but you are right on my question, thank you brokenlady.

worried33

Nothing has happened so submitting an appeal.

worried33

Ok I have I guess what is a final update.

They recalculated it, although didnt tell me as such, just sent me information on how to claim discretionary help, but the online calculation has changed.

The bad news it looks like PIP is fully counted as income now, so the interpretation was wrong sadly.

So they have now disregarded my housing element on UC.
They have updated my PIP to the correct amount.
The net amount of UC is now correct.

However because PIP is no longer disregarded and my award got increased for PIP I have dropped from 80% support in 2024, to then 60% support a month ago, to now 40% support. (would be 20% if I was not classed as vulnerable).

So monthly payments from £23 in 2024, to £47 for April 2025, and then starting from May (might include a bit extra for wrong April) is £75. So an extra £50 month on council tax.

I was sent a very long PDF which covers their new support regulations, its a massive document, but there is no mention of PIP or DLA at all in the disregards section, PIP is mentioned in capital disregards for backdated payments but thats it.

An earlier section of the document indicates LCWRA element of UC should also be disregarded, not just housing element, but there is no mention of it in the actual disregards section so I suspect that might be an error.

I dont regret correcting them, the law is what it is. But like others on here, I now have less council tax support.