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Dependant allowance

savannah

Hi I live in a 5 bed housing association house
I have 6 children and my partner living here

Rent is £247 a week

We claim tax credits & working tax credits

I do not work and claim PIP with high care and low mobility

Partner works and earns £1012 after tax a month

3 of my children are non dependant and work

2 of my children are in school

My youngest is 2 years old and born after the 2 child rule

Housing benefit are using a dependant allowance and are only paying for a 2 child allowance
Which is £114 a week
We are in £2000 rent arrears

My question is can they do this ?
As I thought a non dependant reduction was not included if you are in receipt of PIP
I'm also a band E house because of the size and do not qualify for the £150 rebate that everyone is getting
Even though we clearly need the help
How do I go about approaching this with them

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Comments

Sue_Alumni

Hi @savannah
I think this information should help with your enquiry which you should use to ask Housing Benefit to recalculate your award. As you're getting daily living PIP your HB can't be reduced by non-dependent deductions.
Housing benefit deductions when living with non dependants - Shelter England
The two child limit does apply. A personal allowance can become payable for your youngest child if one of the children who are currently at school, leaves education.
You may also want to apply for a discretionary housing payment in respect of the rent arrears. You should explain that the fact that HB failed to take into account that you had PIP contributed to the arrears accruing.
Discretionary housing payments (DHP) - Shelter England

calcotti

Your non dependants are adults so obviously are not included as children.
You have three children but you get no allowance for them because, as you note, that child was born after the introduction if the two child limit.

This is quite separate to non-dependant deductions. A non dependant deduction is an amount an adult non dependant would be expected towards the rent. However because you get PIP no non-dependant contribution are applied.

Sue_Scope said: You should explain that the fact that HB failed to take into account that you had PIP contributed to the arrears accruing.

I don't think OP has actually said that. They appear to me to have mixed up the two child limit and non dependant rules and appear to have sought taht the non dependant exception meant taht the two child limit didn't apply. However I may have misread OP's meaning.