Nickie1965
New Member
Hi I am new to the forum but am hoping there might be people on here who might be able to help me
I work in the film/tv and fashion industry. I am totally self employed. I invoice all my work. Invoices can take between 3-6 months to be paid.
My local council has proposed changes to Council tax benefit for self employed people saying that after 18 months of self employment that “it is assumed that we earn the weekly National Living wage”. This is far from the actual truth in my case and probably other cases.
I have provided my accounts up to the end of March 2017 to the Council tax benefit department. It shows that my “actual” income (profit after business expenses) was £1787 for the year ending April 2016/March 2017. Housing Benefit department are using my actual figures to calculated my housing benefit entitlement. The weekly figure they are using is £78 net. Nowhere near the weekly national living wage of £241.
What is so contradictory is that both departments use one letter to send you the figures they use.
I have been challenging this since mid February 2017 and I have complied with everything asked of me: up to date accounts; valuation tribunal request (as an appeal); household expenditure. I am getting very stressed about this now as I have jumped every hoop asked of me but I seem to be getting nowhere!
1. up to date accounts show my business profit was £1787 for the year
2. Valuation Tribunal: I have sent back the form to have this listed for hearing
3. Household expenditure: this shows a negative balance from income to outgoings of -£107 (even removing the figures which Council Tax assessor says are not priority, there is still a negative balance of approx -£26
I have also done the my local council online Benefits calculator today (2/8/2017) and even it says I am entitled to Council Tax benefit support.
I know that council tax is a priority and that is not the issue but I clearly do not earn enough based on their assumptions of me earning the national living wage - which I have proved I do not earn. Housing benefit figures also corroborate this. So much contradiction.
I have lots of correspondence and back up paperwork which I am taking to Citizens advice today.
I feel like I am being penalised for having a low self employed income. I am working hard to increase this, but it won’t happen quickly. Every self employed business works differently and having a blanket assumption made after 18 months of self employment is just not realistic as all self employment works very differently.
I am very stressed about this and about being threatened with “recovery” measures. Its all very wrong and unrealistic.
Many thanks for taking the time to read this
I work in the film/tv and fashion industry. I am totally self employed. I invoice all my work. Invoices can take between 3-6 months to be paid.
My local council has proposed changes to Council tax benefit for self employed people saying that after 18 months of self employment that “it is assumed that we earn the weekly National Living wage”. This is far from the actual truth in my case and probably other cases.
I have provided my accounts up to the end of March 2017 to the Council tax benefit department. It shows that my “actual” income (profit after business expenses) was £1787 for the year ending April 2016/March 2017. Housing Benefit department are using my actual figures to calculated my housing benefit entitlement. The weekly figure they are using is £78 net. Nowhere near the weekly national living wage of £241.
What is so contradictory is that both departments use one letter to send you the figures they use.
I have been challenging this since mid February 2017 and I have complied with everything asked of me: up to date accounts; valuation tribunal request (as an appeal); household expenditure. I am getting very stressed about this now as I have jumped every hoop asked of me but I seem to be getting nowhere!
1. up to date accounts show my business profit was £1787 for the year
2. Valuation Tribunal: I have sent back the form to have this listed for hearing
3. Household expenditure: this shows a negative balance from income to outgoings of -£107 (even removing the figures which Council Tax assessor says are not priority, there is still a negative balance of approx -£26
I have also done the my local council online Benefits calculator today (2/8/2017) and even it says I am entitled to Council Tax benefit support.
I know that council tax is a priority and that is not the issue but I clearly do not earn enough based on their assumptions of me earning the national living wage - which I have proved I do not earn. Housing benefit figures also corroborate this. So much contradiction.
I have lots of correspondence and back up paperwork which I am taking to Citizens advice today.
I feel like I am being penalised for having a low self employed income. I am working hard to increase this, but it won’t happen quickly. Every self employed business works differently and having a blanket assumption made after 18 months of self employment is just not realistic as all self employment works very differently.
I am very stressed about this and about being threatened with “recovery” measures. Its all very wrong and unrealistic.
Many thanks for taking the time to read this
