Rent allowance cancelled after review.

Y

yester

Guest
Hi all.
Its my first time posting here but it looks like a great site. I would appreciate any advice anyone could give on my situation. I have been self-employed for a while now and was in reciept of rent allowance until this week. I was on the back to work enterprise scheme but finished it last year. After finishing the scheme I was means tested and my allowance actually went up. At my last evaluation they were very insistant on knowing how many hours I work per week. The nature of my business means that the hours i work are irregular but i estimated 40 per week. On hearing this they cancelled my rent allowance. I am not earning any more than i was on my last means test and the irony of it is that without the rent allowance i will have to stop being self employed and go on the dole. I am planning on appealing the decision but would like more info on what i am entitled to. Any help would be appreciated.
 
SWA (including rent supplement) is not payable to persons in full-time employment, which is defined as 30 hours or more per week, regardless of their income. This is why the review centred on your working hours rather than just your earnings.
 
Thanks for the reply gipimann.
I think i made a mistake by telling rent allownace that i work 40 hours per week. I thought it would be judged by the amount i earn rather than hours worked. I guess being self-employed I am almost always working but the actual hours i work and get paid for would be less than 30 a week. Do you think I should appeal the decision on that basis?
 
If you can show what hours you are working for/paid for (maybe an average over several weeks to show the ups and downs which I'm sure happen), it would certainly be a basis for an appeal - you've nothing to lose by giving it a try.
 
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