Miscalculation for dedictions

[Sandwich]

Hi, I'm new here. I was hoping someone might be able to give me some advice.

I'm in the support group for ESA. I recently started a part time course and as a result have received a part time maintenance loan. I got in touch with the DWP about 6 weeks ago now and sent them the details along with a copy of my letter from student finance England detailing my loan amounts.

Today I've had the letter back from the DWP confirming my change of income and it doesn't make any sense. I think the DWP have made an error with the maths but I feel like communicating this to them is going to be difficult.

It says the change is £79.97 a week and then says the first £10 isn't included, but they've deduct £79.97 so I'm not sure what this £10 refers too.

I'm not sure where the figure of £79.97 comes from either. They aren't clear with how they calculated that or what time period the deductions end but they've started them from 27/8/19, which is way before the start of term (30/09/19) and my first loan payment wasn't until 14/10.

The total amount of student finance was £4472 and SFE advised that the DWP wouldn't class £1840 of that as income. None of it makes any sense to me.

I was on hold for over an hour trying to talk to someone at the DWP this afternoon and I gave up 10 minutes before they closed because I figured I had no chance of anyone wanting to help so close to closing time. I'm really worried. It seems to me like they're deducting more than they're allowed to but it took them 7 weeks to respond to my first letter about my changes. I'm really worried about getting this resolved.

[nukecad]

I can't offer much constructive other than to say that you are not alone here.

There are a couple of recent posts on Rightsnet (the forum for professional advisers) about similar student finance decisions this new term/year.

The DWP seem to be doing the calculations wrong.

I guess it will come out in the wash? But for now nobody seems to be sure what the DWP are playing at.

You are wasting your time/money trying to phone the DWP about this.
The phone jockey that you (eventually) get through to will not have a clue about it.

Your best bet at the moment is to contact the disability team at your college/uni for help and advice.

[Sandwich]

I can't offer much constructive other than to say that you are not alone here.

There are a couple of recent posts on Rightsnet (the forum for professional advisers) about similar student finance decisions this new term/year.

The DWP seem to be doing the calculations wrong.

I guess it will come out in the wash? But for now nobody seems to be sure what the DWP are playing at.

You are wasting your time/money trying to phone the DWP about this.
The phone jockey that you (eventually) get through to will not have a clue about it.

Your best bet at the moment is to contact the disability team at your college/uni for help and advice.

It's helpful to know I'm not the only one. Hopefully that means the DWP are at least looking into it. The effect for me from what I've calculated is that they're essentially deducting my entire loan apart from a couple of hundred pounds over a year.

Oh and apparently I count as a student from the start of September in the DWP opinion but SFE pay part time students 2 weeks after term starts so I feel that's a little unfair on part time disabled students but I guess that's how it is.