"Mike Scott" wrote in message
...
I can't make sense of the logic with the forms this year; perhaps someone
could shed some light....

Son went up to uni last year (2008), and we filled in the parental income
assessment for his grant, which was submitted with a stack of paperwork to
prove we weren't telling porkies about our 2007/2008 income.

I expected the forms for the second year to ask for income for the
subsequent tax year, 2008/2009. But no, it asks /again/ for the 2007/8 tax
year - for the very same figures they've already had. And the phone
support at student finance is adamant this is what the counties want - "to
show nothing has changed".

The logic there defies me. Nothing can possibly have changed for 2007/8;
they've had the figures and seen the proof. Assessments can vary if income
varies significantly for subsequent years - but in /that/ case they'd
surely want figures for the new tax year, not the same ones again.

Can anyone tell me the point - or is it all some big joke? Help!!!!


--
Mike Scott (unet2 at [deletethis] scottsonline.org.uk)
Harlow Essex England



I'm not certain, but I think SFE may have started to means-test loans on
parental income for the year before the "previous" year, so they can set an
earlier (more realistic) deadline for applications. Might be worth asking
if someone higher-up in SFE (or NUS?) actually knows.

Even so, I agree it's a nonsense to ask for the same info again, and if they
persist I suggest contacting your local MP / county councillor / local and
national press etc.

Bear in mind that, regardless of the forms, you can opt to be assessed on
current year basis (estimate, and revise later).

Would be glad to hear what the explanation turns out to be.


--
Martin