More grant questions

tootired

Hi I'm going to College this Sept 2010 as a mature student - but I have a few questions and I hope someone here can help.

My situation is this, my husband is in receipt of social welfare for the family and I am classed as a dependant.

1. I'm presuming that fees and a grant will be covered as my husband is unemployed? Do I have to pay a reg fee or is that covered too?

2. Is there anyway that I can get a BTEA as a dependant or is the time scale too short?

3. Will my going back to college affect my hubby's money??

Thanks in advance.

mark17

I went back as a mature student in 09 and the fees of €1500 were covered by the grant, I also get €350 per month grant and instead of Social Welfare I get a Back to Education payment which is the same money as my Social Welfare. However between buying books and photocopying the €350 barely covers costs. There are people in my class who are in the same situation as you and their husbands social welfare is not affected by the grant they get.

tootired

Thanks M17 for the reply, now just need to find out if I can getb BTEA! Think I'll get onto cit advice.

Laydee

I think that you should transfer the social welfare over to your name & have your husband as your dependant, that way in September, you will have been on the SW long enough to get BTEA.

As for fees, is it college or university? College fees are normall €300 or thereabouts, the BTEa grant is €500 so that will cover it. If it's university, I think your local council will pay the fees there as they are €1500.

tootired

Hi Laydee, thanks for the advice, it's Uni I'm going to so hopefully the co co will cover. I'm going to look into transferring the social welfare into my name. I've a feeling my situation is a bit complicated for the Social Welfare, in that my hubby was self employed and there's been all sorts of wrangling with them....anyway I've got nothing to lose.

jano1

You can not get a maintenance grant and BTEA anymore for students commencing in 2010 and after. You may be entitled to a grant if below the income guidelines and if you don't qualify for BTEA. Depending on income you could get BTEA and your college registration fee of €1700 paid on your behalf by the grant authority. The extract below is from the citizens information website but presumably your husband is not also going to college as you didn't mention that he might. You should ring the BTEA office on 017043000 to ask if you getting BTEA will affect his getting an unemployment payment and indeed if you can get it at all without him also getting it. I doubt that changing you to be the claimant will make any difference in terms of entitlement:

"Spouse/partner can qualify for BTEA

You may qualify for BTEA if you are not getting a social welfare payment but your spouse/partner is getting an Increase for a Qualified Adult in their social welfare payment for you.
To qualify your spouse/partner must have an entitlement to BTEA and be getting an Increase for a Qualified Adult in his/her social welfare payment for you as an adult dependant. You must be a Qualified Adult (6 months for Second Level Option or 9/12 months for Third Level Option, see ‘Rules’ below), of a person who would qualify for the BTEA scheme.
If you qualify for BTEA because you are an adult dependant, you will get the same social welfare payment as your spouse/partner but at the maximum standard personal rate. Your spouse/partner will keep his/her entitlement to his/her personal rate of payment. You will also qualify for the annual Cost of Education Allowance.
If you get the Back to Education Allowance your spouse/partner can still keep his/her entitlement to the allowance."

tootired

Thanks for the info Jano1. It looks like a head melter to figure it all out. I think I'll be bothering loads of government bodies to try and figure it all out.