Fis under review within the 52 weeks

Rw5586

Hi all,

I renew my fis every November. In early 2017 I had a baby with a new partner. I told fix this and they amended my payment. I went back to work in October and sent in my pay slips and that for November and my fis was renewed.

After Xmas my partner and I decided to move in together and I applied to put him on the lease the start of Feb this year. I've just now finalised the lease and I am waiting on the new lease agreement.

Prior to this I rang citizens advice regarding the fis payment and they said my fis will stay the same until the end of the 52 weeks even with my partner moving in.

I've just had an inspector call to say my claim is under review and I may be liable for overpayment?

Can Anyone give me any insight as to why this might be? I feel as if I've done something wrong

Tina82

did the inspector call to your house ? If your partner moved in to your house after xmas i presume you would of had to inform them of your change in circumstances.

Rw5586

He applied to be on the lease but as he's only on it officially this week and he works away during the week he's not here all the time. I haven't told them yet as I don't have the lease. But the citizens advice said my payment shouldn't change even if he is there until my renewal in november

Squatter

Rw5586 wrote: »

Can Anyone give me any insight as to why this might be? I feel as if I've done something wrong

What, if any, social welfare is your new partner claiming? Is he claiming for you and the child?

Rw5586

He's not claiming any social welfare, he's working

hawthorne

Rw5586 wrote: »

He's not claiming any social welfare, he's working

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/social_welfare_payments_to_families_and_children/family_income_supplement.html

Looking at this the income of your partner is the problem. You are assessed on the total income of your family- means your own and your partners.
You was ok while living on your own. But with your partners income your entitlement to your amount of FIS probably shrunk.You may have been overpaid and you may might have to pay that amount back.
The DoSP will look at the figures and examine your partners pay. They do the calculations always over a time frame of 52 weeks. They try to find out an average income for those 52 weeks. See also the paragraph about that under the link from above. It all depends what the final tally is. This figure is used for your payments in the following 52 weeks. After those 52 weeks they do a recalculation to see if there is any change- positive or negative for you.
If they find out you received more than you should have due to changes in your family income, they try to correct that for the next 52 weeks with a new setting of your weekly payment. In general they will simply subtract a bit of your future weekly FIS payments. This way you will pay back the overpayment and you do not have to worry about a certain sum being asked from you on the spot.
The main change for you in the future will be that you will receive a reduced weekly FIS payment. And this is only under the condition that your partners income does not bring your families income over the threshold for any FIS payment.
If your conditions change again in the future, they will look again at the income situation of your family.
As long as you inform them as soon as possible of any changes in your conditions, you will be ok.You have done nothing wrong.
The rest is all up to the DoSP.

Rw5586

Put a change in circumstances refers only to working hours being reduced or a new child being cared for.

I have done neither.

An increase or decrease in earnings does not affect the payment within the 52 weeks

hawthorne

Rw5586 wrote: »

Put a change in circumstances refers only to working hours being reduced or a new child being cared for.

I have done neither.

An increase or decrease in earnings does not affect the payment within the 52 weeks

It is your partners income which made all the changes! His income changed the income of your family. FIS is calculated on the basis of the number of adults- either one or two- and the number of children plus the combined income of the family members.
Your FIS payment will not change now. It will only change when the 52 weeks since the last assessment is over. They only look at it now to have everything in place by then.

upinthesky

This should not affect her fis, as she stated above the only time fis changes within the 52 weeks is if she claims social welfare or has a child, maybe having another child gives them grounds to take a look at your fis and allows them to reacess?

All you can do is cooperate with the inspecter and see what happens, if your fis cant be touched they wont change it, but if it can because of the new baby circumstance then they will, there not going to do something they shouldnt be doing, if you understand me