Documentation for SUSI

5tuck · 24-08-2018 02:17PM #1

Hi all

I've been trying to get clarification about my grant claim, which is still in the early stages, but that I need info on to know whether or not I will be able to proceed with College this year.

I rang yesterday and was told that a document was being sent out with a check list requiring various pieces of information. Two of these are proof of my independent residency from last year and this year, and proof of independent income from this time too.

At first I was taken aback with the answer I received to the question of how I should declare my social welfare payments, as I don't have all of my social welfare receipts at hand to photocopy, but after this suggestion I was told I could request some sort of letter from the DSP outlining my income from this time, which hopefully won't be too difficult. However, after this, the examples of proof of residency that I need to provide are all not available to me, and I was told if I couldn't provide these (utility bills, rent allowance letter?) that my claim will be rejected and that I would have to apply as a dependent.

Does anybody know of any examples of documentation or any way I can proceed here? If I have to restart my claim, it will likely be more than the few weeks I have left to defer before I hear back from them, and at this rate it would be highly unlikely that I get the confirmation that I need so that I can start my studies. I have requested a callback from citizens information, but they couldn't help with an issue I had last week so I'm not getting my hopes up there.

splinter65 · 24-08-2018 03:26PM

https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/StatementOfJAJB.aspx

It’s SW income for 2017 you need a statement for. If you were on JSA then complete the above and submit.
If you were on IB for any of that time then complete this

https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/OnlineStatementRequest.aspx

In order to prove that you were living independently you need to show a rent book/rental agreement/lease/mortgage statement/rent allowance letter/HAP agreement with your name on it at the address you claim to be living independently dated in the period in which you claim to be living there.
Most people would have one of these items, it’s hard to think of a situation in which you wouldn’t.
What are your living arrangements?
You can supply bank statements electric bills WiFi bills SKY tv bills phone bills letters from Revenue HSE SW credit cards etc once again dated and with your name at that address.
Nearly everyone would have something.

5tuck · 24-08-2018 03:54PM

splinter65 wrote: »

https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/StatementOfJAJB.aspx

It’s SW income for 2017 you need a statement for. If you were on JSA then complete the above and submit.
If you were on IB for any of that time then complete this

https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/OnlineStatementRequest.aspx

In order to prove that you were living independently you need to show a rent book/rental agreement/lease/mortgage statement/rent allowance letter/HAP agreement with your name on it at the address you claim to be living independently dated in the period in which you claim to be living there.
Most people would have one of these items, it’s hard to think of a situation in which you wouldn’t.
What are your living arrangements?
You can supply bank statements electric bills WiFi bills SKY tv bills phone bills letters from Revenue HSE SW credit cards etc once again dated and with your name at that address.
Nearly everyone would have something.

I have nothing from the last 5 places I've rented. Grocery bills and the odd letter I've received from the HSE/SW are long gone.

splinter65 · 24-08-2018 04:02PM

5tuck wrote: »

I have nothing from the last 5 places I've rented. Grocery bills and the odd letter I've received from the HSE/SW are long gone.

If you had an electricity or phone account or tv supplier at any address in your name in the last 5 years then it is no problem to ring them and ask them to reissue you with bills. They can send them via email. It’s common practice.

You were renting a place and not getting any rent supplement or HAP despite being on JSA?

5tuck · 24-08-2018 08:09PM

splinter65 wrote: »

If you had an electricity or phone account or tv supplier at any address in your name in the last 5 years then it is no problem to ring them and ask them to reissue you with bills. They can send them via email. It’s common practice.

You were renting a place and not getting any rent supplement or HAP despite being on JSA?

I didn't have those accounts in the places I rented over the last two years. I was not getting HAP or rent supplement for any of the time.

5tuck · 24-08-2018 08:25PM

The only thing I can think of is a tescos grocery bill but I think I mentioned that over the phone and it was rebuffed.

caipin · 24-08-2018 08:29PM

You can register and attend college by using your SUSI reference number until you get all your documents in order and your application sorted. How did you not have any electricity/gas accounts?

5tuck · 24-08-2018 08:47PM

caipin wrote: »

You can register and attend college by using your SUSI reference number until you get all your documents in order and your application sorted. How did you not have any electricity/gas accounts?

I can register and attend, but I can't defer unless I decide to do so very soon, and I can't start long-term, full-time study unless I know I will be able to avail of some sort of support.

Over the last few years I have paid no utility bills in any of the places I have rented, my rent has included all bills. I signed no leases, was not on any rent relief, and did not have a bill pay phone or anything of that nature.

splinter65 · 24-08-2018 08:52PM

5tuck wrote: »

I didn't have those accounts in the places I rented over the last two years. I was not getting HAP or rent supplement for any of the time.

So to summarize:
1. You’ve been in receipt of means tested SW payments since April 2017 and living in rented accommodation all that time but managed to pay the rent with no financial help from the state.
2. You had no rent book or lease agreement or other contract from any of the rental properties you lived in.
3. No utility bills were ever in your name nor did you ever have a bank account in your name at any of these addresses.
So you have absolutely no evidence that you were living independently at all.
That means that SUSI cannot consider you as an independent mature candidate and you’ll have to apply as a dependent and will have to supply financial means of your parents.

caipin · 24-08-2018 08:52PM

I went through this situation a year ago. I registered with my SUSI number while waiting and in the end wasn't eligible so had to defer. I attended college until October (when I found out about SUSI) but it may be that your college doesn't allow deferral that late. Make sure you check the dates.
Did you rent privately or from an agency?

Aceandstuff · 24-08-2018 08:56PM

I was in this situation four years ago. I wasn't exactly straight out of school, but I wasn't technically a "mature" student either. I had to include both of my parents' incomes on the forms, etc. At the end of the application I outlined that they were separated and that neither of them had been financially supporting me for years. As far as I know, SUSI can examine your bank records, if you can manage to get a statement sent to your home address, this might do as proof of address and proof of independence. I don't know how to help really, but that was my experience.

caipin · 24-08-2018 08:58PM

Aceandstuff wrote: »

...if you can manage to get a statement sent to your home address, this might do as proof of address and proof of independence..

SUSI don't accept bank statements as proof of address unfortunately.

5tuck · 24-08-2018 09:21PM

splinter65 wrote: »

So you have absolutely no evidence that you were living independently at all.

According to SUSI rules. DSP accept a written latter from a landlord with utility, so I can prove independent living generally. Its nitpicking, but that seems to be the order of the day.

Looks like I finally know for sure that I won't be going back to College this year then.

splinter65 · 24-08-2018 09:31PM

5tuck wrote: »

According to SUSI rules. DSP accept a written latter from a landlord with utility, so I can prove independent living generally. Its nitpicking, but that seems to be the order of the day.

Looks like I finally know for sure that I won't be going back to College this year then.

DSP can and do call to see claimants at home to verify that they are living where, and with whom, they say they are living.
SUSI cannot do that.
SUSI has to be means tested to ensure that only the people who need it get it.
If you can’t supply evidence of your means of financial support then there’s not very much can be done about it.
Best of luck to you.

caipin · 24-08-2018 09:39PM

Did you get a letter from your landlord stating that the property was registered with the RTB when you moved in? You should have, and SUSI accept this as proof. A letter on headed paper from a rental agency confirming your tenancy will also suffice but seeing as you have never signed a lease I doubt you've been dealing with a rental agency.

5tuck · 24-08-2018 10:21PM

splinter65 wrote: »

If you can’t supply evidence of your means of financial support then there’s not very much can be done about it.

I can do this and already outlined that.

5tuck · 24-08-2018 10:22PM

caipin wrote: »

Did you get a letter from your landlord stating that the property was registered with the RTB when you moved in? You should have, and SUSI accept this as proof. A letter on headed paper from a rental agency confirming your tenancy will also suffice but seeing as you have never signed a lease I doubt you've been dealing with a rental agency.

None of this unfortunately, I'm even wondering how I'll manage to fill out the form next year at this stage.

splinter65 · 24-08-2018 11:08PM

5tuck wrote: »

I can do this and already outlined that.

So you actually do have the documentary evidence ?

Here’s what SUSI accept:
The documentation accepted as evidence of living independently is any of the following;

A letter confirming that this address is registered with RTB (Residential Tenancies Board);
A Local Authority lease agreement or a letter confirming your rental under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) or any Government Housing Scheme/Arrangement. Private Housing Lease Agreements will not be accepted;
A letter on headed paper from a Rental Agency confirming your tenancy;
A letter confirming the receipt and period of Rent Allowance, Mortgage Interest Supplement or Housing Assistance Payment (HAP);
A Utility bill in your own name, for example; landline telephone (we do not accept mobile telephone bills), fixed broadband, gas, electricity or cable/satellite television bill/home heating bills/waste bills/Mortgage Statements/Property Tax Letters. If the utility bills in the household are in your spouse’s name, please provide your marriage certificate with the utility bill (if co-habiting we will accept utility bills in your partner’s name covering the relevant period together with correspondence e.g. bank statement/P21 issued to the applicant at the same address and covering the relevant period); and/or
Official documentation posted to you at this address and relating to your residence there. For example, a letter from the Department of Social Protection confirming Rent Allowance at this address or a letter from any Government Department confirming you are living independently from your parents. Please note, we do not accept bank statements alone for this purpose.

Sorry I thought you didn’t have any of these things. Now it seems you do. My mistake. So apply as soon as possible online in order to have payment in place when your course starts.

Also if you follow the links to requesting a SW statement that I posted in a previous post then that is exactly what SUSI require as proof of your income.

5tuck · 24-08-2018 11:22PM

You said financial support, not a proof of residence.

splinter65 · 24-08-2018 11:46PM

5tuck wrote: »

You said financial support, not a proof of residence.

You need documentary evidence of both to apply as an independent mature candidate. If you want to apply next year it will be the same. I wish I could help you.

5tuck · 24-08-2018 11:48PM

I was told by the SUSI rep that I could request a letter from the DSP outlining my income, could I do the same with my address and get them to state where I lived whilst I collected payments?

Squatter · 25-08-2018 10:29AM

5tuck wrote: »

I was told by the SUSI rep that I could request a letter from the DSP outlining my income, could I do the same with my address and get them to state where I lived whilst I collected payments?

I don't think so. How can DSP certify that you lived at the address where they wrote to you? (For all they know, you were using a friend's or other family member's address for correspondence purposes.) As Splinter has helpfully outlined above, there's a pretty wide range of acceptable proofs of address for SUSI purposes; you really need to rack your brains and see how you can provide one of them.

5tuck · 25-08-2018 10:49AM

I was visited twice by a CWO in one place, I suppose that doesn't mean a thing then.

5tuck · 25-08-2018 11:15AM

Is there anything I can retroactively get here? I've moved quite a bit in the last few years so I tend not to keep letters and papers.

5tuck · 25-08-2018 12:38PM

splinter65 wrote: »

For example, a letter from the Department of Social Protection confirming Rent Allowance at this address or a letter from any Government Department confirming you are living independently from your parents. Please note, we do not accept bank statements alone for this purpose.

Can this be requested retroactively? I don't understand how anyone could have such a letter lying around from the past except for this purpose.

It probably does not matter anyway. I still haven't received the "checklist" that was "sent out" to me Wednesday morning by SUSI. At this rate I definitely won't get confirmation of a grant decision before my defer window, and I need to defer to stand any hope of getting BTEA next year, even though that will probably be rejected as well. Even if it's accepted, next year I'll have to pay over 4k in college fees for the 1st two years because I've already done a level 6 course outside of this area. A general shítshow all around that I've managed to get myself into.

nothing · 25-08-2018 01:42PM

Surely a previous landlord would print you a copy of a previous lease?

Squatter · 25-08-2018 01:48PM

5tuck wrote: »

I was visited twice by a CWO in one place, I suppose that doesn't mean a thing then.

It may mean that DSP would be in a position to confirm that you resided at that address. Why not ask them, instead of wallowing in negativity on this thread?

splinter65 · 25-08-2018 03:56PM

Squatter wrote: »

It may mean that DSP would be in a position to confirm that you resided at that address. Why not ask them, instead of wallowing in negativity on this thread?

When youre trapped in a circle of negativity which, in reality, allows you to remain static, never moving in any direction, never making any progress then you become an expert at inventing excuses for not trying to solve the issues.

5tuck · 25-08-2018 08:27PM

nothing wrote: »

Surely a previous landlord would print you a copy of a previous lease?

I signed no leases during this time, and private leases are not accepted.

Squatter wrote: »

It may mean that DSP would be in a position to confirm that you resided at that address. Why not ask them, instead of wallowing in negativity on this thread?

Yes, they may be able to confirm I lived at one of the three addresses that SUSI require. It's Saturday.

splinter65 wrote: »

When youre trapped in a circle of negativity which, in reality, allows you to remain static, never moving in any direction, never making any progress then you become an expert at inventing excuses for not trying to solve the issues.

I'm posting here, I'm ringing around, I'm talking to people. Sure, I'm angry, and negativity is definitely my default unfortunately. But me, and the others who have posted here with a similar issue, are dealing with a problem that is not easy to solve. Sometimes it's just nice to have a vent to some people who understand the system as well, especially when such an outlet is not available elsewhere. Two other people have posted with a relatable problem.

I know this frustrates you, because you're very knowledgable about this area and I'm sure you've helped solve many peoples problems in this area. You're helping me. But just because you don't have the cut and dried solution here does not mean I am not making any progress. You seem to think that you not having the solution to my problem and me making progress are two mutually exclusive events, which isn't the case.

I have plenty planned in the coming weeks to try and combat this issue, and you can rest assured that there'll be a lot more negativity coming out of me, that's simply the nature of the problem in my eyes.

5tuck · 27-08-2018 04:44PM

I called the DSP and they said they'd get back to me, will probably try again tomorrow. I'll probably have to ask them for a letter declaring SWA as well, as there doesn't seem to be an option for that on the statement retrieval page.

5tuck · 28-08-2018 02:34PM

Why is it that all other departments in the DSP take a landlords letter with a utility bill confirming a residence but SUSI don't? Both the people in citizens information and in the DSP i talked to found that strange.

Documentation for SUSI

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