I have received a number of queries on how to deal with HB/CTB claims from partners of persons from abroad!! Does anyone have any information on how to assess HB? I would be really grateful and a few gray hairs lighter if you could email any information to me. Many thanks

Re Persons from abroad, you need to check whether they have any entitlement to public funds or not. Where no entitlement, the claimant will be treated as a single person, will be able to claim Tax Credits where applicable in their own right. If however the person from abroad has an income it will be taken into account when assessing HB/CTB.

In HB/CTB where there is no recourse to public funds the applicable amount is that of a couple, unlike IS/JSA where the applicable amount is that of a single person.

The "sanction" in the HB/CTB case is that there could be serious visa consequences if the home office become aware of the HB/CTB claim and the award was increased because the claimant had a partner