Student Finance England 20-21

[DTCwordfan]

The time of year has come around for filling in the application forms, the parents 'sucked' into the process as well as to income statements.

This is the 3rd time that my daughter has applied - the past two, we have had no problems in loading the data but this time there seems to be a hurdle in that the Nat Insurance number has to be put in. In my daughter's mother's case, she is American and has no number - even though there is a box to tick, the system then won't load to go further, the suggestion from her Uni finance being that she isn't eligible even though my daughter is a full Brit with her own NI number..... This short of leaving her mother completely off the application as if she had expired - financially, this may be the case but it does seem a bit drastic.

Does anybody have experience of this and how to counter it? Many thanks in advance

[Buenchico]

Your daughter should phone phone Student Finance England on 0300 100 0607 (or on [phone] if she's not currently in the UK) to seek advice.

[DTCwordfan]

she's in the UK.....I believe they are being 'uncooperative'....

[Buenchico]

If she can't get round the way the automated online system works, she could always use the old-fashioned paper form. Then, when her mother ticks 'I do not have an NI number', it will still be possible to proceed to the next section.

Form:
https://media.slc.co.uk/sfe/2021/ft/sfe_pn1_form_2021_o.pdf

Guidance notes:
https://media.slc.co.uk/sfe/2021/ft/sfe_pn1_notes_2021_o.pdf

[Buenchico]

Just another thought:
If the automated system is apparently locking up when "I don't have an NI number" is selected (but Student Finance England denies that there's anything wrong with their form), it might be a web browser problem. Your daughter should try clearing her browser's cache or, even simpler, using a different browser.

That might be all that's needed to resolve the problem.

[DTCwordfan]

thanks for this, I have copied and pasted it on to my daughter....

[AuntPollyGrey]

The family parental income form for Student finance is there to report the total income of the Students family. Each parent has to fill in a separate form, so if your wife is not longer working she will not need to fill in a form. If she is retired from working in the UK and/or receiving a pension then she must have a NI number regardless of her Nationality.

[DTCwordfan]

APG, she is American and an ex, well the only ex.

[AuntPollyGrey]

I know she's American, If she has ever worked and paid Tax in the UK she will have a NI number, its the Law. I presume that if she's contributing to the household income and has no NI number, she is recieving off -shore funds where the Tax has been paid in the country it was earned in. In that case I think calling student finance would be appropriate.

[DTCwordfan]

the thing is we haven't had any issue in her filling it in from offshore. Think she has gone the Chris route as to the advice, putit this way there has been no response.... Thanks though!