Debt Income ans Expenditure Form Completion

[bookend]

I'm trying to fill in an income and expenditure form for a relative whose elderly and with poor eyesight. I'm a bit puzzled about part of the form and I'd be grateful for any advice.

In the Income section, there are two columns, one for "regular monthly income" and the other for "regular monthly outgoings.

Now my relatives income comes from a combination of Income Support and Invalidity Benefit and she lives in a council house. Because of the Income Support, she does not pay rent nor council tax.

The "regular monthly income" section has a heading to enter "Housing Benefit" and the "regular monthly outgoings" section has heading for "Rent" and "Council Tax"

Now because she does not pay rent or CT, do I leave these sections empty in the outgoings column? If I do, I assume I also leave the housing benefit section empty in the income column or the income and expenditure won't balance. Does the same apply to the council tax? Is omitting this information likely to be acceptable to creditors as surely they can't be of any use because the charge is cancelled out by the benefit?

I'd be grateful for any help as I'm tearing my hair out right now over this.

[bookend]

If I could just add, that it would be wrong to claim that she's paying rent by providing a figure in the "outgoings" column. It follows that if the figure is not in the "outgoing" column, it can't be in the "income" column under housing benefit either.
Or am I just being stupid?

[themas]

It probably doesn't matter at all which approach you use, so long as you are consistent. Either put the housing & council tax benefit down as income, and the rent and council tax amounts as expenditure, or leave it all out. If you do the latter, put a simple note on the form saying the rent & council tax are fully paid by benefits.

[bookend]

Thanks themas. I decided in the end to leave it all out. If they can't understand it, they'll have to get back to us.

thanks again.