Talk

Sounds like you got unhelpful advise, I'm a housing benefit assessor and it is technically taken into account BUT it is then disregarded from your for your total weekly income.

So when you get your revised hb notification it'll look like this for example:

Earnings: £50
Child Benefit: £20
Child maintenance: £20

Total disregarded: £40
Total income: £50

Hope that helps

Thank you Eggnogchai

Before I read your reply I was just telling my sister about it on the phone and she told me that her friend is on income support and lives with her mum who is on a disability benefit, and they didn't pay any rent, but then when my sister's friend started to receive child maintenance they apparently had to start paying rent.

Could the rules differ per council?

No it doesn't differ between councils as the disregards are in hb regulations. Income support is a passported benefit so no other income for that person is taken into account, so I imagine something else must have changed to make her hb award be reduced.

Thanks again Eggnogchai that extra little bit of income will be a big help right now.