To think that the csa classification of full time student is a bit silly

[torchpaper]

Example....stepson is nearly 18 and is classified as a full time student.
He goes to college 2 days a week and works full time 4-5 days a week (depending on when they need him).

College is never a full day.

Now, while we arent personally that bothered, when I think about it its a silly classification. We still have to pay his mother even though he is at her house one night a week.

aibu in thinking this is a bit silly? (money aside as its isnt much, but the concept is odd)

You have to pay as long as she's getting child benefit for him which if he's at college then she can still get.

ah, that makes sense...yes she does.

They only have to be in collage 12 hours a week for you to receive child benefit. my son started a full time course in sept, which was cut by the government from 3 days to 2 a week

A full time course is a description of the amount of time someone is supposed to in theory be studying. It is not the same as the number of taught hours. So students will supposed to be reading about their subject - both set books and those around their subject matter andw rite essays, etc. The fact that many students don't actually study full time, does not mean therefore that it isn't a full time course.

What lesley said. If your stepson isn't putting in the work he is supposed to, that is his problem, not that of the description.

We see this a lot with university students: they see the hours on their timetable, forget to read the smallprint about independent study and think they have x nos of hours to do what they like. And then they are terribly disappointed when they don't get a First. The hours are calculated to allow an ambitious student to get the most out of their course.

I can see where you are coming from, but the CSA has so many ridiculous policies, this one is not the worst.

There is no after hours study in this course, its a nvq engineering/auto. No text books or anything.

No coursework either...occasionally they do an "in house" test.

tourch my sons is the same, he's doing electrical instillation. No course work at all, they have in house tests and he has to know how everything goes togeather but he remembers all that with very little revision.

It's not as silly as the stupid excuses NRPs and stepparents come up with for trying to get out of paying for your child. See also: this thread. HTH.

I mean, saying a parent only has to pay 15% of their income to support their child, even though resident parents ime pay at least 50% of their income to support their child is absurd to start with. Are you going to argue for an increase in cm rates too?

I do see what you mean about querying why this is classed as full time study then.

wibbly the child has lived with us nearly full time for quite a few years now and only goes to his mother's one night a week and we have always paid HTH

we ARE the resident parents but have allowed her to claim CB to help out

what are cm rates? confused

Child maintenance I think

Ah thanks :)
Im questioning the classification of full time student. I mean an 18 year old lad (next week) earning about £150 a week and working 4-5 days and going to college 2 doesnt seem to me to be someone you should be claiming cb for anyway. (cm aside)
Jut seems illogical.