To think this rule needs looking at

[Imissivillage]

I found out this week that because ExDP claims UC in a joint claim with his new wife for her 2 daughters childcare costs, my child maintenance will be dropping to £7 per week the same as if he were on income support or jobseekers allowance.

The problem being he earns 60k and his wife not much less.

AIBU to this this rule of "he's on benefits" despite his income means he only has to pay the token amount is ridiculous and needs to be looked at?

I suspect the reply is implying OP isn’t genuine rather than saying £7 a week is fine.

According to OP a couple earning £120k are eligible for UC.

I earn less than a third of their individual salaries and I am not eligible for any UC so there is no way on earth they are warning 120k between them and getting UC.

Contact the CMS and let them hash it out

are they self emplyed and fiddled wit the numbers

Unless they're working cash in hand or somehow not receiving their income properly, UC is not something you can really fiddle. It goes off reported earnings from employers and receipts have to be submitted for childcare costs. You sure he's not lost his job or something?

Sorry but one or the other of you has completely misunderstood how it works, unless he's self-employed and fiddling his numbers. You cannot be a PAYE employee on £60k pa and only have to pay £7 a week because of claiming benefits. That makes no sense.

This is my belief too.

My husband was earning £25k I was on £12k we got nothing and was paying £300 a month childcare. I can't believe these are on £120k and getting uc. Unless they are self employed and not declaring income.

I doubt it very much. They’re not even entitled to child benefit.

I’d wait and see if it becomes a reality and then query it.

You say they’re earning 60k each but you can’t know that for definite. As others have said, they wouldn’t be getting UC if they are earning that much. Also UC gets wage data from Hmrc and you have to send childcare receipts and proof of payment so it’s not like it can be fiddled

i don’t think any of this is right OP; his income still counts as income even when receiving universal credit

It doesn't. The UC overrides everything. I've had this confirmed by CMS.

UC doesn’t override everything, the actual government website clearly confirms this, if he earns more than £200 per week the fact he claims UC has zero impact on maintenance.

I can also confirm a couple earning £120k per year do not receive UC.

Don't be pedantic, the children lose out if I'm put in a position of which bill to pay/ relying on a food bank/ can't afford their hobbies etc. And I work before you suggest I should pick up the slack.

ExH moved in with his new gf and her 2dc. CMS allowed him to protect most of his income as he now had 2dc in his household. His contribution for my dc was £7 a wk. His gf must have been laughing as she got CM payments from her dc father, and my ExH had to make minimum CM to me as her kids counted on our claim. System is a joke.

What was he paying previously? Was it collected via CMS?

The world has gone mad if we live in a time when people earning £120k a year can claim benefits...

He should be contributing but her salary shouldn't come into it imo.

Is he self-employed and not paying tax? Not informing HRMC his earnings? Possibly claiming benefits 🤔