Does my ex transferring me money for our son effect my benefit?

[Meworried]

I have recently changed benefit from uc to lcwra the jobcentre asked me to provide id and 4 months of bank statement for a claim review. My ex (sons father) gives money every so often for our son will this effect my benefit? Really worried any advice appreciated.

LCWRA is UC. It's a status/extra sum of money on a UC claim.

Child maintenance is disregarded.

Why does he give you money only every so often, it should be a regular amount?

Hes not dependable / doesn't have a great income i dont want to even have anything from him for my son if i could afford not to. I just dont know the rules or the amounts to the cash he gives eg £300 one month random £150 the next also £20 another month i worry they will question why or my benefits stopped ect in a bad place with this all mentally taking a toll on me and already very ill. Thank you

Child support whether as part of a CMS claim or something you agree yourselves doesn’t impact on benefits.

you should consider whether it would be better for you to use CMS to regularise the payment. This would give you a consistent payment and a regular income. However if he is “overpaying” compared to what you would get from CMS then it might not be worth it. For example if he is self employed or does cash in hand work then a CMS calculation might be a lot less.

It’s important for you to asset yourself in this situation but you should do it to get the best outcome for you. If varying but irregular amounts are better than what he would pay under CMS stick with it. Because that is the best outcome for you.

If you want regular amounts and he is in a stable salaried job he won’t give up then use CMS.