Benefits and Maintance

[Hannispan]

Hi I am very very confused my the whole benefits system and was hoping someone could save me 2 hours on the phone :-) I am currently unemployed and reliant on benefits (i am trying to find a job). My ex has just offered to give me £20 a month to treat the kids and to pay £40 a month each into their child trust funds. I am very happy with this as I manage on benefits and I'm hoping its only temporary anyway and I am pleased that the DC will have some money towards first home/university/travel when they fly the nest. Do I need to tell the benefits people? And if yes do I need to tell them both about the £20 a month and the savings payments? Thanks

you are happy with that because you can manage on benefits?!

You should be asking yourself is that the amount he should be paying?
secureonline.dwp.gov.uk/csa/v2/en/calculate-maintenance.asp

Your dc are entitled to teh lifestyle they could of expected has you stayed together. If th caucluator shows this to be what he is offering than fair enough. But if it's not then you should be insisting he pay what he is required to as minimum because as their mother it is your responsibility to see that they are financially provided for.

He also has no right to say what you should spend the money on (ie put into trust fund). If you are happy to do that then faor enough, buut if you found you needed that money at some point and he said tough it's going in the trust fund then you will have a problem...

To answer your original question you get to keep all teh maintenacne money, it has no affect on your benefits
www.cmoptions.org/en/maintenance/prepare.asp