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Lone parents

Use our Single Parent forum to speak to other parents raising a child alone.

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Original poster

Council Tax benefit now taking maintenance into account...

53 replies

mama2moo · 17/02/2013 19:43

How is this fair? It basically means that £77 of my childrens money will now have to pay my council tax bill.

Has anyone received a letter about this? I hope they dont take this into account for other things that help me out.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

happyinherts · 19/02/2013 09:05

Don't you have a bin emptied? Don't you use local services? Don't want the fire brigade or ambulance in an emergency?

I didn't say the system was fair. It isn't. We pay over 10 per cent of our income on it ourselves - but it is fair that everyone contributes something isn't?

Letsmakecookies · 19/02/2013 09:27

Not entirely sure council tax pays for ambulances.

happyinherts · 19/02/2013 10:24

Emergency services are added to your council tax bill under County services as an extra, ie it's included in the final amount.

whateveritakes · 19/02/2013 18:43

Of course everyone uses things - why is the tax not based on ability to pay. If you can't afford food or electric you go without. Not an option with council tax.

Income tax is charged at a higher rate for the better paid to allow for the fact that you can afford to pay more.

And you can be jailed/bailiffs round/CCJ's for is a huge sum for the poor Income and the same as some people spend on a weeks meal out.

MrsTomHardy · 19/02/2013 18:50

So what happens when I don't receive my Csa money then, can I deduct that amount off my council tax bill for that month....
XP didn't pay for 7 weeks, only just started getting it again... So not only do I spend my time on the phone to Csa, I will also be phoning the Benefits office letting them know each week as to wether I receive my maintenance or not

theredhen · 20/02/2013 13:40

I agree this is fair, why should the state pay out the same to someone receiving maintenance as someone who isn't? Surely it's up to the parents to support the children of the family and if both parents are doing so, why should the tax payer being paying out for those children as well as for the children who don't have both parents financially supporting them?

However, I am unsure how this will be policed. Fine if the CSA are collecting the money each month AND manage to talk to the council, but for those who receive maintenance in cash and in dribs and drabs, I can't see how the admin is going to work?

whateveritakes · 20/02/2013 14:32

theredhen Maintenance isn't income though. It's not generated by the household or regulated by the state. It's based on somebody who lives outside of the household on a non enforceable basis. If and when all fathers (as almost all single parents are women) are forced to pay then yes that will be household income.

Otherwise you might as well say children's birthday money is income or the grandparents donations to a savings account are income.

HappyMummyOfOne · 20/02/2013 19:58

Its a much fairer system, where the parents stay together all income is taken into account so why not in single parent households. The fact maintenance is disgragarded for so many things makes a mockery of the whole benefits system.

Every household should pay council tax, we all use the services so should all contribute. Its a bill like any other.

timidviper · 20/02/2013 20:07

I think it should be taken into account. When my DB got divorced I was stunned at the money his ex had as income. She works p/t, gets maintenance from 2ex-Hs and claims God knows what in tax credits and childcare allowances. All in all she would have to have a very good salary indeed to earn that income under her own steam and it equated to more than many working families. Why should all that money be disregarded?

OP, I think we would all argue that a proportion of our earnings is needed to look after our DCs. To say maintenance should be exempt from that because it is given to you by someone else is nonsense. It is all income and should be counted as such.

whateveritakes · 20/02/2013 20:57

I totally agree that divorced women do pretty well out of the arrangement but the money they get has already been taxed from the fathers wage. In addition they only make up 49% of lone parents. What do the other half do then?

Assuming I'm on income support and get £5 a week from my ex then that's my 20% of the bill paid. If he decides not to contribute (because the £5 is coming out of his income support that he now has to pay 20% off) and become self employed /work cash in hand/go abroad for a few years/find a new girlfriend with children....where do I get the shortfall from? How long will the local council wait before we decide he's not paying, will they back date my income assessment how much will all this cost the local council (which means council tax payers).

BertieBotts · 20/02/2013 21:02

It was disregarded because in the past when fathers stopped paying it totally left single mothers in the shit because the benefits agencies thought that they were receiving money which they weren't. This happened to my mum when we were young, we were on 10p per week for many weeks until she managed to get it sorted out, luckily, her parents were able and willing to buy food for us to eat.

You could opt, at this time, for the money from the father to go directly to the government rather than the mother (unless over a certain amount) and for benefits to be unaffected, but for some reason fathers weren't keen on the idea of their money going to the government rather than directly to their children.

I think the system where it is disregarded is better because it means that abusive exes are less able to fuck the mother of their children over financially.

(Apologies for using mother/father, of course these can be reversed)

MrsTomHardy · 20/02/2013 21:04

I'm a single parent, work 20 hours a week and I do pay council tax....when they find a solution to make NRP actually pay for their children then fair enough but all the while its hit and miss as to wether I receive maintenance or not then its hardly fair in my opinion......it's not a guaranteed income. Even someone from the Csa once told me I shouldn't rely on my maintenance payments!!!!!

JakeBullet · 20/02/2013 21:09

It says up to 15% on our local site,....I get maintainace of £200 a month for DS but it's hit and miss. I will find it and just set up a DD for it.

theredhen · 21/02/2013 07:09

Something else.... How many people will come to a cash agreement with the Nrp and lie to the government agencies about getting maintenance? Not everyone is amicable with their ex but some are and I suspect some will be blackmailed with the promise of cash at a reduced rate if they keep quiet about it. It's going to create a black market.

lauriedriver · 21/02/2013 07:17

How awful for you op, £77 of your Childs money!! £150 of my earnings goes on mine, how awfully unfair having to pay your own way in life

whateveritakes · 21/02/2013 17:18

lauriedriver - the point is that the £77 isn't her paying her way in life it's her ex paying it. He has the control over that £77. He if doesn't pay then it's not like credit card debt or utility bills she can go to prison.

Of those that have the CSA involved £40% get less than £10 a week. t's not worth the misery of endless forms for either claimant or local authorities IMO.

MrsTomHardy · 21/02/2013 17:32

I've been told by the Csa that I shouldn't rely on maintenance payments as they aren't guaranteed income!
So if they aren't classed as guaranteed income how can they be used to work out council tax payments!
I can go to court/bailiffs/prison if I don't pay my council tax but if a NRP doesn't stick to paying maintenance then fuck all happens really, the odd phone call maybe!!!

Daddelion · 21/02/2013 19:36

I assume it's not guaranteed income as the NPR could lose their job, become ill or even die.

According to this article approximately 50 NRPs are sent to prison and 900 are given suspended prison sentences a year.

So some get punished.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/more-fathers-jailed-over-child-support-2265787.html

BrittaPerry · 27/02/2013 10:08

Anyone who has any changing circumstances at all has to go in every month anyway. I must go in at least six times a year.

IWantATowel · 27/02/2013 16:29

My council sent me a letter about council tax benefit but it didn't say anything about maintenance. It said people on income support etc would have to pay a percentage unless they were a lone parent with a child under 5. I guess they're all different.

MrsTomHardy · 27/02/2013 17:21

I got a letter too and nothing mentioned about maintenance!

danidrury · 27/02/2013 20:57

We need to get society to stigmatise deadbeat dads anyone fancy a challenge?

raenbow · 27/02/2013 22:28

Spoke to my HB office this week and told it does not and will not count, whether this will change who knows. Could it depend on LA's?

littlemisssarcastic · 01/03/2013 21:08

Agree with MrsTomHardy's post at 17.32.

It depends on individual councils as to whether they will include maintenance payments as part of your income and calculate your council tax payments with those payments in mind. Some councils will, others will not.

Maintenance payments are notoriously unreliable in my case.

My council, like most others, are charging everyone at least 20% of their council tax bill, irrespective of income, so unemployed, self employed, or disabled people will all be expected to pay 20% in my area. Some councils are removing the second adult rebate, some are removing the student discount too.

It is going to be tough for many people. I wonder if it is going to be too tough for some people.

Pensioners are exempt.

I have no idea how much I will be paying, because I have yet to see the bill, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if the council tax bill will increase substantially this year.

I'm not sure how much more people can be squeezed tbh.

I have just seen petrol increases of 11p a litre in the last 2 weeks where I am. It is worrying.

Foxy800 · 02/03/2013 09:34

I have had letter on this and it will count in our area, but it depends on the area, not everyone in the country is affected by it.

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