the new child maintenance and benefits rule!!! It's made me smile :) :) :)

[lunavix]

I've only just seen this on my local councils website and it's made my day that little bit brighter.

Care to enlighten us as well?

Is it this?

Doesnt it change so you keep all maintenance and lose whatever it is after the premium from IS?

I hope not as its really going to screw me over (not that i'm going to recieve any until the end of novemeber)

I think so shelleylou but as per normal CSA website doesn't seem to make sense (unless I'm being thick)

As of 27th October child maintenance will not count as income for housing benefits or council tax benefit. At the moment you get the first £15 from it and they pretty much claw back the rest.

It still classes as income for income support and jobseekers allowance, but I believe the amount you get at first has been raised, don't know as I don't get those.

But for it to not count as income is going to mean we struggle that little bit less now

if the fucker wuold give me anything, then yes tis a good thing.

well yes he hasn't given me anything yet either but I can live in hope

it's not so good for those on IS (from what I understand) as at some point all maintenance will go to the parent with care, and then IS is adjusted accordingly.......fine it you have an ex who is actually going to pay up, but not all ex's are like that and so some parents with care are going to find it really hard if they don't get their maintenance......

FAQ - how do you mean? I don't get IS but just wondering how that is, exactly?

I was told recently (by my lone parent advisor) that all the maintenance due will be paid to IS claimants. The IS claimant then has to tell IS how much they're getting and their benefits will be reduced accordingly.

That's all very well if the ex is actually going to pay up, regularly, but for many parents with care that won't be the case and so if maintenance isn't paid to them, their benefits have already been reduced - they're going to be left short.

surely maintenance is the payment made to the carer in all cases, it's the money from the other parent?

no pirate - if you're on IS unless a private arrangement was made AGES ago (I think it's something like 2003!!!) you HAVE to go through the CSA........you get to keep £20 of it + your normal benefits - the rest basically goes to into the DWP coffers to pay your benefits to you!

So (for example) my ex is told he has to pay £40 a week for our 3 DS's, I'll only ever see £20 of it as it stands at the moment! (or is it £10 - I can't remember - definitely no more than £20)

10 at the moment goesup to £20 on october 27th...
wonder how thats going to affect all my backdated maintenance

oh well I knew £20 came into it somewhere........I'm not expecting them to have sorted mine out for months yet - the rate tbey're going I'm going to be working again and be able to have it all anyhow

ah, faq i think i misunderstood where you were coming from, you're saying that al maintenence will go to the carer, and if your ex is dodgy about getting it too you on time you will come unstuck.

sorry i misread it.

ignore!! me!!

as if i'd ever get more than £20 anyway!! he gave me some money in january, thats it this yr. Yet he has got married, had a 3 week honeymoon, and is now apparently on a college course. twat.

that's the one piratecat was probably the way I worded it.

Shouldnt take too long if FW cooperates. Thats why mine has taken so long,even though i have a rough payment date im not expecting to actually recieve it even though its his employer taking it out and sending it to CSA

I'm curious - how do the back payments work?? Do they work out how much you should have received (so £10 for each of the weeks behind he is) and then give you all of that amount in one go?

if the NRP is in arrears they take a few larger payments than normal then what you are 'owed' is forwarded to you. Its unlikely that you'll get the full amount of backdated pay in one go usuall a proportion out of eaxch of his arrear payments